Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - The Shadow of the Wind

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

85 reviews

dlrosebyh's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Barcelona in 1945 is a city slowly healing in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer's son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julian Carax. But when he sets out to find the author's other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax's books in existence. Soon Daniel's seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona's darkest secrets— an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

If I said it didn't take me a while to get into the book, I'd be lying. But because of how flawlessly the novel unraveled, I believe it was worth it. This kind of literature was exactly what I was looking for because the plot felt so magical and transported me into an other kind of universe. I certainly enjoyed it. I don't read a lot of mysteries or historical fiction, but this author really outdid himself.

I was reluctant to read this book because it was written by a man, it was set in the post-war era (which isn't my cup of tea), and it was so much hyped. Usually, praised books leave me unimpressed. This is mainly because the book was either poorly written, poorly executed, problematic, or the story wasn't engaging. But this one was so excellent that it often rendered me astonished. I hadn't intended to continue with the series within the first 100 pages, but I want to drop everything now and read the other novels.

Content Warnings

crows_in_a_trenchcoat's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

martharosen's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

alice_sherwood12's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.75

Content Warnings

kell_xavi's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced

2.0

Content Warnings

chrisljm's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

1. this book would not pass the bechdel test.
2. the twist almost made me shit myself.
3. “the day was turning out to be longer than The Brothers Karamazov” is so funny.

Content Warnings

district_of_jyoti's review against another edition

Go to review page

The book was a bit too convoluted in plot, and I struggled to find sympathy for any of the characters, except maybe the father, because they were all creepy men who only knew of one reason for women to exist. I wanted more of the disappearing book and author plot, and the mysterious man, but it was taking too long to get there.

Content Warnings