The Shadow of the Wind

Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Jan 2005 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

"Anyone who enjoys novels that are scary, erotic, touching, tragic and thrilling should rush right out to the nearest bookstore and pick up The Shadow of the Wind. Really, you should." —Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

“Wondrous...masterful...The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature, intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero.” —Entertainment Weekly, Editor's Choice

“This is one gorgeous read.” —Stephen King

"I still remember the day my father took me to the Cemetary of Forgotten Books for the first time..."

Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets—an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

Ratings and reviews

A wonderful enigmatic story covering a number of themes. The writer tries to form a little more poetic sentences then modern vernacular speech and thought patterns. A good inspiration for the artistic view of authorship. It is funny to mention however that the author views his works as a product merely for his audience where I would have to disagree with part of that idea. The author can get just as much out of aspiring to write a novel as much as the audience reading it. "For what would an artist be, if not to aspire." Kevin W. Clark. <- I just made that up now.

The Shadow of the Wind mixes the whimsy and fancy of Spain in the early 1900s with mystery and adventure centered around an enigmatic writer who is believed to be dead, but the main character can't be so sure. Following along after the main character and the trail leading to the true story behind the writer's "death," the reader delves into those thoughts and feelings which make us human, and which connect us to each other.

The setting of this book takes place in Barcelona. All of the places are real. The story is a loose parallel, of two people's lives. As I read this book on a plane bond for Spain, it was fascinating to walk the same avenues and explore the same barrios. This is a book filled with mystery and a must read for those visiting Catalonia.

About the author

Carlos Ruiz Zafón was one of the world’s most read and best-loved writers. His work has been translated into more than forty languages and published around the world, garnering numerous international prizes and reaching millions of readers. He was the author of The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game, The Prince of Mist, The Midnight Palace, The Prisoner of Heaven, and, most recently, The City of Mist, published posthumously. He died in 2020. 

Lucia Graves is the author and translator of many works and has overseen Spanish-language editions of the poetry of her father, Robert Graves.