Ratings380
Average rating4.1
I still remember the day my father took me to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books for the first time...
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.
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Un amanecer de 1945, un muchacho es conducido por su padre a un misterioso lugar oculto en el corazón de la ciudad vieja: el Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados. Allí, Daniel Sempere encuentra un libro maldito que cambia el rumbo de su vida y le arrastra a un laberinto de intrigas y secretos enterrados en el alma oscura de la ciudad. La Sombra del Viento es un misterio literario ambientado en la Barcelona de la primera mitad del siglo xx, desde los últimos esplendores del Modernismo hasta las tinieblas de la posguerra.
Aunando las técnicas del relato de intriga y suspense, la novela histórica y la comedia de costumbres, La Sombra del Viento es sobre todo una trágica historia de amor cuyo eco se proyecta a través del tiempo. Con gran fuerza narrativa, el autor entrelaza tramas y enigmas a modo de muñecas rusas en un inolvidable relato sobre los secretos del corazón y el embrujo de los libros cuya intriga se mantiene hasta la última página.
Todavía recuerdo aquel amanecer en que mi padre me llevó por primera vez a visitar El Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados.
Featured Series
1 primary bookThe Cemetery of Forgotten Books is a 1-book series first released in 2001 with contributions by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
Reviews with the most likes.
This was overwritten for my taste. I put it down a few times. The prose is pretty, but I tired of it by the end of the book. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood. But it typically doesn't take me a week to finish a book of this type.
Terri's book group pick March 2011. Half of the group could not/did not finish the book. Some people loved it. I liked it, but didn't love it.
A wonderful book. Set in Barcelona under Franco's rule, this is by turns a gothic melodrama, a love story, a detective story and a horror story. Shades of Poe stalk the pages but the voice is truly the author's own. The story of Daniel who, when his father takes him to the Cemetary of Forgotten Books, chooses a novel by an unknown author called Julian Carax - The Shadow of The Wind.
Thus begins Daniel's fascination with this mysterious, unheralded writer and he begins to piece together Carax's past and a tragic tale is slowly revealed. And Daniel's own life begins to mirror that of Carax and he finds himself stalked by the venomous Inspector Fumero, who holds a fierce hatred for the supposedly dead writer.
The tale spans 40 years or more and reveals itself slowly. It is beautifully translated from the original Spanish and is a pleasure to read. Highly recommended!!!
Prompt
72 booksFeatured Prompt
2,773 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...