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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
The Shadow of the Wind is one of my 12 by 12 picks, and honestly, if a friend hadn’t recommended it, I probably wouldn’t have reached for it based on the summary. That said, it ended up being such a thoughtful choice for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s writing is vivid and lyrical, almost like the city of Barcelona is alive on the page. There are a lot of characters, which made it tricky for me to follow at times, but the way Daniel unraveled the mystery kept me intrigued. As someone who’s grown up with the internet, I couldn’t help but think how wild it would’ve been to track down all those clues in a world without Google.
This is definitely more character-driven than plot-driven, so the pacing felt slower than what I usually reach for. Still, I get why so many readers love this book. The layers, the atmosphere, the way everything slowly ties together… it’s beautifully done! 3.5 Stars from me
Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s writing is vivid and lyrical, almost like the city of Barcelona is alive on the page. There are a lot of characters, which made it tricky for me to follow at times, but the way Daniel unraveled the mystery kept me intrigued. As someone who’s grown up with the internet, I couldn’t help but think how wild it would’ve been to track down all those clues in a world without Google.
This is definitely more character-driven than plot-driven, so the pacing felt slower than what I usually reach for. Still, I get why so many readers love this book. The layers, the atmosphere, the way everything slowly ties together… it’s beautifully done! 3.5 Stars from me
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5/5 stars** One of the most intriguing, unique, mysterious books I have EVER read. Zafon's prose is delicious, which he intersperses with wise and witty quotes galore. You can literally feels the whispers of inspiration from Amor Towles, Umberto Eco, Victor Hugo, Ernest Hemingway, and moments of Stephen King's macabre. The story is masterfully, intricately woven which will keep you up at night wanting to read "just one more chapter".
You have the mysterious villan, the haunted house, the search for lost love, the war, the investigation, murders, romance, cliffhangers, bookstores, the cemetery of lost books, escapes, difficult families, puppy love, the big reveal - this book has it all.
I did take off half a star for some of the corny and sometimes overdone intimacy references. Sometimes, I feel like the author overplayed his hand. While he did try to be romantic, he unfortunately came across as a clumsy teen, and this is the only time where his exceptional language failed him. I had read other reviews that mentioned this as "erotic" which I definitely think was far from that. This novel was not sensual by any means, and I think those parts could easily have been left out. Perhaps it is the Spanish culture of romance?
In any case, I am grateful for allowing myself to be totally engrossed in The Shadow of the Wind. As the author states, as long as you are remembered in some way, that means you are still alive. Considering Zafon died recently from cancer, I am doing my part to keep him alive in my memory.
You have the mysterious villan, the haunted house, the search for lost love, the war, the investigation, murders, romance, cliffhangers, bookstores, the cemetery of lost books, escapes, difficult families, puppy love, the big reveal - this book has it all.
I did take off half a star for some of the corny and sometimes overdone intimacy references. Sometimes, I feel like the author overplayed his hand. While he did try to be romantic, he unfortunately came across as a clumsy teen, and this is the only time where his exceptional language failed him. I had read other reviews that mentioned this as "erotic" which I definitely think was far from that. This novel was not sensual by any means, and I think those parts could easily have been left out. Perhaps it is the Spanish culture of romance?
In any case, I am grateful for allowing myself to be totally engrossed in The Shadow of the Wind. As the author states, as long as you are remembered in some way, that means you are still alive. Considering Zafon died recently from cancer, I am doing my part to keep him alive in my memory.
this book was written so beautifully, and i loved how barcelona was essentially a character in the book. i loved daniel as a protagonist (after he got over moping around for clara, that part reminded me to love in the time of cholera and it wasn't a positive association), and his friendship with fermin was precious. of course, i'm a sucker for happy endings, so absolutely loved how satisfying it was. i loved how julian had been watching and caring for daniel, i loved how they killed fumero in the end, and of course, that daniel and bea got married and basically lived happily ever after. daniel's father was another great character, as was barcelo and the gay watchmaker. it was totally unpredictable (julian and penelope were brother and sister!) and i kept wanting to go back to read what would happen next. it was interesting reading about the parallels between daniel and julian, to the point where i was worried bea would somehow be his sister! but the part about the pen was awesome, and overall i loved it. i'm curious about the others in the trilogy, though i haven't heard great things.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Nicely written but the story not quite my cup of tea. I didn’t dislike it, but I never became super engrossed. Also, I wanted this to be more on the magical side of the “magical realism” that is often ascribed to the book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book had some minor flaws — slow start, too many characters, some unnecessarily graphic elements - but overall is an incredible feat of storytelling, filled with mystery, adventure, and intrigue.
It’s so cinematic I was surprised it hasn’t been made into a movie, until I learned the author refused to sell the film rights. Made me love him and the novel even more.
It’s so cinematic I was surprised it hasn’t been made into a movie, until I learned the author refused to sell the film rights. Made me love him and the novel even more.
Uno dei libri più belli che abbia mai letto.
Ho trovato e vissuto una valanga di emozioni che mi ha scombussolato e lasciato disorientata quando ho terminato la lettura.
Tra queste pagine ho trovato l'amore vero, l'amicizia profonda, la compassione, l'odio profondo, l'ingenuità, la scaltrezza, ma soprattutto tanto tanto amore per i libri.
In una Barcellona durante la guerra, un padre porta il proprio figlio al Cimitero dei Libri Dimenticati, qui il bambino troverà un libro scritto da uno scrittore sconosciuto, si innamora della storia e inizia a cercare informazioni sullo scrittore.
Questo è l'inizio della vita di Daniel, della sua personale avventura in mondo di vendetta per un cuore spezzato e di amicizia che va al di fuori del tempo e in cui trascinerà anche il lettore.
Lo rileggerei mille e mille volte, sento già la mancanza di Fermìn, di Julian e Penélope ma soprattutto delle strade di Barcellona.
Ho trovato e vissuto una valanga di emozioni che mi ha scombussolato e lasciato disorientata quando ho terminato la lettura.
Tra queste pagine ho trovato l'amore vero, l'amicizia profonda, la compassione, l'odio profondo, l'ingenuità, la scaltrezza, ma soprattutto tanto tanto amore per i libri.
In una Barcellona durante la guerra, un padre porta il proprio figlio al Cimitero dei Libri Dimenticati, qui il bambino troverà un libro scritto da uno scrittore sconosciuto, si innamora della storia e inizia a cercare informazioni sullo scrittore.
Questo è l'inizio della vita di Daniel, della sua personale avventura in mondo di vendetta per un cuore spezzato e di amicizia che va al di fuori del tempo e in cui trascinerà anche il lettore.
Lo rileggerei mille e mille volte, sento già la mancanza di Fermìn, di Julian e Penélope ma soprattutto delle strade di Barcellona.