The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
This is one of my all-time favorite books. I liked the way this book was written with so many interwoven stories and characters that eventually comes full circle, it was a great plot line and interesting read. The author did an amazing job of character development, you get to know so many of the characters from childhood to adulthood and it comes from so many different point of views that you get a real life picture of each of those characters.
I also loved the intrigue and mystery involving an author as well as some historic moments. The best part of this book was the last 60 or so pages, once I got to those last chapters I literally could not put it down until I was at the end. That is the real point of climax and it wasn't just one storyline but all of them that hit that point at the same time.
And of course, for avid readers, this book touches open that we all know, how books can drastically alter your life not just your point of view but sometimes the very core of what makes you you.
-- "In the shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner. Every book you see here has been somebody's best friend."
-- "A story is a letter the author writes to himself, to tell himself things that he would be unable to discover otherwise."
-- "Books are mirrors - you only see in them what you already have inside of you."
I do have to warn readers of the slow beginning and some slower parts in the middle of the book. It did cause me to lose interest a little but once you keep reading it gets so much better and is completely worth sticking it out.
Synopsis: On Daniel’s 11th birthday, his father brings him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library protected by rare-book dealers. Daniel comes across a forgotten book called “The Shadow of the Wind” and is swept away by the story and writing. In his search for other books by the author Julian Carax, Daniel finds that someone is destroying each copy of the works. We follow Daniel as he uncovers the secrets of Julian Carax’s life and finds himself on a very similar path as his beloved author.