I am so glad that I have finally read this book! Many years ago (hey, 4 years is a long time when you're young), I worked at Waldenbooks and one of the books that was recommended to me often by some of my favorite customers was The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I kind of shrugged them off - it didn't sound interesting. When the bookstore was closing we were able to take our pick from the Advanced Readers books that were piled up in the back room, and this was among them, so I grabbed it and figured that someday I'd get around to reading it. Well, that time came.
The Shadow of the Wind is such a beautiful book. Well, I should say that it is beautifully written - it often read like poetry. The story itself is dark, mysterious, and tinted with sadness, and it really is such a great read.
Daniel is a young boy who one day comes across a book called "The Shadow of the Wind". He reads it and is instantly captivated, spellbound, by this amazing book. The author of his new found favorite novel is Julian Carax, but when he goes in search of other novels by this author, he discovers that someone has been systematically destroying every novel ever written by the author. From there he embarks on a quest to find out the mystery surrounding the author of this amazing book. A wide range of characters is introduced, who all come off the page strongly and vividly (including my favorite, Fermin).
I can't believe that I ever thought that this book sounded boring. It was fantastic, and had me sitting on the couch for hours on end, devouring the pages.
5 out of 5 stars!
~Sarah