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The Shadow of the Wind  By  cover art

The Shadow of the Wind

By: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
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Publisher's summary

Barry Award

Book Sense Book of the Year

Borders Original Voices Award

Gumshoe Award

Horror Guild Award

Joseph-Beth and Davis-Kidd Booksellers Fiction Award

NYPL Books to Remember

Barcelona, 1945: Just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes on his 11th birthday to find that he can no longer remember his mother's face. To console his only child, Daniel's widowed father, an antiquarian book dealer, initiates him into the secret of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library tended by Barcelona's guild of rare-book dealers as a repository for books forgotten by the world, waiting for someone who will care about them again.

Daniel's father coaxes him to choose a volume from the spiraling labyrinth of shelves, one that, it is said, will have a special meaning for him. And Daniel so loves the novel he selects, The Shadow of the Wind by one Julian Carax, that he sets out to find the rest of Carax's work. To his shock, he discovers that someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book this author has written. In fact, he may have the last one in existence. Before Daniel knows it, his seemingly innocent quest has opened a door into one of Barcelona's darkest secrets, an epic story of murder, magic, madness, and doomed love.

An uncannily absorbing historical mystery, a heart-piercing romance, and a moving homage to the mystical power of books, The Shadow of the Wind is a triumph of the storyteller's art.

Translated by Lucia Graves.

©2001 Carlos Ruiz Zafon; 2004 Lucia Graves (P)2004 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“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

“Gabriel Garcia Marquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges for a sprawling magic show.”—The New York Times Book Review

“[T]here is no question that [The Shadow of the Wind] is wondrous. . . [M]asterful, meticulous plotting and extraordinary control over language. . . . 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

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Since it was published in 1988, The Alchemist has remained a universally relatable work about what it means to find yourself and reach enlightenment. Paulo Coelho’s simple but profound writing style leaves listeners captivated—a style only heightened by the impeccable narrative performance of prolific stage and screen actor Jeremy Irons. If you’re one of the countless fans who’ve fallen in love with this title and find yourself wanting more, we’ve got you covered.

What listeners say about The Shadow of the Wind

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A wonderful performance and beautifully written

BRILLIANTLY read. gripping story, beautifully written
however too much violence. not enough positive elements.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Completely entrenched

A book is only what the reader makes of it. I had a hard time pausing. Engaged throughout and the characters stories were enough for me to have memories of on after.

Great performance from Mr Davis, easily discernible from the other and developed well.

Certainly a recommended listen and yearning for more from the author.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love it and loved the narrator

I just wish Jonathan Davis was the narrator of the rest of the book series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • MN
  • 04-20-17

WOW!

Excellent story, performance...overall a great read as well as a wonderful piece of literature. Can hardly wait to explore Barcelona!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

In the tradition of noir

I loved the story. Disliked that it ended. One of the best tales I've read in quite some time.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good story. Wonderful narration.

The story was good. I as a heavy mystery reader unfortunately predicted much of the story's overall resolution well before the story ended, however I was endeared to the main character and his investigative companion and found them quiet humorous, and of course had to know if my surmises were correct.
Jonathan Davis did a lovely performance, a non forced delivery of each character. Superb job with the Spanish accent.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Truly Breathtaking

A new friend told me about this book and I was immediately hooked. So many rich characters. So many twists and turns. Some predictable, most jaw dropping.

This would’ve honestly been a perfect experience “cover to cover” — if it hadn’t been for the music. It usually started playing suddenly and jarringly. Totally understand it’s by the author, but the sound mixing is terrible. Sometimes the music is louder than the narrator and turning up the volume to hear him better only makes things worse.

All in all an amazing book. Can’t wait to reread it one day soon to catch all of the things I missed the first time.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

a lovely enchantment

when I finally finished this book...I realized how how enchanted I was with the story and I loved the story
it's about love and the cycle of love how it history repeats itself but it takes place in Barcelona a romantic city back in a time when love wasn't considered your assigned who to love

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Visually Stunning!

Just like I said. Carlos Ruiz Zafon paints a beautiful picture. I was swallowed by those words from the first page on. The performance was amazing as well. He read the words with delicacy and passion needed. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND BUYING THIS AUDIBLE!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Exquisite

This review will be very short. This is, by far, my favorite book of all time. The ideas and the words with which they were expressed spoke to my heart as no other book has ever done.

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