Reviews

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

tonycarr72's review against another edition

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5.0

Great read, finished in 3 days. Heard about this book for a long while and was unable to find until i spied at a book exchange in Nha Trang in Vietname on holiday. Brilliant book, highly recommnended.

storygirl1128's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

tramuntana's review against another edition

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Ya he intentado leer este libro tres veces. No me gusta ni la prosa florida ni el uso excesivo de sinónimos. Un autor debe tener facilidad para manejar las palabras y elegir a una. Al principio me interesó el argumento, pero se perdió en diálogos interminables. Además, no parece posible en los países de habla hispana escribir una novela para adultos que no esté contada desde el punto de vista de un protagonista masculino con ansias de sexualizar todo lo femenino. 

kaidoi93's review against another edition

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4.0

I have started and stopped reading it maybe as many times as years I've had it. I typically gravitate towards more fantasy and science fiction, but absolutely adored this book. Written in such beautiful prose, a real love letter to literature and Barcelona, this book is a wonderful read, which had me reading into the early hours of the day. Equal parts mystery and melodrama, it is a great read that I will be thinking about for quite a time to come.

mickey_dimitrova's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

celestecorrea's review against another edition

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5.0

Estaremos ligados numa estranha cadeia de destinos e acasos?

«Ainda me recordo daquele amanhecer em que o meu pai me levou pela primeira vez a visitar o Cemitério dos Livros Esquecidos», assim começa o primeiro livro da saga O Cemitério dos Livros Esquecidos.
Um incipit prometedor de um bom livro recheado de muitas personagens e uma história que o autor soube narrar com habilidade; no entanto, é aconselhável que se leia de seguida para não perder o fio à meada.
A premissa é muito original: a história de uns livros e do homem que os escreveu, de uma personagem que fugiu das páginas de um romance para os queimar, de uma traição e de uma amizade perdida. Há ainda amor, ódio e sonhos que vivem na sombra do vento.
Uma história de gente só, de ausências e de perda em que Daniel, o nosso admirável protagonista, se refugiou até a confundir com a sua vida, como quem escapa das páginas de um romance porque os que precisa de amar são só sombras que vivem na alma de um estranho.
Tudo ambientado numa Barcelona que nos fascina num tempo histórico que o autor descreve com breves e precisas pinceladas: sentimos o ar envenenado de medo e de ódio, os olhares de receio e do silêncio, escutamos os boatos e os murmúrios.
Depois de «Marina» e outro título de uma trilogia juvenil, Zafón convenceu-me, por fim.

cynicalworm's review against another edition

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2.0

This book is a major disappointment.

Originally drawn in by the rave reviews and the concept introduced in the first chapter, after laboring through this book, I have discovered that the "cemetery of forgotten books" is merely one of many corpses found in the cemetery of abandoned side-plots.

In response to those shouting "but it's a gothic novel!", no literary genre excuses carpet-bombing the reader with exposition at random turns.

For those about to make the same mistake I did, let me warn you that the entire novel is wrapped up through 85 straight pages of a post-humous tell-all letter addressed to the protagonist, followed by three chapters that read like post-scripts written in response to an editor's sticky notes.

The Shadow of the Wind is a novel that is better forgotten.

sachahart_logan's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

Barcelona, mystery that builds through the book, great characters 

klovi's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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aydon's review against another edition

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4.0

really solid. the main character is kinda boring, especially compared to most of the side characters, but it's still a pretty interesting read. some parts drag, but the mystery is intriguing, and the payoff is worth it. there's a reveal that blew me away with how zafón sneaks it right under your nose, and there are definitely some turns i didn't expect. kept me engaged right to the very end, banger book

8/10