The Shadow of the Wind : Carlos Ruiz Zafon : 9780753820254 The Shadow of the Wind Paperback US$8.00 US$12.64 You save US$4.64 Free delivery worldwide Add to basket Add to wishlist Description A stunning literary thriller in the tradition of Umberto Eco. The discovery of a forgotten book leads to a hunt for an elusive author who may or may not still be alive...Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'cemetery of lost books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out 'La Sombra del Viento' by Julian Carax. But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from La Sombra del Viento, a character who turns out to be the devil.

This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax's work in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind. A page-turning exploration of obsession in literature and love, and the places that obsession can lead. show more Product details 128 x 194 x 38mm | 379.99g Publication date Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd ) Publication City/Country English Language: Reading & Writing Skills Review quote A sensation across Europe... a page-turning mystery... a coming of age tale... And it's a hymn of praise to all the joys of reading, stylishly caught in Lucia Graves's entrancing translation. -- Boyd Tonkin INDEPENDENT crowd-pleaser in the mode of The Da Vinci Code... Intertwining playful detective caper, compelling political thriller and sweeping historical romance, the narrative coils back beyond the savagery of the civil war to the world of the tainted Spanish aristocracy, before slowly unravelling the dark secrets born of Franco's tyranny. Zafon's novel...

leave the reader with a palpable sense of enchantment. SUNDAY TIMES This week's book barely needs an introduction. Almost every book group I know about had read The Shadow of the Wind... the book is about a boy who becomes obsessed with an author. It is set in Barcelona during a bloody time in Spain's history and there is, as you would expect from a bestseller, plenty of death, murder, love and heroism. THE TIMES BOOK CLUB It was only The Da Vinci Code that stopped The Shadow of the Wind from hogging the top of the bestseller charts last year... an astounding critical success. There's an intricate plot, a gothic atmosphere and an elusive quest, as well as murders, intrigue and star-crossed lovers. THE GUARDIAN a wonderful portrait of Barcelona - not the sunny, culture rich and fun loving city break destination that most visitors know - but a shadowy, at times dark and atmospheric picture of the city centre streets in the years following the Spanish Civil War. LIVING SPAIN This bewitching novel has all the hallmarks of a classic Holy Grail story complete with mystery, mayhem, romance and labyrinthine plotting.

What elevates it above all others in the genre is its emotional energy, making it a richly rewarding read. DAILY MAIL one of the most engaging, funny, moving, lyrical books IRISH EXAMINER The best book I've ever read -- AMANDA LAMB WOMAN AND HOME a magical tale of romance -- CECELIA AHERN SUNDAY EXPRESS I couldn't put it down but didn't want to rush is as every sentence is beautifully crafted and every character unique. -- SANTA MONTEFIORE EVENING STANDARD A page turning exploration of obsession in literature and love SUNDAY EXPRESS a great thriller -- CECELIA AHERN MARIE CLAIRE the main character's deep love for books and their respective, secret libraries -- CECELIA AHERN IRISH TIMES A real page-turner of a mystery that will have you hooked from beginning to end SPAINSH MAGAZINE show more About Carlos Ruiz Zafon Carlos Ruiz Zafon is the author of six novels, including the international phenomenon The Shadow of the Wind, and The Angel's Game. His work has been published in more than forty different languages, and honoured with numerous international awards.

He divides his time between Barcelona, Spain, and Los Angeles, California. show more Review Text A stunning literary thriller in the tradition of Umberto Eco. The discovery of a forgotten book leads to a hunt for an elusive author who may or may not still be alive, as every last copy of his work is collected by a stranger intent on burning them. This novel explores the obsessions humans have with literature and love and the risks we take for them. 'A popular masterpiece, an instant classic' )Daily Telegraph( show more Customer reviews ***** One of those types of books that you would have to read over and over again! Loved it! show more by Claire Borg I have, as many of you will have, read hundreds of books in my life and I have come across many good books. This book goes beyond that, and I can wholeheartedly say this is the best book I have read in my adult life. I read this book like my life depended on it and did not put it down until its conclusion. This is the kind of book that pulls you in, enchants you and doesn't let go. I stumbled across this book when looking for nothing in particular and I could not recommend it high enough. You must read this book.

show more by Miss Melanie Hume i have spent my live reading books, classics and romances and modern books, but this is my favourite book of all time. it had suspence, mystery, comedy, romance with the bonus of an exellent author. i have given it to some of my friends and they could not finish it. i stand by the fact that it is an amazing book, and you pass it by you are robbing yourself of an amazing read show more by Elena Sorgiovanni This is one of the best books I have ever read - and i have read alot of books. Zafon has a beautiful writing style and i was in love with this book within the first chapter and was entranced up until the very end. Some was predictable however there was a twist I did not pick which made it even better. Fabulous book for the switched on reader who respects great literature as well as the starry eyed dreamers of the world. A great all rounder and something I constantly reccomend to people. Just beautiful. BUY IT! show more by Rachael Wilkinson This is one of the most exquisitely written novels that I have had the pleasure to read. Zafon writes so beautifully.

He'll captivate you in the book's opening line... show more by Evie Zhao This is possibly the most beautiful book I have ever had the opportunity to read. Entirely engrossing, it will pull you into its delicate jungle of words and characters, only showig the way out once you have fallen in love with the foliage. Daniel is merely a vessel Zafon has constructed in order for the reader to experience the story first hand. You will feel yourself becoming a part of this character. Although it is a cliche, you will laugh, cry and gasp in equal measure as the glorious, touching tragedy of the story is revealed.

show more by Alyssa Oprandi Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon | PenguinRandomHouse.com Add to Cart About Shadow of the Wind "Gabriel García Márquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges for a sprawling magic show." —The New York Times Book Review A New York Times Bestseller Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets–an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love. “ 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 "Wonderous… masterful… 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 (Editor’s Choice) "One gorgeous read." –Stephen King About Shadow of the Wind From A to Z, the Penguin Drop Caps series collects 26 unique hardcovers—featuring cover art by Jessica Hische It all begins with a letter. Fall in love with Penguin Drop Caps, a new series of twenty-six collectible and hardcover editions, each with a type cover showcasing a gorgeously illustrated letter of the alphabet. In a design collaboration between Jessica Hische and Penguin Art Director Paul Buckley, the series features unique cover art by Hische, a superstar in the world of type design and illustration, whose work has appeared everywhere from Tiffany & Co. to Wes Anderson’s recent film Moonrise Kingdom to Penguin’s own bestsellers Committed and Rules of Civility.

With exclusive designs that have never before appeared on Hische’s hugely popular Daily Drop Cap blog, the Penguin Drop Caps series debuted with an ‘A’ for Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, a ‘B’ for Charlotte Brönte’s Jane Eyre, and a ‘C’ for Willa Cather’s My Ántonia. It continues with more perennial classics, perfect to give as elegant gifts or to showcase on your own shelves. Z is for Zafón. Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in what he finds in the “cemetery of lost books,” a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets–an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

About Shadow of the Wind Barcelona, 1945—just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes on his eleventh 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.

And before long he realizes that if he doesn’t find out the truth about Julian Carax, he and those closest to him will suffer horribly. As with all astounding novels, The Shadow of the Wind sends the mind groping for comparisons —The Crimson Petal and the White? The novels of Arturo Pérez-Reverte? Of Victor Hugo? Love in the Time of Cholera?—but in the end, as with all astounding novels, no comparison can suffice. As one leading Spanish reviewer wrote, “The originality of Ruiz Zafón’s voice is bombproof and displays a diabolical talent. The Shadow of the Wind announces a phenomenon in Spanish literature.” 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.

About Shadow of the Wind "Gabriel García Márquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges for a sprawling magic show." —The New York Times Book Review A New York Times Bestseller Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets–an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love. “ 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 "Wonderous… masterful… 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 (Editor’s Choice) "One gorgeous read." –Stephen King From the Trade Paperback edition. About Shadow of the Wind Barcelona, 1945—just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes on his eleventh 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. And before long he realizes that if he doesn’t find out the truth about Julian Carax, he and those closest to him will suffer horribly. As with all astounding novels, The Shadow of the Wind sends the mind groping for comparisons—The Crimson Petal and the White? The novels of Arturo Pérez-Reverte? Of Victor Hugo? Love in the Time of Cholera?—but in the end, as with all astounding novels, no comparison can suffice. As one leading Spanish reviewer wrote, “The originality of Ruiz Zafón’s voice is bombproof and displays a diabolical talent. The Shadow of the Wind announces a phenomenon in Spanish literature.” 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.

Get the news you want from Penguin Random House Awards Book Sense Book of the Year WINNER Borders Original Voices Award WINNER Gumshoe Award WINNER Joseph-Beth and Davis-Kidd Booksellers Fiction Award WINNER NYPL Books to Remember WINNER Praise Winner of the 2012 Fifty Books/Fifty Covers show, organized by Design Observer in association with AIGA and Designers & Books Winner of the 2014 Type Directors Club Communication Design Award Praise for Shadow of the Wind: “Gabriel García Márquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges for a sprawling magic show.” —The New York Times Book Review “ 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 “Wonderous… masterful… 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 (Editor’s Choice) “One gorgeous read.” —Stephen King Praise for Penguin Drop Caps: “[Penguin Drop Caps] convey a sense of nostalgia for the tactility and aesthetic power of a physical book and for a centuries-old tradition of beautiful lettering.” —Fast Company “Vibrant, minimalist new typographic covers…. Bonus points for the heartening gender balance of the initial selections.” —Maria Popova, Brain Pickings “The Penguin Drop Caps series is a great example of the power of design. Why buy these particular classics when there are less expensive, even free editions of Great Expectations? Because they’re beautiful objects. Paul Buckley and Jessica Hische’s fresh approach to the literary classics reduces the design down to typography and color. Each cover is foil-stamped with a cleverly illustrated letterform that reveals an element of the story.

Jane Austen’s A (Pride and Prejudice) is formed by opulent peacock feathers and Charlotte Bronte’s B (Jane Eyre) is surrounded by flames. The complete set forms a rainbow spectrum prettier than anything else on your bookshelf.” —Rex Bonomelli, The New York Times “Drool-inducing.” “Classic reads in stunning covers—your book club will be dying.” —Redbook About Carlos Ruiz Zafon Carlos Ruiz Zafon is one of the world’s most read and best-loved writers. His work has been translated into more than forty languages and published around the world, garnering numerous international prizes and reaching millions of readers. He divides his… More about Carlos Ruiz Zafon About Carlos Ruiz Zafon Carlos Ruiz Zafon is one of the world’s most read and best-loved writers. His work has been translated into more than forty languages and published around the world, garnering numerous international prizes and reaching millions of readers. He divides his… More about Carlos Ruiz Zafon About Carlos Ruiz Zafon Carlos Ruiz Zafon is one of the world’s most read and best-loved writers.

His work has been translated into more than forty languages and published around the world, garnering numerous international prizes and reaching millions of readers. He divides his… More about Carlos Ruiz Zafon About Carlos Ruiz Zafon Carlos Ruiz Zafon is one of the world’s most read and best-loved writers. His work has been translated into more than forty languages and published around the world, garnering numerous international prizes and reaching millions of readers. He divides his… More about Carlos Ruiz Zafon About Carlos Ruiz Zafon Carlos Ruiz Zafon is one of the world’s most read and best-loved writers. His work has been translated into more than forty languages and published around the world, garnering numerous international prizes and reaching millions of readers. He divides his… More about Carlos Ruiz Zafon Author Q&A The Shadow of the Wind takes place in the atmospheric, and very palpable, setting of Barcelona—and in fact, this city becomes one of the novel’s more prominent characters. Why did you choose to locate your story here? Barcelona is a complex virtual world of Dickensian lights and shadows, beautiful and mysterious. I wanted to bring its history, its soul, alive in this story in a very cinematic, sensorial way.

A poet once called Barcelona “the great enchantress.” I was born, raised, and have lived most of my life here and wanted to use my hometown not merely as a backdrop, but as an organic character—to convey its romantic and seductive, yet sometimes dark and dangerous allure. You chose post-Spanish civil war Barcelona rather than the contemporary city. Why is that? The first half of the 20th century was a time of tremendous dramatic and historic significance, not just for Barcelona or Spain, but the entire world. I wanted to use this rich, complex historical canvas to explore themes and issues that are as, or even more, relevant today than they were then. You’re a screenwriter as well as a novelist. How has that influenced your fiction? Writing screenplays forces you to consider elements of story structure, and a variety of narrative devices, that can be adapted to the more complex demands of a novel. I believe the modern novel should try to capture the scope and ambition of the 19th century classics while making use of the narrative tools the 20th century has left us, from the avant-garde to the images and sounds of the golden screen.

I also think that this book, being a novel of novels and a book within a book, has the reader bring his own literary and cultural references—from classic Greek tragedy to genre fiction to the classics to the language and images of modern advertising or film—and project them into the story. All of these things come together within the texture of the novel and, I hope, will allow each reader discover something of himself in the stories within stories—their hopes and fears, their own humanity mirrored. I think the reader will enjoy the ride, the images, the language, the humor, the suspense, the sense of adventure, and above all the thrill of pure storytelling. Where did the ideas for The Cemetery of Forgotten Books come from? This formidable labyrinth of books was the first image that came to my mind for this novel, the first brick in the building. It’s a metaphor of all the vital and important things, ideas, and people we tend to forget or neglect in favor of the banal, empty, and often self-destructive elements in our lives. Why books? I’m a voracious reader, and I like to explore all sorts of writing without paying attention to labels, conventions, or critical fads.

I learn a little from everything I read, from genre fiction to the classics, though if I had to choose a particular pantheon I’d say the great 19th century giants have yet to be beat or even remotely approached. Dickens, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Balzac, Hugo, Hardy, Dumas, Flaubert & Co. Dream Team indeed. The Shadow of the Wind uses elements of the mystery novel, the historical thriller, the grammar of film and image storytelling, metafiction, romance saga, gothic literature, the comedy of manners, and many other narrative devices to create a new genre that goes beyond the sum of its parts. My aim was to allow the reader to experience this world and these characters in a sensory, cinematic, tactile way. This book has become quite an international phenomenon—still at the top of Spain’s bestseller list, where it was first published in Spanish, and #1 in Germany. Clearly it crosses cultural and national boundaries. Who do you see as the ideal reader for this novel? I hope this is reading for those who love, really love, to read.

I drew on the Dickensian model of creating a complex world populated by intriguing places, peculiar creatures, and infinite details at work. A good novel begins with a universe that should feel to the reader as real and fascinating, if not more so, than the one he inhabited before he picked up the book. This is a novel for those who love to lose themselves in that kind of universe. Every translation needs some fine-tuning to adapt certain aspects of the context and double meanings. However, I tend to think readers, and lovers of books in general, have a secret nation of their own, and their understanding and intellectual curiosity goes beyond languages, passports, or even the fine points of slightly different cultural and historical contexts. What do you hope readers of The Shadow of the Wind will take away from your book? I think novels should be an experience. I want my readers to be thrilled, to be moved, to laugh, to cry, and to be terrified. To be stimulated. I want them to have the time of their lives and at the same time to look at the world, and themselves, in a different light. Many readers have told me that The Shadow of the Wind made them fall in love again with books and reading.

If my book accomplishes that, I’ll be more than happy. What can we hope to see from you next? I’m working on a new novel that picks up the mix of genres and techniques of The Shadow of the Wind and tries to take it to the next level. It is the second in a cycle of four books that I’ve planned in this “gothic Barcelona quartet,” a sort of narrative kaleidoscope of Victorian sagas, intrigue, romance, comedy, mystery and “newly” fashioned old fashioned good storytelling. Product Details The Shadow of the Wind : Carlos Ruiz Zafon : 9780297847526 The Shadow of the Wind Hardback By (author) Carlos Ruiz Zafon , Translated by Lucia Graves Share Try AbeBooks Description Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'cemetery of lost books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out 'La Sombra Del Viento' by Julian Carax.

But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from La Sombra del Viento, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax's works in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind. A page-turning exploration of obsession in literature and love, and the places that obsession can lead. show more Product details 156 x 234 x 44mm | 680.4g Publication date Fiction In Translation Review quote "If you thought the gothic novel died with the 19th century, this will change your mind... in Zafon's hands, every scene seems to come from an early Orson Wells movie...

one gorgeous read." - STEPHEN KING For the first time in 20 years or so as a book reviewer, I am tempted to dust off the old superlatives and event to employ some particularly vulgar cliches from the repetoire of publishers' blurbs. My colleagues may be shocked, but I don't care, I can't help myself, here goes. The Shadow of the Wind is a triumph of the storyteller's art. I couldn't put it down. Enchanting, hilarious and heartbreaking, this book will change your life." DAILY TELEGRAPH "Zafon's book is tremendously enjoyable... his story is impressively well-rounded. Humour, horror, politics and romance are skilfully deployed and. the overall effect is hugely satisfying. Zafon, a former screenwriter, is particularly good at contrast and pacing: the book's 400 pages whip past with incredible speed." SUNDAY TELEGRAPH ' what makes this novel so irresistibly readable is the emotional energy generated by the ups and downs of a big and varied cast of memorable characters... His conviction of the importance of literature in real life comes shining through...

Walk down any street in Zafon's Barcelona and you'll glimpse the shades of the past and the secrets of the present, inscribed alike in the city's material fabric and the lives of its citizens." - Michael Kerrigan GUARDIAN Gripping and instantly atmospheric, this literary mystery opens in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a maze-like library of obscure tomes hidden away in Barcelona's Old City, where the hero, Daniel, is taken as a boy...But he little realises the evil which it will unleash and the devastating impact it will have on his life." MAIL ON SUNDAY YOU MAGAZINE 'For the bibliophiles there can be few more enticing-sounding places than the 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books'...'The Shadow of the Wind' has been a publishing phenomenon in Spain and throughout Europe...

Combining all the best elements of crime fiction with an investigation of the power of literature to shape our lives and imaginations, it is one of the most original and compelling stories of the past decade." - NICK RENNISON WATERSTONES QUARTERLY "a potent mix: a coming-of-age story set in Barcelona's post-war years, an edge of fantasy, a tragic love story, and a labyrinth of mystery." - Ben Page THE BOOKSELLER. "Zafon makes sure there's a robust serving of amor, and enough magic, murder and madness to keep even the most reluctant reader engrossed. Diabolically good." ELLE MAGAZINE "everything about The Shadow of the Wind is smooth. The language purrs along, while the plot twists and unravels with a languid grace... Zafon's novel is atmospheric, beguiling and thoroughly readable." OBSERVER "Set in the author's native Barcelona in the years after the Spanish Civil War, this gripping novel has the feel of a gothic ghost story, complete with crumbling, ivy-covered mansions, gargoyles and dank prison cells...

this is just the sort of literary mystery that would have found favour with Wilkie Collins." DAILY MAIL Good old-fashioned narrative is back in fashion... his tale [has] a dramatic tension that so many contemporary novels today seem to lack. This is highly-sophisticated, fun reading that keeps you gripped and tests the brain cells all at the same time. What more could you ask for?" THE SCOTSMAN "This epic novel spent two years on the Spanish bestseller list. It's easy to see why... Zafon is planning to write another three books around the same theme , and if they keep the pulse pumping and the pages turning as reliably as this fantastic piece of fiction, he will have a publishing phenomenon on his hands." SUNDAY HERALD "The translation by Lucia Graves is excellent, mixing formality with poetry, so the rambling prose occasionally sparkles with lovely phrases... The twists of the story which fold in on itself again and again like complicated origami, eventually reveal a simple shape.

Love and deception are at the heart of the literary mystery - aren't they always?" SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY "This is such a racy, enthralling tale that it is easy to see why it spent two years on the bestseller list when it was first published in Spanish and Catalan... clever and expertly told... an extremely good read." THE HERALD "The book is written by someone witty and knowing enough to spoof himself while still being able to raise the hairs on the back of your neck... Carlos Ruiz Zafon's zest is infectious... He swathes his story with atmospherics... Barcelona becomes a place of doors opening into dark interiors of the mind... Behind all this is a fierce satirical energy against the tyrants and philistines of history...

A game it may be, but somewhere in the shadows are the Caprichos of Goya." THE ECONOMIST (US AND UK EDITION) "Imagine a 19th-century novel deconstructed to its tiniest atom and rebuilt again using what we could call "narrative technologies" evolved during the 20th century." southbank magazine "Zafon takes readers on an obsessive journey into a dark world, revealing the stories behind one boy's curiosity and the strange, brutal truth that comes with it." Good Book Guide, named as Editor's Choice 'Gabriel Garcia Marquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges...Ruiz Zafon gives us a panoply of alluring and savage personages and stories. His novel eddies in currents of passion, revenge and mysteries whose layers peel away onion-like yet persist in growing back...

we are taken on a wild ride that executes its hairpin bends with breathtaking lurches." NEW YORK TIMES "wondrous...ultimately a love letter to literature, intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero." ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY "A rousing adventure that reads as if Jorge Borges were writing in the mode of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose." US ELLE MAGAZINE "If you love AS Byatt's Possession, Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude... Eco's The Name of the Rose... or Paul Auster's New York trilogy... then you will love The Shadow of the Wind... 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." THE WASHINGTON POST "Set in post-war Barcelona, Zafon's tightly plotted thriller is sharp, sexy, gothic (perhaps even a little ghoulish), powerfully atmospheric, often funny and utterly unputdownable...

The Shadow of the Wind is more than a book about a book - it's an inspired homage to the book, a celebration of writing, and an exhortation to read." THE AUSTRALIAN "The Shadow of the Wind will keep you up nights-and it'll be time well spent. Absolutely marvellous." starred review KIRKUS REVIEWS. "this book had me in its grip. It ought to be in yours." THE WORD Chosen as best recent book to take on holiday: "Carlos Ruiz Zafon's wonderfully chock-a-block novel The Shadow of the Wind starts with the search for a mysterious author in Barcelona in the aftermath of the Civil War and then packs in as many plots and characters as it does genres - Gothic melodrama, coming-of-age story, historical thriller and more. It is a deeply satisfying, rich, full read." - Michael Prodger Deputy Literary Editor, Sunday Telegraph Chosen as best recent book to take on holiday: "If you want to be totally gripped, I would recommend The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, a superior thriller set in Franco's Spain. It revolves around the sinister disappearance of a novelist just as he embarks on a passionate love affair.

Written with exuberance and humour, it's strong on atmosphere and consistently suspenseful." - Miriam Gross Literary Editor, Sunday Telegraph "One of those rare novels that combine brilliant plotting with sublime writing. It's about Barcelona again, and word of mouth alone is sure to make it a bestseller." Chosen as a "big read to make your holiday a success". - JAMES DAUNT SUNDAY TIMES "The Shadow of the Wind is at heart an old-fashioned adventure yearn, thoroughly marinated in gothic romanticism." - ADAM LIVELY SUNDAY TIMES "a complex and absorbing detective novel... It is a tribute to Ruiz Zafon's skills as a Hollywood scriptwriter that he can create stunning set-pieces and bring to live a host of eccentric figures." - RAYMOND CARR SPECTATOR show more About Carlos Ruiz Zafon Carlos Ruiz Zafon was born in Barcelona in 1964. He won the Premio Edebe for his first novel, PRINCE OF THE MISTS and LA SOMBRA DEL VIENTOis a finalist for the Premio Lara. He lives in Los Angeles and works as a scriptwriter.

show more Review Text The book begins in 1945 with 10-year-old Daniel who is taken by his father to a "Cemetery of Forgotten Books" and allowed to choose one book that he must champion henceforth. The book that Daniel chooses is to forge his life's path for the next twenty-one years, through which we follow him. As Daniel and his trusted friend Fermin try to learn more about the author and his other works, they encounter old grievances, which will not stay dead and buried where they belong. I enjoyed reading this novel but, although the plot was interesting, it was not particularly impressive. As I was reading, I could see the characters from the fictional book that Daniel had, mirroring the characters I was reading about and this came with a certain predictability that took away the excitement for me. Whilst worth reading, the book lacked the "wow" factor.(Kirkus UK) show more Follow us Shadow of the Wind: Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Carlos Ruiz Zafon: Hardcover: 9781594200106: Powell's Books Shadow of the Wind Ships in 1 to 3 days Qty Publisher Comments Make this your next book club selection and everyone saves.

Get 15% off when you order 5 or more of this title for your book club. Simply enter the coupon code ZAFONSHADOW at checkout. This offer does not apply to eBook purchases. This offer applies to only one downloadable audio per purchase. Barcelona, 1945—just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes on his eleventh 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. And before long he realizes that if he doesn’t find out the truth about Julian Carax, he and those closest to him will suffer horribly. As with all astounding novels, The Shadow of the Wind sends the mind groping for comparisons —The Crimson Petal and the White? The novels of Arturo Pérez-Reverte? Of Victor Hugo? Love in the Time of Cholera?—but in the end, as with all astounding novels, no comparison can suffice. As one leading Spanish reviewer wrote, “The originality of Ruiz Zafón’s voice is bombproof and displays a diabolical talent. The Shadow of the Wind announces a phenomenon in Spanish literature.” 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. Review "[S]uperbly entertaining....

[A]nyone 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 Book World Review "If you thought the true gothic novel died with the 19th century, this will change your mind. Shadow is the real deal....Be warned, you have to be a romantic at heart to appreciate this stuff, but if you are, this is one gorgeous read." Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly Review "The Shadow of the Wind will keep you up nights  and it'll be time well spent. Absolutely marvelous." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) Review "To call this book...old-fashioned is to mean it in the best way. It's big, chock-full of unusual characters, and strong in its sense of place....This is rich, lavish storytelling, very much in the tradition of Ross King's Ex Libris." Keir Graff, Booklist Review "The melodrama and complications of Shadow...can approach excess, though it's a pleasurable and exceedingly well-managed excess.

We are taken on a wild ride...that executes its hairpin bends with breathtaking lurches." Richard Eder, The New York Times Review "Wind is wondrous....While managing to hit just about every genre, The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature, intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero. (Grade: A)" Rebecca Ascher-Walsh, Entertainment Weekly Review "[Shadow] follows a traditional narrative; what is outstanding is the metaphysical concept of books that assume a life of their own as the author subtly plays with intertextual references....[A] meticulously crafted mosaic." Library Journal Review "Ruiz Zafón strives for a literary tone....Yet the colorful cast of characters, the gothic turns and the straining for effect only give the book the feel of para-literature or the Hollywood version of a great 19th-century novel." Publishers Weekly Review "Ruiz Zafón has revived the kind of full-blooded story of romance and mystery perfected by Victor Hugo. The Shadow of the Wind has an innocence that doesn't prevent it from being thoroughly enthralling....There are no fiendishly clever twists or secret codes, but Ruiz Zafón doesn't need them.

He sweeps you along with the sheer riverine force of his sincerity and passion....The Shadow of the Wind believes in the power of youth to rebuild hope on the bitter, ash-strewn ground of history, and so powerful is the sway of this author's storytelling, that, for 550 pages at least, he makes you believe it, too." Laura Miller, Salon.com Review "Lucia Graves...has rendered Ruiz Zafón's distinctive sensibility with the seamless invisibility of a good translator.

Her unsung efforts make it possible for the English-reading world to enjoy this gem of a novel." Robert Weibezahl, BookPage Review "[A] deeply flawed creation....The novelty and wit dry up before the novel's protracted conclusion, an exhausting and, alas, risible affair that reads like an out-of-context merging of opera and 1930s Universal horror films." Gregory Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune Review "Beautifully translated by Lucia Graves, it's a compulsive page turner: Never mind the improbabilities; the reader gets hooked by Daniel's strange odyssey and the innumerable offbeat characters he encounters along the way." Peter Green, The Los Angeles Times Review "It's a mesmerizing read that swallowed this reader's soul, at least for the hours I spent in its company." Maya Muir, The Oregonian (Portland, OR) Review "Zafón's writing is so epic and vague, he fails to engage the reader even when describing real-life events....The combined effect of the foggy setting and soggy writing is of being lost in a swamp." Jennie Yabroff, The San Francisco Chronicle Review "[A]n over-the-top, operatic melange....It

's so chock-full of hokum that it makes The Da Vinci Code look like a work of the starkest realism.

In short, it's a hoot." Charles Matthews, San Jose Mercury News Review "It's part detective story, part bildungsroman, part soap opera, but the biggest flaw in The Shadow of the Wind is that it simply has too many parts....The novel's structure, too, is hopelessly fractured." Bill Vourvoulias, Newsday Review "[T]he secrets and lies, murder and intrigue that are described on every page make for an unusual and engaging read that will leave readers clamoring to know which of the characters will be around by the last page to tell their tales." Angela Smith, San Antonio Express-News Review "As magnetic as The Club Dumas, as unsettling as The Mystery of the Haunted Crypt­ and with a plot as complex and well rounded as The Name of The Rose  to be recommended one hundred percent." La Razon Review "A thriller, a historical novel and a comedy of manners....

[W]ith great narrative skill, the author interweaves his plots and enigmas...maintaining the suspense right to the very last page." La Vanguardia Review "The Shadow of the Wind has an innocence that doesn't prevent it from being thoroughly enthralling; at heart, the novel is a story of star-crossed lovers, bold young heroes, their lovably eccentric sidekicks and a cruel, dastardly villain. There are no fiendishly clever twists or secret codes, but Ruiz Zafón doesn't need them. He sweeps you along with the sheer riverine force of his sincerity and passion." Laura Miller, Salon.com ( read the entire Salon.com review ) Synopsis Barcelona, 1945 just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes on his eleventh 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. And before long he realizes that if he doesn t find out the truth about Julian Carax, he and those closest to him will suffer horribly. As with all astounding novels, The Shadow of the Wind sends the mind groping for comparisons The Crimson Petal and the White? The novels of Arturo Perez-Reverte? Of Victor Hugo? Love in the Time of Cholera? but in the end, as with all astounding novels, no comparison can suffice. As one leading Spanish reviewer wrote, The originality of Ruiz Zafon s voice is bombproof and displays a diabolical talent.

The Shadow of the Wind announces a phenomenon in Spanish literature. 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. " Synopsis The international literary sensation  a runaway bestseller in Spain  is about a boy's quest through the secrets and shadows of postwar Barcelona for a mysterious author whose book has proved as dangerous to own as it is impossible to forget. Synopsis The international literary bestseller  more than one million copies sold worldwide. Barcelona, 1945  just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes on his eleventh 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. And before long he realizes that if he doesn't find out the truth about Julian Carax, he and those closest to him will suffer horribly. As with all astounding novels, The Shadow of the Wind sends the mind groping for comparisons  The Crimson Petal and the White? The novels of Arturo Pérez-Reverte? Of Victor Hugo? Love in the Time of Cholera?  but in the end, as with all astounding novels, no comparison can suffice.

As one leading Spanish reviewer wrote, "The originality of Ruiz Zafón's voice is bombproof and displays a diabolical talent. The Shadow of the Wind announces a phenomenon in Spanish literature." 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. Synopsis The wildly popular gothic novel— now in a stunning new package “A secret’s worth depends on the people from whom it must be kept,” begins Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s astounding novel of postwar Barcelona. But more than four years after its initial paperback publication, the secret is out—the novel remains a favorite of booksellers and readers alike. Synopsis A New York Times Bestseller Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written.

In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love. Synopsis "Gabriel García Márquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges for a sprawling magic show." --The New York Times Book Review A New York Times Bestseller Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love. “ 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 "Wonderous... masterful... 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 (Editor's Choice) "One gorgeous read." --Stephen King Synopsis From A to Z, the Penguin Drop Caps series collects 26 unique hardcoversfeaturing cover art by Jessica Hische It all begins with a letter. Fall in love with Penguin Drop Caps, a new series of twenty-six collectible and hardcover editions, each with a type cover showcasing a gorgeously illustrated letter of the alphabet. In a design collaboration between Jessica Hische and Penguin Art Director Paul Buckley, the series features unique cover art by Hische, a superstar in the world of type design and illustration, whose work has appeared everywhere from Tiffany and Co. to Wes Anderson's recent film Moonrise Kingdom to Penguin's own bestsellers Committed and Rules of Civility.

With exclusive designs that have never before appeared on Hische's hugely popular Daily Drop Cap blog, the Penguin Drop Caps series debuted with an 'A' for Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, a 'B' for Charlotte Brönte's Jane Eyre, and a 'C' for Willa Cather's My Ántonia. It continues with more perennial classics, perfect to give as elegant gifts or to showcase on your own shelves. Z is for Zafón. Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. Daniel, an antiquarian book dealers son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in what he finds in the cemetery of lost books,” a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the authors other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Caraxs books in existence. Soon Daniels seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelonas darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

Synopsis From the best-selling author of The Hangman's Daughter, a historical thriller set in contemporary Bavaria, about Ludwig II's mysterious death and the long-lost diary that could unlock its secrets. Synopsis Ludwig II, the Fairy-tale King of Bavaria, is today remembered for his beautiful castlesandmdash;popular tourist destinations that inspired the Disney Castle, but whose origins were much more fantastical than anything Disney could dream up. Also known as the Mad King, Ludwig was deposed in 1886 after being declared insane by doctors who had never met him. He promptly diedandmdash;mysteriously drowned in waist-deep waterandmdash;his eccentric castles his only legacy. Master of historical suspense Oliver Pandouml;tzsch brings the Mad King back to life in The Ludwig Conspiracy. An encoded diary by one of Ludwigandrsquo;s confidants falls into the hands of modern-day rare book dealer Steven Lukas, who soon realizes that the diary may bring him more misery than money. Others want the diary as wellandmdash;and they will kill to get it.

Lukas teams up with a beautiful art detective, Sara Lengfeld, to investigate each of Ludwigandrsquo;s three famous castles for clues to crack the diaryandrsquo;s code as mysterious thugs and Ludwigandrsquo;s fanatical followers chase them at every step. Just what in the diary could be so explosive? Combining contemporary mystery and a gripping historical saga and centered on an ingenious code that can be cracked only with a combination of modern computers and nineteenth-century texts, The Ludwig Conspiracy is a bold new thriller from the best-selling author of The Hangmanandrsquo;s Daughter series. About the Author Carlos Ruiz Zafón, thirty-nine, grew up in Barcelona. The Shadow of the Wind has spent more than a year on the Spanish bestseller list, much of it at number one, and has sold in more than twenty countries.

5 14 Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: The Shadow of the Wind The Shadow of the Wind 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,115 Price:$10.11+ Free shipping with Amazon Prime Your rating( Clear )Rate this item 522 people found this helpful 5.0 out of 5 starsThe Critic's Rave Reviews are all Correct ByEdward W. Jaweron May 25, 2004 The enthusiastic praise and adulation which critics have accorded the english publication of Carlo Ruiz Zafon's first novel, "The Shadow of the Wind", may trouble the reader who begins the book, worried that little might match his expectations. After all, reviewers who compare a writer's work to a combination of Umberto Eco, or Jorge Luis Borges, or Gabriel Garcia Marquez, or other literary giants, compel the reader to expect to be transported when they open the book. Not to worry. Once started, the single downside for the reader will be knowing that the experience must end. The plot is quite complex, the jacket cover's synopsis will give the reader all he needs to know. The important thing is to read it slowly and carefully.

A mystery story, a fairy tale, a love story (actually several love stories), a passion for literature, a treatise on politics, a bawdy tale, with love, hate, courage, intrigue, loss of innocence, humor, cowardice, villainy, cruelty, compassion, regret, murder, incest, redemption, and more. Add to this delicious mixture characters who come alive, and whose thoughts and feelings you will feel deeply. What a great pleasure to discover; an extraordinary first work, one which towers over the endless and repetative volumes which inhabit today's "Best Seller" lists. Read it, and become hypnotized. Edward Jawer 371 people found this helpful 3.0 out of 5 starsHow You See It Depends on What You Bring to It BySteve Kosson March 4, 2005 That it's so tempting to read SHADOW OF THE WIND is a tribute to clever marketing. Comparisons to Marquez, Borges, and Dickens mix with gushing tributes from Stephen King and references to best-sellerdom in Spain. The literary come-on is hard to resist. In the end however, the way you respond to this book will depend on what expectations you bring to it.

If you anticipate a reading experience worthy of those heady literary comparisons, you'll be sorely disappointed - Zafon is little closer to Garcia Marquez than Stephen King is. The closest he comes is having the temerity to give a minor character, a boyfriend of Beatriz Aguilar's, the family name Buendia, the prolific clan from ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE. If you plan, however, on a fantastical romp through a mid-century Barcelona converted wholesale into a gothic swamp of ghosts, shadows, haunted houses, malevolent, revenge-seeking, jilted lovers, swooning virginal maidens, improbably picaresque characters, unbelievable coincidences, parallelisms, and twists of fate, and a host of pseudo-Freudian relationships, you'll love every minute. The story line of SHADOW OF THE WIND is so complex and convoluted, it's nearly impossible to relate in less space than the book's own 487 pages.

Suffice to say, the premise is drawn from the search of a teenaged boy named Daniel for the truth about the fate of Julian Carax, the author of a mystery story (also named "Shadow of the Wind") that Daniel has adopted and read after his bibliophilic father takes him on a "coming of age" excursion to the aptly metaphorical Cemetary of Forgotten Books. Carax has apparently written a number of other books, all of them commercial failures, yet someone has been traveling Europe to find and burn every extant copy of Carax's works. With twists and turns that would make the Minotaur's head spin in his Labyrinth, Zafon spins multiple parallel tales of Platonic love, blind love (both literal and figurative), failed love, enduring love, filial love, forbidden love, and unrequited love. Through it all looms the mystery of Julian Carax. Is he alive or dead? Who is burning his books, and why? Who is the char-faced phantom? Why does the evil Fumero seek such hate-filled revenge? Will young Daniel ever find his true love?

Zafon's book could be easily parodied or brushed aside as little more than a Barbara Cartland romance, but his writing is better than that despite being too often over the top. From the opening page where Daniel describes his mother's death as "a deafening silence I had not learned to stifle with words," Zafon mixes searing images and thoughtful observations with engagingly quirky characters such as Fermin Romero de Torres who capture the reader's imagination and heart like 20th century Sancho Panzas and Dulcineas to Daniel's idealistically questing Quixote. Unfortunately, these pluses are offset by unrelenting and heavy-handed atmospherics in which every page is marked by clouds, shadows, mists, flickering candles, twilights, smoke, rubble, ruins, twisted heaps, blood, and "glutinous darkness," and the like. Florid prose abounds: "The white marble was scored with black tears of dampness that looked like blood dripping out of the clefts left by the engraver's chisel.

They lay side by side, like chained maledictions." Readers must also contend with two laughably miraculous conceptions, both occurring after first night trysts (a tribute perhaps to the ineffable virility of Spanish males?), and an unfortunately anachronistic request by a Barcelona doctor in 1954 for a "brain scan" of an injured Fermin (page 288). Net net, SHADOW OF THE WINDS is entertaining escapism with modest literary pretensions. Enjoy it for what it is, but don't expect it to be more than it is. The Shadow of the Wind: Amazon.co.uk: Carlos Ruiz Zafon: 9780753124420: Books Product Description Review · "If you thought the gothic novel died with the 19th century, this will change your mind¿ in Zafon's hands, every scene seems to come from an early Orson Wells movie¿ one gorgeous read." (STEPHEN KING) For the first time in 20 years or so as a book reviewer, I am tempted to dust off the old superlatives and even to employ some particularly vulgar cliches from the repetoire of publishers' blurbs.

My colleagues may be shocked, but I don't care, I can't help myself, here goes. The Shadow of the Wind is a triumph of the storyteller's art. I couldn't put it down. Enchanting, hilarious and heartbreaking, this book will change your life." (DAILY TELEGRAPH) Zafon's book is tremendously enjoyable... his story is impressively well-rounded. Humour, horror, politics and romance are skilfully deployed and.. the overall effect is hugely satisfying. Zafon, a former screenwriter, is particularly good at contrast and pacing: the book's 400 pages whip past with incredible speed. (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH) ¿ what makes this novel so irresistibly readable is the emotional energy generated by the ups and downs of a big and varied cast of memorable characters¿.

His conviction of the importance of literature in real life comes shining through¿ Walk down any street in Zafon¿s Barcelona and you¿ll glimpse the shades of the past and the secrets of the present, inscribed alike in the city¿s material fabric and the lives of its citizens." (Michael Kerrigan GUARDIAN) Gripping and instantly atmospheric, this literary mystery opens in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a maze-like library of obscure tomes hidden away in Barcelona's Old City, where the hero, Daniel, is taken as a boy...But he little realises the evil which it will unleash and the devastating impact it will have on his life." (MAIL ON SUNDAY YOU MAGAZINE) 'For the bibliophiles there can be few more enticing-sounding places than the 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books'...'The Shadow of the Wind' has been a publishing phenomenon in Spain and throughout Europe...

Combining all the best elements of crime fiction with an investigation of the power of literature to shape our lives and imaginations, it is one of the most original and compelling stories of the past decade." (NICK RENNISON WATERSTONES QUARTERLY) "a potent mix: a coming-of-age story set in Barcelona's post-war years, an edge of fantasy, a tragic love story, and a labyrinth of mystery." (Ben Page THE BOOKSELLER.) Zafon makes sure there's a robust serving of amor, and enough magic, murder and madness to keep even the most reluctant reader engrossed. Diabolically good. (ELLE MAGAZINE) everything about The Shadow of the Wind is smooth. The language purrs along, while the plot twists and unravels with a languid grace... Zafon's novel is atmospheric, beguiling and thoroughly readable. (OBSERVER) Set in the author's native Barcelona in the years after the Spanish Civil War, this gripping novel has the feel of a gothic ghost story, complete with crumbling, ivy-covered mansions, gargoyles and dank prison cells.... this is just the sort of literary mystery that would have found favour with Wilkie Collins.

(DAILY MAIL) Good old-fashioned narrative is back in fashion... his tale [has] a dramatic tension that so many contemporary novels today seem to lack. This is highly-sophisticated, fun reading that keeps you gripped and tests the brain cells all at the same time. What more could you ask for?" (THE SCOTSMAN) This epic novel spent two years on the Spanish bestseller list. It's easy to see why.... Zafon is planning to write another three books around the same theme , and if they keep the pulse pumping and the pages turning as reliably as this fantastic piece of fiction, he will have a publishing phenomenon on his hands. (SUNDAY HERALD) The translation by Lucia Graves is excellent, mixing formality with poetry, so the rambling prose occasionally sparkles with lovely phrases... The twists of the story which fold in on itself again and again like complicated origami, eventually reveal a simple shape. Love and deception are at the heart of the literary mystery - aren't they always? (SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY) This is such a racy, enthralling tale that it is easy to see why it spent two years on the bestseller list when it was first published in Spanish and Catalan...

clever and expertly told... an extremely good read. (THE HERALD) The book is written by someone witty and knowing enough to spoof himself while still being able to raise the hairs on the back of your neck... Carlos Ruiz Zafon's zest is infectious... He swathes his story with atmospherics... Barcelona becomes a place of doors opening into dark interiors of the mind... Behind all this is a fierce satirical energy against the tyrants and philistines of history... A game it may be, but somewhere in the shadows are the Caprichos of Goya. (THE ECONOMIST (US AND UK EDITION)) Imagine a 19th-century novel deconstructed to its tiniest atom and rebuilt again using what we could call "narrative technologies" evolved during the 20th century. (southbank magazine) Zafon takes readers on an obsessive journey into a dark world, revealing the stories behind one boy's curiosity and the strange, brutal truth that comes with it.

(Good Book Guide, named as Editor's Choice) 'Gabriel Garcia Marquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges...Ruiz Zafon gives us a panoply of alluring and savage personages and stories. His novel eddies in currents of passion, revenge and mysteries whose layers peel away onion-like yet persist in growing back... we are taken on a wild ride that executes its hairpin bends with breathtaking lurches." (NEW YORK TIMES) wondrous...ultimately a love letter to literature, intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero. (ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY) · "A rousing adventure that reads as if Jorge Borges were writing in the mode of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose." (US ELLE MAGAZINE) If you love AS Byatt's Possession, Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude... Eco's The Name of the Rose... or Paul Auster's New York trilogy... then you will love The Shadow of the Wind... 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.

(THE WASHINGTON POST) · "Set in post-war Barcelona, Zafon's tightly plotted thriller is sharp, sexy, gothic (perhaps even a little ghoulish), powerfully atmospheric, often funny and utterly unputdownable¿ The Shadow of the Wind is more than a book about a book - it's an inspired homage to the book, a celebration of writing, and an exhortation to read." (THE AUSTRALIAN) "The Shadow of the Wind will keep you up nights-and it'll be time well spent. Absolutely marvellous." *starred review* (KIRKUS REVIEWS.) this book had me in its grip. It ought to be in yours. (THE WORD) Chosen as best recent book to take on holiday: "Carlos Ruiz Zafon's wonderfully chock-a-block novel The Shadow of the Wind starts with the search for a mysterious author in Barcelona in the aftermath of the Civil War and then packs in as many plots and characters as it does genres - Gothic melodrama, coming-of-age story, historical thriller and more.

It is a deeply satisfying, rich, full read." (Michael Prodger Deputy Literary Editor, Sunday Telegraph) Chosen as best recent book to take on holiday: "If you want to be totally gripped, I would recommend The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, a superior thriller set in Franco's Spain. It revolves around the sinister disappearance of a novelist just as he embarks on a passionate love affair. Written with exuberance and humour, it's strong on atmosphere and consistently suspenseful." (Miriam Gross Literary Editor, Sunday Telegraph) "One of those rare novels that combine brilliant plotting with sublime writing. It's about Barcelona again, and word of mouth alone is sure to make it a bestseller." Chosen as a "big read to make your holiday a success". (JAMES DAUNT SUNDAY TIMES) The Shadow of the Wind is at heart an old-fashioned adventure yearn, thoroughly marinated in gothic romanticism. (ADAM LIVELY SUNDAY TIMES) a complex and absorbing detective novel... It is a tribute to Ruiz Zafon's skills as a Hollywood scriptwriter that he can create stunning set-pieces and bring to live a host of eccentric figures.

(RAYMOND CARR SPECTATOR) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Book Description A stunning literary thriller in the tradition of Umberto Eco. The discovery of a forgotten book leads to a hunt for an elusive author who may or may not still be alive... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Question: Who wrote the 2005 bestseller 'The Shadow of the Wind' set in post Spanish Civil War Barcelona?
Answer: CARLOS RUIZ ZAFON