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

Heard lots of hype and found the book mediocre

I heard this book had an amazing twist that would knock my socks off. I must have missed the twist. The story turned out about as I suspected. That was fine, but that's all this book was. Just fine.

Piano music at random

Already read the book a few years ago and know it to be an excellent book. Voices were well-done, but the piano music (composed by the author?) starts at random in some parts of the book. Maybe it is to mark a romantic scene? Not sure but it is REALLY distracting and a bit cheesy - sorry Carlos. maybe save it for a motion picture score?

Worth reading

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It's easy to fall in love with the characters in this book. The author weaves time and layers into the story, and the narrator gives the reading a haunting quality.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The music is annoying and takes away from the tone.

Any additional comments?

Overall a pleasant read. A nice escape into another time with rich characters. Just a little predictable, but worth it.

Great story good narration but the piano in the background sucked.

I enjoyed the story and narration; the incessant piano music that up swelled during tense or poignant parts was overdone and irritating.

Could not turn it off

The story is both entertaining and dramatic. The narration is superb. The characters are unique and presented in all their complexities.

Best "read" of the year!

This is definitely a new top 5 fave of mine. Great characters, plot, and setting. I often found myself smiling, laughing, or holding my breath ... gripped by the scenes. Highly recommend!

While I enjoyed the occasional music, it was often times too loud and interfered with the narrative. I loved the performance of the narrator. Perfect casting!

Very touching story.

This is one of those books that will stick with you for as long as you live.

Compelling story, lousy production

I found the story interesting and enjoyed the descriptions of Barcelona as placement for the drama. But.... the romantic scenes with the smaltzy piano music were pathetic! Dropped a B level story to D level. Lose the musical background!

Great book but it felt super long

Beautifully written and wonderful narration. I’m not going to lie....I think about 4 hours could’ve been taken off this book but it was still a great story.

loved this book!

Loved it! Well written and narrated. Enjoyed the discriptive language and the many diverse characters.