Reviews

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

sarahfrance0_0's review against another edition

1.0

Gave up at page 290 (56%). I really tried to give it a chance but I was bored to tears!!! I had such high hopes as a lady recommended this to me in a charity shop and said it’s her favourite book. No idea why. Way too old fashioned for me unfortunately and objectified the women in the book to a ridiculous extent.

mollyraeo's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

redheadkid's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

halynah's review against another edition

2.0

There were some good places, witty remarks, but the plot bored me immensely. I expected something in the style of Reverte, but I've read nearly all the books of Reverte, and I've never had trouble with finishing and loving his books. I guess this author is just not for me.

themoistmaker's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.0

aroah's review against another edition

5.0

Cada día amo más la forma de escribir de este hombre

quizlitbooks's review against another edition

5.0

Barcelona, 1945: Just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes on his 11th birthday to find that he can no longer remember his mother’s face. To console his only child, Daniel’s widowed father, an antiquarian book dealer, initiates him into the secret of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library tended by Barcelona’s guild of rare-book dealers as a repository for books forgotten by the world, waiting for someone who will care about them again.


Daniel’s father coaxes him to choose a volume from the spiraling labyrinth of shelves, one that, it is said, will have a special meaning for him. And Daniel so loves the novel he selects, The Shadow of the Wind by one Julian Carax, that he sets out to find the rest of Carax’s work. To his shock, he discovers that someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book this author has written. In fact, he may have the last one in existence. Before Daniel knows it, his seemingly innocent quest has opened a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets, an epic story of murder, magic, madness, and doomed love.

Shadow of the Wind is one of my all-time favorite books, a truly magical adventure. Carlos Ruiz Zafon was such a beautiful writer and sadly no longer with us.
https://quizlit.org/carlos-ruiz-zafon-and-his-unforgotten-books

judyrigby's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

desireeslibrary's review against another edition

5.0

The Shadow of the Wind just earned it's place among my favorite books of all time. It was so beautiful and so atmospherically dark academia, spooky, romantic, eloquent, and gothic. I just LOVE a sad poignant ending and a book riddled with beautiful tragedy. If a book doesn't attempt to rip my heart out then why am I reading it? I am a big fan of books in which unraveling the mystery doesn't trick you into thinking the book is good, but ones where the STORY and character development is what carries you to the end. I can't recommend this enough.

suvata's review against another edition

5.0

Wonderful! Five stars.

Read in 2011. Reviewing for #MMD Flight Pick for October 2019.