Take a photo of a barcode or cover
2. the twist almost made me shit myself.
3. “the day was turning out to be longer than The Brothers Karamazov” is so funny.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War
Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Racial slurs, Rape, Antisemitism, Abortion, Classism
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Shadow of the Wind is a beautifully told, immersive, wonderfully bibliophilic mystery that takes place in Barcelona in 1945. I loved it.
For you if: You like books that hint at magic.
FULL REVIEW:
Despite the fact that The Shadow of the Wind has been recommended to me time and time again, I went in knowing very little about it except that it was a book about books. Well, it is that, but also so much more, and I (predictably) loved it.
The story takes place in Barcelona in 1945, shortly after the end of wartime. As a child, the main character, Daniel, visits the Cemetary of Forgotten Books with his father, a rare-book seller, and stumbles upon a book called The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. That sets off a chain of events that lasts into Daniel’s young adulthood as he tries to learn more about the mysterious Carax, aided by a few friends and haunted by a chilling figure intent on stopping him.
While I’d say this book is first and foremost a mystery, it really has something for everyone: romance, humor, revenge, doomed love, hints of magic, and (of course) a story centered on books. The storytelling by Zafón and translation by Lucia Graves are just incredible — I was transported and enthralled. It’s not a quick read, but it was immersive, and it was the perfect companion over a few weeks while my life was particularly chaotic. (Also, the audiobook was very well done!).
This is just one book in the Cemetary of Forgotten Books quartet, which apparently can be read in any order. If you’ve read them, let me know which one you think I should read next!
Graphic: Police brutality
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Incest, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Torture, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Blood, Stalking
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, War
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, Torture, Murder, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Incest, Violence
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, War
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Police brutality, Abortion, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War