When I was 15 or so, I started reading a lot. Mainly because I wanted to improve my French and also because I didn’t want to fail school. While browsing the school library, I stumbled upon Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s book, “L’ombre du vent” (tr. The Shadow of the Wind). I devoured that book within a couple of days; the book was simply magnificent. I loved it. More recently, I’ve been seeking out new literary distractions mostly because I’ve been reading a lot of Doctor Who novels. So after a while I thought about this author whom I liked as a child, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, and sought out his books.
The Shadow of the Wind is a novel by Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafón. It is set in Barcelona (1940-1950s) and follows the story of a young boy named Daniel, who discovers a mysterious book by an obscure author named Julián Carax. As he delves deeper into the secrets surrounding Carax and his work, Daniel uncovers a series of sinister events and a conspiracy to erase Carax and his books from memory. The novel explores themes of love, loss, friendship, and the power of books to shape people’s lives.
This book is quite fascinating and easy to read. I got caught up in the intrigue and wanted to know more about the characters and their surroundings. I was also fascinated by the mystery library, the cementery of forgotten books, where books are allowed to lay dormant until a new reader picks them up and gives them life and a new purpose. It’s also where books in imminent danger are kept, thus preventing them from becoming forgotten.
Score: 9/10 wish it would have been longer. Okay, it was roughly 500 pages, and I probably shouldn’t complain, but it was brilliant and I didn’t want it to end. Nobody wants a good book to end, or is it just me?
Melenaleonina 