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brisingr's review against another edition
5.0
Entertainment Weekly says about The Shadow of the Wind that it is, in the end, a love letter for literature and readers as passionate of good stories as the young hero of this book. I felt like this book was written for me.
This book says the story full of intrigue, drama, mistery and books of Daniel, the son of a simple librarian, that, after his mother’s death, in his loneliness, finds solace in a book written by a misterious Julian Carax, a writer that risks to be erased from the memory of the whole world, haunted by the devil of his own stories.
I had a slow start with this book. Although up to a point fascinated by the huge world of hundreds of books collected in a single place, I still didn’t feel that 'something' that would make me feel stuck in the book… but when it came in the end, it made sure that it would be impossible for me to forget about this book too soon. I think I adored lots and lots of aspects of the story, and faced with the need to list them all, I realize that I can’t recognize them separately, but only together, forming this splendid book.
The book was filled with misteries at every breath, jumbles and plot twists, some more predictable than others. The truth is that I love misteries, and facing one, I feel the need to solve them myself. I felt a little bit disappointed that I figured the main one from page 76, but I adored deeply the background all these misteries had behind them, the truth… about the characters, but about the human nature as well. Because, in the end, I felt that the book is more like a portrait of the whole humanity, the author taking all the stereotypes and putting it in the story, creating a mini-world of a Barcelona filled with mistery of a holy place for book lovers in general, librarians in special, and with the pain left after war.
The Shadow of the Wind made me feel something. I was intrigued by the threads of a story I don’t belong to, but in which I was somehow involved, together with the main character. I felt the fear and terror inflicted by a world not that calm, by humans that didn’t deserve their humanity. I laughed and I was pleasantly surprised by the intelligence and wisdom behind the characters’ lines. I was touched by acts of gentleness, kindness, charity and sacrifice. In the end, I was fascinated by everything that was being revealed with every page I was reading.
I don’t think I will meet too often a book that was so beautifully written, and not in the pompous way, but in the simple way, that simple words used right make you see an entire universe. This was a book that satisfied all the needs of a reader that fell in love with the characters. None of the books I’ve read before did manage to give me exactly what I wanted, and this one did it in a way that I didn’t realize it until I’ve read the last word.
With a mastery of the pen similar to the writer present in the book, Julian Carax, that fascinated his readers, Carlos Ruiz Zafon enchanted me through one single book, although I was so skeptical upon first reading this book.
I might just found a new favorite writer.
This book says the story full of intrigue, drama, mistery and books of Daniel, the son of a simple librarian, that, after his mother’s death, in his loneliness, finds solace in a book written by a misterious Julian Carax, a writer that risks to be erased from the memory of the whole world, haunted by the devil of his own stories.
I had a slow start with this book. Although up to a point fascinated by the huge world of hundreds of books collected in a single place, I still didn’t feel that 'something' that would make me feel stuck in the book… but when it came in the end, it made sure that it would be impossible for me to forget about this book too soon. I think I adored lots and lots of aspects of the story, and faced with the need to list them all, I realize that I can’t recognize them separately, but only together, forming this splendid book.
The book was filled with misteries at every breath, jumbles and plot twists, some more predictable than others. The truth is that I love misteries, and facing one, I feel the need to solve them myself. I felt a little bit disappointed that I figured the main one from page 76, but I adored deeply the background all these misteries had behind them, the truth… about the characters, but about the human nature as well. Because, in the end, I felt that the book is more like a portrait of the whole humanity, the author taking all the stereotypes and putting it in the story, creating a mini-world of a Barcelona filled with mistery of a holy place for book lovers in general, librarians in special, and with the pain left after war.
The Shadow of the Wind made me feel something. I was intrigued by the threads of a story I don’t belong to, but in which I was somehow involved, together with the main character. I felt the fear and terror inflicted by a world not that calm, by humans that didn’t deserve their humanity. I laughed and I was pleasantly surprised by the intelligence and wisdom behind the characters’ lines. I was touched by acts of gentleness, kindness, charity and sacrifice. In the end, I was fascinated by everything that was being revealed with every page I was reading.
I don’t think I will meet too often a book that was so beautifully written, and not in the pompous way, but in the simple way, that simple words used right make you see an entire universe. This was a book that satisfied all the needs of a reader that fell in love with the characters. None of the books I’ve read before did manage to give me exactly what I wanted, and this one did it in a way that I didn’t realize it until I’ve read the last word.
With a mastery of the pen similar to the writer present in the book, Julian Carax, that fascinated his readers, Carlos Ruiz Zafon enchanted me through one single book, although I was so skeptical upon first reading this book.
I might just found a new favorite writer.
memoriesthatremain's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amarettto's review against another edition
4.0
This was an enjoyable read. I'm a sucker for historical fiction and this is the first time I've come across historical and fictional mystery. Needless to say, it was really different from other books I've read and the author has a great knack for describing events and scenes in a romantic way, perfectly capturing tones of wistfulness, longing, and finally contentment, among others.
My biggest gripe with this book would be that there were a few characters too many which made it kind of difficult to keep track of, and some plotlines/events seemed unnecessary, though I agree they added that little pixie dust to the book because that's where most of the beautiful descriptions lay (for ex. the entire Daniel and Clara story arc).
I particularly liked that one recurring quote throughout the book that 'books are mirrors that reflect what is already inside us'. I found this so interesting and can see some truth in it because I wonder if any two people can have an identical experience reading the same work. The things that stuck out to me and gave me my opinion of it and what I will remember of this book, are most likely completely unique to me. Just an interesting reflection I didn't expect to find in this book!
Overall, an intriguing story set against a charming and mystical backdrop.
My biggest gripe with this book would be that there were a few characters too many which made it kind of difficult to keep track of, and some plotlines/events seemed unnecessary, though I agree they added that little pixie dust to the book because that's where most of the beautiful descriptions lay (for ex. the entire Daniel and Clara story arc).
I particularly liked that one recurring quote throughout the book that 'books are mirrors that reflect what is already inside us'. I found this so interesting and can see some truth in it because I wonder if any two people can have an identical experience reading the same work. The things that stuck out to me and gave me my opinion of it and what I will remember of this book, are most likely completely unique to me. Just an interesting reflection I didn't expect to find in this book!
Overall, an intriguing story set against a charming and mystical backdrop.
prettypious's review against another edition
5.0
Five stars highly recommend! It starts off kinda slow but trust the process you really want to get to the end.
mitskacir's review against another edition
2.0
This book was about twice as long as it needed to be, circling around the same story told in different snippets by different people. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough meat in the story to warrant the retellings. Characters' motivations were tenuous, and I often didn't understand the reasons for their actions. I suppose I would call this a "boy's book" - not because it would or would not be enjoyed by boys or people of other genders, but because of the sensibilities of the themes and tropes: you have male heroes rescuing their beautiful love interests; the lovable sleezebag whose penchant for pinching butts is amusing in a "it can't be helped!" way; to counter that, the prostitute with a heart of gold; the fact that all the women were love interests, with little to no personality, whose main purpose was to drive the passion (and therefore plot) of the male characters (this could happen in a variety of ways: men falling madly in love with them, men being rejected by them, men being jealous of other men because of them, men getting them pregnant and other men punishing them for it, men driven mad by their deaths, etc.); etc. Super struggled to get through this book.
finjaae's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
rociirodilla's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? No
4.75
luciasimmons's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
karensbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Min nå værende blogg, hvor du kan finne flere reviwer (bare på engelsk) http://karenschoice-books.blogspot.no/
Vindens skygge er en helt fantastisk bok. Skildringene i boken er vakre og helt utrolige. Handlingen i boken er veldig god, den fortryller deg og lokker deg inn i en verden som du aldri vil ut av.
Boken inneholder flere side karakterer, side karakterer er karaterer som er med i historien og som hjelper hovedpersonen til å løse gåten, men som kanskje ikke er med i boken mer enn et kapittel. Man skulle trodd at slikt forvirrer en, men man holder ganske godt styr på hvem de forskjellige folkene er.
Boken er romantisk, på Romeo og Juliet måten, altså forbudt kjærlighet. Noe som gjør boken veldig søt. Vindens skygge er også skummel, jeg klarte ikke å slutte å lese på visse steder.
Boken er bygget rundt et mysterie, som hovedpersonen prøver å løse. Selv sitter jeg og prøver å løse mysteriet, men når alt blir løst viser det seg at det er en helt annen løsning enn den du hadde trodd.
Carlos avslutter boken fantastisk, akkurat slik jeg ville at boken skulle slutte.
Jeg gir defor boken en 5'er.
Vindens skygge er en helt fantastisk bok. Skildringene i boken er vakre og helt utrolige. Handlingen i boken er veldig god, den fortryller deg og lokker deg inn i en verden som du aldri vil ut av.
Boken inneholder flere side karakterer, side karakterer er karaterer som er med i historien og som hjelper hovedpersonen til å løse gåten, men som kanskje ikke er med i boken mer enn et kapittel. Man skulle trodd at slikt forvirrer en, men man holder ganske godt styr på hvem de forskjellige folkene er.
Boken er romantisk, på Romeo og Juliet måten, altså forbudt kjærlighet. Noe som gjør boken veldig søt. Vindens skygge er også skummel, jeg klarte ikke å slutte å lese på visse steder.
Boken er bygget rundt et mysterie, som hovedpersonen prøver å løse. Selv sitter jeg og prøver å løse mysteriet, men når alt blir løst viser det seg at det er en helt annen løsning enn den du hadde trodd.
Carlos avslutter boken fantastisk, akkurat slik jeg ville at boken skulle slutte.
Jeg gir defor boken en 5'er.
bethanylewis's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: War