The Shadow of the Wind

De: Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Narrado por: Jonathan Davis

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

“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

beautiful

sweeping scope and drama. strong sense of place and people. I enjoyed this novel and audio version.

Narrator was great, story was LOOOONNNGGG...

I did enjoy getting sucked into the culture of this story, but at times, there were so many story lines going on I would get lost. Definitely some shock value at the end, if you can make it there. The story was good, but just kept going to the point where I almost bowed out, but I am glad I finished it. Inventive and historical, but not exactly what I was expecting.

Fantastic all around!

The narrator:
The more I listen to audiobooks, the more I realize how important it is that the narrator be good. Before listening to this book, I listened to a man read a novel where the womens' voices were essentially done in a falsetto. It was very distracting. Jonathan Davis does a masterful job reading this book. I get the sense that some narrators consider reading an audiobook as a theatrical endeavor and it can be too much. Davis strikes the perfect balance. In suspenseful portions of the book, his cadence quickens and volume increases, but, not to be dramatic. I found myself wanting him to do those things because I needed to hear what was happening faster! He also seems to be a native speaker of Spanish and, his fluent pronunciation of the names of locations throughout the story contributed to the experience, without taking away from it.

In addition, there is music peppered throughout the production. Music which, apparently, was composed by the author of the book. I thought it an excellent touch. This is literally the best produced audiobook I have ever listened to.

The story:
I have found it is very rare that a piece of literary fiction has a gripping and compelling story that keeps you wanting more. Typically, these books are so well written, that the writing is the focus of the thing and the story meanders and loops around without any real sense of direction. This book is an exception.

The story is shrouded in mystery from the very beginning and Zafón does a masterful job of leaving breadcrumbs for the reader that makes you want to keep following the story. That's a pretty clever trick considering the book is almost 500 pages long. The characters are well-crafted, multi-layered, and rich. Their development, including the development of our protagonist, Daniel, feels as natural as following the plot - even if it isn't always as page-turning.

As fantastic books often can, there is a lot of background and plot that you must get through early on before you get to the meat and potatoes of what you'll love about this book. Hang in there. It is so worth it.

Please lose the sappy music

Fabulous story, translation. and narration by Jonathan Davis. Whenever there is a scene that involves strong emotional connection however, a sappy, manipulative and cringeworthy piano chimes into the background of the story. I found it annoying and manipulative (allow the readers their own emotions please) and distracting from such a rich storyline.

Love the twists and turns!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were great characters. It is narrated so wonderfully. I love how it all comes together at the end.

An amazing story. An amazing audio performance.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Because the story is wonderful and the audio performance was amazing.

What did you like best about this story?

The story is very gripping. It's suspenseful. Several times I would get chills while listening. The audio performance was absolutely incredible. It was as if I was listening to an old-time radio serial

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No not yet.

Who was the most memorable character of The Shadow of the Wind and why?

Fermín Romero de Torres. He was the perfect friend and companion to Daniel. He was a great sidekick.

Any additional comments?

I read the paperback already and wanted to listen to the audiobook.

An absolutely beautifully written book.

This book is one of the best I have ever read. You immediately care about the characters, you get a real sense of place and you can never guess what will happen next.

Overall good read

Enjoyed the characters & history intertwined within. Liked the ending but the ‘solve’ was very unrealistic.

classic

this book was so incredibly well written. It had twists and turns, there was clarity with the characters, with all loose ends tied up. It is really a must for mystery readers every where

Stop the music!

Highly engaging story, excellent vocal performance. I would recommend this book strongly. The only thing that mars it is the unnecessary music inserted (presumably for "dramatic effect") at various points. This is a trend I am noticing more and more in audiobook production. It is a trick TV producers use when they realize the story itself is weak and lacking in dramatic impact. Audiobook producers would do well to forbid the use of this cheap technique. If you have a good story and a good vocal performer, you don't need front else. It actually detracts from the listening experience.