Scan barcode
rossetto_e_guai's review against another edition
5.0
Indiscutibilmente uno dei romanzi più belli mai letti. E non lo avrei mai detto. Non e il mio genere inoltre sono sempre diffidente verso best seller, chiaramente sbagliando e peccando di snobismo.
Un qualsiasi recensione che ne sintetizzi la trama a mio avviso sarebbe inutile. Questo romanzo è una avventura una storia di formazione un romanzo di denuncia sociale una storia d’amore e in qualche passaggio mi ha ricordato la tragicità che ho amato tanto in “Cime tempestose”. Chi lo definisce un romanzo leggero secondo me sbaglia alla grande. La scrittura di Zafon è per me una rivelazione pura, delicata e poetica. Peccato non sappia lo spagnolo, in lingua originale credo sarebbe stato ancora più bello.
Ci vorrà molto tempo per colmare il vuoto che mi ha lasciato terminarlo.
Un qualsiasi recensione che ne sintetizzi la trama a mio avviso sarebbe inutile. Questo romanzo è una avventura una storia di formazione un romanzo di denuncia sociale una storia d’amore e in qualche passaggio mi ha ricordato la tragicità che ho amato tanto in “Cime tempestose”. Chi lo definisce un romanzo leggero secondo me sbaglia alla grande. La scrittura di Zafon è per me una rivelazione pura, delicata e poetica. Peccato non sappia lo spagnolo, in lingua originale credo sarebbe stato ancora più bello.
Ci vorrà molto tempo per colmare il vuoto che mi ha lasciato terminarlo.
squid_vicious's review against another edition
5.0
Rest in peace, Carlos, and thank you for your books, I will treasure them for the rest of my life: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jun/19/carlos-ruiz-zafon-author-of-the-shadow-of-the-wind-dies-aged-55
--
This is a book about books and the people who love them.
I picked it up randomly when I worked at a bookstore: I was making one last pile of books to buy with my employee discount before starting my first “adult” job. It had a cool cover, so I plopped it on the pile. It took months before I got around to reading it; I finally did one evening when I was alone in my first apartment. I felt lonely and lost, so grabbed something from my pile of unread books… and a few pages in, I was no longer lonely or lost. I was in a dark, gritty, gorgeous city, full of beautiful but shifty people, whose passions were about to take me on a very Gothic journey of secrets, forbidden love and vengeance.
When Daniel first visits the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, he picks up an obscure novel by Julian Carax: “The Shadow of the Wind”. Enchanted by the book, he decides to go and find the author’s other works only to discover that a mysterious man has been tracking down every copy of Carax’s books to burn them. Daniel refuses to surrender his copy and thus begins a race against the strange man to find out the truth about Julian Carax, and to understand why someone would want to destroy every trace of his existence.
I wish I could read Spanish, because if the prose managed to be this beautiful translated to English, I think it would take my breath away in the original language. I feel like Zafon was having so much fun writing this, because the writing flows with a palpable joy, even when it describes terrible, dark turns of event. The atmosphere swallowed me whole, and I quickly forgot to be annoyed by the two-dimensional female characters (who are really there to give the male characters a motive to do whatever it is they will do, and as such, are more plot devices than characters per se) or the uncanny coincidences, but then again, it is a neo-Gothic novel…
This book made me laugh and cry and feel like my chest would burst with all the emotions it made me feel. The main character is still so young, and he feels things with the raw intensity of youth, and it bleeds off the page, straight under the reader’s skin. It also expressed the unabashed love of books that I have had almost my entire life, more beautifully than I could have ever done myself.
I lose track of the amount of people I have recommended this book to. I usually tell them it’s one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. Maybe because it reaffirmed my old belief that one is never truly alone when holding a good book? In any case, it is one of my all-time favorite books, that I will probably go to again and again, when I am in need for luscious prose and brutally intense emotions.
--
This is a book about books and the people who love them.
I picked it up randomly when I worked at a bookstore: I was making one last pile of books to buy with my employee discount before starting my first “adult” job. It had a cool cover, so I plopped it on the pile. It took months before I got around to reading it; I finally did one evening when I was alone in my first apartment. I felt lonely and lost, so grabbed something from my pile of unread books… and a few pages in, I was no longer lonely or lost. I was in a dark, gritty, gorgeous city, full of beautiful but shifty people, whose passions were about to take me on a very Gothic journey of secrets, forbidden love and vengeance.
When Daniel first visits the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, he picks up an obscure novel by Julian Carax: “The Shadow of the Wind”. Enchanted by the book, he decides to go and find the author’s other works only to discover that a mysterious man has been tracking down every copy of Carax’s books to burn them. Daniel refuses to surrender his copy and thus begins a race against the strange man to find out the truth about Julian Carax, and to understand why someone would want to destroy every trace of his existence.
I wish I could read Spanish, because if the prose managed to be this beautiful translated to English, I think it would take my breath away in the original language. I feel like Zafon was having so much fun writing this, because the writing flows with a palpable joy, even when it describes terrible, dark turns of event. The atmosphere swallowed me whole, and I quickly forgot to be annoyed by the two-dimensional female characters (who are really there to give the male characters a motive to do whatever it is they will do, and as such, are more plot devices than characters per se) or the uncanny coincidences, but then again, it is a neo-Gothic novel…
This book made me laugh and cry and feel like my chest would burst with all the emotions it made me feel. The main character is still so young, and he feels things with the raw intensity of youth, and it bleeds off the page, straight under the reader’s skin. It also expressed the unabashed love of books that I have had almost my entire life, more beautifully than I could have ever done myself.
I lose track of the amount of people I have recommended this book to. I usually tell them it’s one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. Maybe because it reaffirmed my old belief that one is never truly alone when holding a good book? In any case, it is one of my all-time favorite books, that I will probably go to again and again, when I am in need for luscious prose and brutally intense emotions.
pris_asagiri's review against another edition
2.0
I think my rating would have been 3 stars had I read this one first. (I previously read Zafon's second novel [b:The Angel's Game|4912857|The Angel's Game|Carlos Ruiz Zafón|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255680550s/4912857.jpg|3252824].) I do agree you do not need to read this book first in order to "enjoy" TAG, nor does Shadow give any spoilers for TAG. (Shadow is set about 20 years after TAG, even though it was written first.) Unfortunately, TAG is the weaker of the two stories. So by reading that one first, you easily pick up all of Zafon's sleight-of-hand tricks. You see how he tries to weave these intricate subplots to distract you from the mission of the story, so that when he makes a reveal, it really does feel like a "ta-da" instead of a "ho hum". But once you understand his tricks, the magic is gone. Plot twists that once would have amazed and tickled my fancy, now feel contrived and forced, pedantic and predictable.
If one insists on reading Zafon, please read Shadow. It is definitely the stronger of the two novels. The disappointing part of Zafon for me is that he shows so much potential. He writes a "pretty turn of phrase" and inserts some interesting, thought-provoking ideas on various issues that are still relevant today. Plus, he does manage to elicit a certain nostalgia in me for Barcelona (having been there a few times).
But overall, underneath all his pretensions and witty remarks, lies the heart of a dimestore romance novel. I'm not sure if he's trying to be kitschy on purpose--pulp crime novel meets Victorian romance? But the fact that he ends this on a happily ever after note made my frustrations with this sorry series complete.
My only real joy came from knowing I have no more words to read.
If one insists on reading Zafon, please read Shadow. It is definitely the stronger of the two novels. The disappointing part of Zafon for me is that he shows so much potential. He writes a "pretty turn of phrase" and inserts some interesting, thought-provoking ideas on various issues that are still relevant today. Plus, he does manage to elicit a certain nostalgia in me for Barcelona (having been there a few times).
But overall, underneath all his pretensions and witty remarks, lies the heart of a dimestore romance novel. I'm not sure if he's trying to be kitschy on purpose--pulp crime novel meets Victorian romance? But the fact that he ends this on a happily ever after note made my frustrations with this sorry series complete.
My only real joy came from knowing I have no more words to read.
jonagnar73's review against another edition
5.0
An absolutely fantastic read, entertaining and inspiring at the same time. A safely recommended book to anyone.
kaydio's review against another edition
2.0
The writing is wonderful, but the plot is weak (see review of Daniel Teo). In addition, all of the female characters were weak, all mere objects of desire with no agency of their own. Kind of disappointing for such a well-regarded book.
tmaltman's review against another edition
4.0
This international bestseller is part of the trend of "books about books." It came highly recommended by an indie bookseller and I have to say it's a fine summer read.
kelpaige's review against another edition
3.0
A fun read, very engaging and mysterious with great descriptions of Barcelona. Not my favorite in terms of writing style, but a good plot makes up for it (at least, most of the time).
alainabuzas's review against another edition
4.0
One small twist near the end really bothered me. Aside from that, I loved reading this.
j_rowley's review against another edition
4.0
Daniel is the son of a bookseller in 1945 Barcelona. There has been much upheaval in his life between the Spanish Civil War and the death of his mother. His father takes him to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books where Daniel can choose one book from the enormous collection. The book that speaks to him is by Julian Carax. After spending all night reading it, the 10 year old begins a search for more of his works only to find that someone has been destroying them around Europe.
He is drawn into the writer's world when he tries to find out more about Carax and when someone finds out he has a copy of one of Carax's books.
The story takes us over a 10 or more years and brings Daniel into contact with villains and good guys; some of the villains are on the right side of the law. But all are connected to Carax in some way. Daniel finds adventure, love, and friendship.
Well-told story. Love books about books. And the writing is beautiful.
He is drawn into the writer's world when he tries to find out more about Carax and when someone finds out he has a copy of one of Carax's books.
The story takes us over a 10 or more years and brings Daniel into contact with villains and good guys; some of the villains are on the right side of the law. But all are connected to Carax in some way. Daniel finds adventure, love, and friendship.
Well-told story. Love books about books. And the writing is beautiful.