“La Sombra del Viento” by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
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It’s been a while since I’ve written a book review on the site and I thought it was about time. So, today I’d like to tell you about “La Sombra del Viento” by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
This book has been a bestseller here in Spain for quite some time now. In fact, I believe it was released around 2001 or 2002, and since that time it has been pretty popular in bookstores. It’s no surprise to me that it’s popular here — this book is one of the best fictional novels that I’ve ever read.
The book is about a child named Daniel who one day discovers a forgotten book on the dusty shelves of the “Forgotten Book Cemetery” — a place that his father, who owns a bookstore, frequents. Daniel becomes so intrigued by the forgotten book that he decides to investigate into the life of its author: Julián Carax. Of course, there is a problem: Carax’s life turns out to be very obscure and takes many twists and turns. Daniel soon becomes obsessed with finding out more about Carax’s life and this novel basically tells the story of Daniel’s search for information.
I really enjoyed reading this book because it is set in Barcelona, Spain right after the Spanish Civil War and is written in a way that makes you feel as if you really are in the city of Barcelona. It describes the buildings there, it describes the things the people do on the street there — it basically transcends you to the Barcelona of the early twentieth century. Another thing that I found very interesting about this book is that it is full of details and is told through several overlapping stories of love, hatred, mystery, and intrigue. These intertwined stories make the book extremely interesting to read and come together perfectly at the end of the novel to form a very well-executed closing.
The book is written in Spanish and the level is a little high. I would recommend reading the translated English version or using a dictionary for the Spanish version if you don’t read Spanish at an advanced level. In any event, the book is wonderful and worth reading. If you don’t believe me, check it out on Amazon and read the five-star reviews for yourself.
Have you read this book? Do you have something to add to this post? Leave a comment below.
Hasta luego,
Chris
http://abroadinspain.com
I’m in the middle of this book actually and it’s pretty intriguing I can tell you. It’s one of those books you can´t seem to put down.I can also relate to the fact that’s it’s set in Barcelona as I’ve been living here for ages!
@catalonia blog – Glad to hear you’re liking the book… maybe when you get it done you’d like to leave a message here to let us know how you liked it at the end. I like the way it’s set as well, the descriptions really make you feel as if you’re in Barcelona.
i also read this book and it made me feel like i was back in the streets of phenomenal. i couldn’t put it down. there are many characters that all have uniques personas and are developed very well. a good use of humor through the book mostly provided by fermin. a great read!