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log1763's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
themitten93's review against another edition
5.0
Really amazing book, will recommend to everyone! Definitely foreshadows a lot throughout the book then subverts expectations and takes the characters to satisfying ends. The ending/resolution felt a little rushed to me from a writing-style perspective, but it was still great.
ncat999's review against another edition
5.0
From my blog entry back in March 2005:
Speaking of reading, the book I read that week was spectacular. It was beautiful, sad, and amusing, and it still haunts me. The Shadow of the Wind. The reviews are mixed on Amazon, but I don’t really understand because I just loved it so much.
The story has a little bit of everything: wonderful libraries, old books, tragic love stories, crumbling mansions, evil inspectors, mysterious book burners, voodoo hauntings, rich families falling from grace. My sort of book through and through.
Speaking of reading, the book I read that week was spectacular. It was beautiful, sad, and amusing, and it still haunts me. The Shadow of the Wind. The reviews are mixed on Amazon, but I don’t really understand because I just loved it so much.
The story has a little bit of everything: wonderful libraries, old books, tragic love stories, crumbling mansions, evil inspectors, mysterious book burners, voodoo hauntings, rich families falling from grace. My sort of book through and through.
sarah_mwangi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? N/A
4.5
eggjen's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of the better written books that I've read in awhile - beautiful descriptions without feeling tedious, a fascinating story that gets more complex with each chapter, but brilliantly. I really enjoyed this book which seemed to offer a little bit of everything.
evgeorge's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
tashaseegmiller's review against another edition
5.0
This book wasn't quite what I thought it would be, but I found myself pulled in, intrigued, wanting to know more. The way that Zafón weaves secrets and truths together along with luxurious language that immersed me in 20th century Barcelona which is both beautiful and heartbreaking. There is love, mystery, revenge and several twists that I thought I had figured out one way and then discovered it was something else entirely. This is a literary mystery, so interested readers should plan on immersing themselves in a slow build, but I found it engaging and worth the time.
marlisphillips's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing book. Excellent story telling. There's mystery, romance, humor, suspense...I plan to read it again!
utahmomreads's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally posted on my blog : http://utahmomslife.blogspot.com/2011/09/shadow-of-wind-book-review.html
The Shadow of the Wind is a dark, richly layered mystery that speaks right to the heart of the book lover. Daniel's father, the owner of a Barcelona book store, takes him one night to a mystical and secret place known as the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Allowed to choose any book as his own to protect and keep, Daniel chooses The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. Entranced by his new book, Daniel sets out to find other works by Carax only to discover that the books are being destroyed. The copy Daniel has may be the last Carax book that exists. As Daniel uncovers the mystery surrounded the author Julian Carax, he puts himself and his friends in danger but also reveals the direction of his own life.
Provocative and dangerous, Zafon writes a fascinating and glorious mystery. Daniel is surrounded by unique and perplexing characters--broken, brutal and haunted. Using just enough foreshadowing of peril and threat to keep the reader absolutely intrigued, the writer is taken deep into the shadows of a city struggling to return to it's pre-war grandeur. The city of Barcelona makes a fabulous Gothic setting and very nearly becomes a character in it's own right.
Zafon is a brilliant story teller. I can't wait to read his other novels.
The Shadow of the Wind is a dark, richly layered mystery that speaks right to the heart of the book lover. Daniel's father, the owner of a Barcelona book store, takes him one night to a mystical and secret place known as the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Allowed to choose any book as his own to protect and keep, Daniel chooses The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. Entranced by his new book, Daniel sets out to find other works by Carax only to discover that the books are being destroyed. The copy Daniel has may be the last Carax book that exists. As Daniel uncovers the mystery surrounded the author Julian Carax, he puts himself and his friends in danger but also reveals the direction of his own life.
Provocative and dangerous, Zafon writes a fascinating and glorious mystery. Daniel is surrounded by unique and perplexing characters--broken, brutal and haunted. Using just enough foreshadowing of peril and threat to keep the reader absolutely intrigued, the writer is taken deep into the shadows of a city struggling to return to it's pre-war grandeur. The city of Barcelona makes a fabulous Gothic setting and very nearly becomes a character in it's own right.
Zafon is a brilliant story teller. I can't wait to read his other novels.