The Shadow of the WindCarlos Ruiz Zafon
Whew! My first read of 2010 was of the magical kind, the type of novel you don't ever want to put down and the kind that haunts you after you do.
Do you even need a summary of this book? Because I feel like the last person to have read it. Also, it seems as though it's the type of novel that defies easy summary, and I am feeling particularly lazy today. (Today, you're thinking? As opposed to how you feel everyday!?!?! Touche, reader, touche. And, ouch.)
Anyway, here's something via Amazon:
Ok so that was a lot better than I'm capable of doing right now. Suffice to say, I loved reading this novel; it was fun, it was engaging, it was about books, and -- this is key -- the ending was perfect, in a heart-wrenching kind of way.
For some reason, though, I can't give it a perfect score. Why? I'm not sure. At times it was too perfect; I also have beef over some points that seemed important at the time but then didn't come to much. But these are minor quibbles. And I'm giving it a nearly perfect score, anyway.
However, this book made me feel like A Really Stupid American. Spain had a civil war?? That happened when??? For real? Who knew? Clearly, not me. To wikipedia I go!
In a nutshell: Fun, magical, both highbrow and lowbrow -- what's not to love?
Bibliolatry Scale: 5.5 out of 6 stars
FTCBS: Santa left this one at my mom's house, and she was kind enough to pass it along. Many thanks, mom!
Do you even need a summary of this book? Because I feel like the last person to have read it. Also, it seems as though it's the type of novel that defies easy summary, and I am feeling particularly lazy today. (Today, you're thinking? As opposed to how you feel everyday!?!?! Touche, reader, touche. And, ouch.)
Anyway, here's something via Amazon:
The time is the 1950s; the place, Barcelona. Daniel Sempere, the son of a widowed bookstore owner, is 10 when he discovers a novel, The Shadow of the Wind, by Julián Carax. The novel is rare, the author obscure, and rumors tell of a horribly disfigured man who has been burning every copy he can find of Carax's novels. The man calls himself Laín Coubert -- the name of the devil in one of Carax's novels. As he grows up, Daniel's fascination with the mysterious Carax links him to a blind femme fatale with a "porcelain gaze," Clara Barceló; another fan, a leftist jack-of-all-trades, Fermín Romero de Torres; his best friend's sister, the delectable Beatriz Aguilar; and, as he begins investigating the life and death of Carax, a cast of characters with secrets to hide. Officially, Carax's dead body was dumped in an alley in 1936. But discrepancies in this story surface. Meanwhile, Daniel and Fermín are being harried by a sadistic policeman, Carax's childhood friend. As Daniel's quest continues, frightening parallels between his own life and Carax's begin to emerge.
Ok so that was a lot better than I'm capable of doing right now. Suffice to say, I loved reading this novel; it was fun, it was engaging, it was about books, and -- this is key -- the ending was perfect, in a heart-wrenching kind of way.
For some reason, though, I can't give it a perfect score. Why? I'm not sure. At times it was too perfect; I also have beef over some points that seemed important at the time but then didn't come to much. But these are minor quibbles. And I'm giving it a nearly perfect score, anyway.
However, this book made me feel like A Really Stupid American. Spain had a civil war?? That happened when??? For real? Who knew? Clearly, not me. To wikipedia I go!
In a nutshell: Fun, magical, both highbrow and lowbrow -- what's not to love?
Bibliolatry Scale: 5.5 out of 6 stars
FTCBS: Santa left this one at my mom's house, and she was kind enough to pass it along. Many thanks, mom!
7 comments:
I LOVED this book. it was one of my favorites the year I read it and it still stands out for me. a love story, a ghost story, a book story- who can ask for more? :-)
I got it for Christmas, and it is in my "to read" pile, maybe I'll bump it higher!
*jumping up and down* You liked it! You liked it! I think I read this in 2004/5 (?) and it was my book of the year. I loved it and Zafon was my favorite author for a time. I couldn't wait to get my hands on "The Angel's Game" which came out last year. Of course, now that I have a copy it's been sitting on my shelf forever. Sigh. So many books...
Glad you liked it, though. Also, have you heard of "Carter Beats the Devil" by Glen David Gold? If you've never read it before, I insist that you give it a try. You'll love it, I promise.
www.whosabiblioaddict.com
I have this on the TBR shelves right now - bought it a couple of months ago. All the raves were hard to resist! I'm looking forward to reading it...one of these days :-).
I must be one of the few people who really didn't like this! in fact, I got bored and didn't finish it.
I do second reading carter beats the devil though. Loved that one!
I love love love this book! Not only was the story engaging, but the writing was beautiful! One of the best written books I've read in a long time!
Can't wait to read this one. thanks
Post a Comment