First, let me apologize for being so late in posting this review. In addition to the normal stress of Thanksgiving, my mom got married that same weekend, so there wasn’t a ton of time to finish this book or write a review. Trust me, it won’t happen again!

I absolutely loved this book. Now, normally I’m a little apprehensive when someone recommends a book to me. It’s super hypocritical. I shove books at people all the time, but almost cringe when someone does the same to me. So it was only when a really good friend of mine said it was her favorite book she’s read all year, I was skeptical. I mean, I’m not a fan of Spanish novels, mysteries, and recently had a bad experience with a supposed “gothic” novel. This novel completely blew me away.

The plot revolves around Daniel, the son of a bookseller, as he discovers what happened to the author of a book he rescued from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. There’s murder, romance, scandal, history, and even some entertaining encounters with a horny old man. Daniel’s “romantic” relationships made me wince at times, but the variety of characters, personalities (particularly between Daniel’s closest friends, Fermin Romero de Torres and Tomas Aguilar), and twists kept me on the edge of my seat. It was also the first book in a long time that actually gave me the chills while reading it, so don’t read it late at night with only the creaks in your house for company!

I credit much of my satisfaction of The Shadow of the Wind with the quality of the translation. Lucia Graves did an amazing job with this book and from the moment I began reading, I drifted easily through the text. The skill in which she conveyed the imagery particularly struck me.

“A veil of dark-red clouds bled across the sky, punctured by splinters of light the color of fallen leaves.” (pg.220)

Granted, I haven’t read the original Spanish (and I probably never will), so I can’t compare the original and translated texts, but the ease in which the narrative flowed helped me fall into the plot.

I would say the only negative thing I can point out was the inconsistency in the pacing of the plot. Considering how action pact the last half of the book was, I was surprised how slow the beginning seemed by comparison. Now, this wasn’t something I really noticed until the end of the book, so it doesn’t deter my love of this book.

Final Grade: A-

See larger image The Shadow of the Wind (Paperback) By (author) Carlos Ruiz Zaf�n List Price: $16.00 USD New From: $7.38 In Stock Used from: $0.75 In Stock Release date January 25, 2005.

When I read that The Shadow of the Wind was “Gabriel García Márquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges” I set my expectations pretty high, but I was not disappointed. The self-reflexive convolutions of Borges merge with García Márquez’s eroticism and colorful personages to produce a mystery novel akin to The Name of the Rose.

The story concerns a young book dealer’s search for the mysterious author Julián Carax, whose books are being systematically destroyed by a man bearing the name of one of Carax’s characters. As a bookworm myself, it was easy to relate to the bookish protagonists. Carlos Ruiz Zafón waxes poetic about literature: the intimacy between reader and author, becoming engrossed in a book as a child, the romance between the reader and his favorite book. In fact, Ruiz Zafón often equates reading with romance:

“Never before had I felt trapped, seduced, and caught up in a story the way I did with that book… Have you ever kissed a girl, Daniel? Well, you’re still very young. But it’s that same feeling, that first-time spark that you never forget.”

As a mystery, The Shadow of the Wind is somewhat flawed. The outcomes are often predictable, if still satisfying. However, the interest is more in the space between the mysteries and their resolutions than in the resolutions themselves. For instance, the true identity of Laín Coubert comes as no revelation, but it is easy to lose yourself in the intricate subplots which spur his transformation.

The portentous tone of The Shadow of the Wind is offset by Ruiz Zafón’s humor and whimsical turns of phrase, which make the book a delightful read. A lost memory remembered is “an old cutting…fallen out of the pages of a book.” A ten year old Julián Carax wonders what Velásquez would have chosen to paint had he not been “obliged to paint so many time-consuming portraits of mentally retarded royals.” Daniel’s sidekick Fermín is a gem of a character, a shabby left-wing intellectual whose hilarious commentary keeps the novel sprightly.

At times, the story verges on the fantastic but ultimately creeps away from the supernatural. Both the characters and the Barcelona of The Shadow of the Wind feel haunted, but the ghostly presence is always history – whether it be familial scandals or the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.

In short, an engaging and somewhat improbable story brilliantly executed.

Final Grade: A-

See larger image The Shadow of the Wind (Paperback) By (author) Carlos Ruiz Zaf�n List Price: $16.00 USD New From: $7.38 In Stock Used from: $0.75 In Stock Release date January 25, 2005.

I have a confession to make. When it comes to mysteries, I’m a page-turning machine. I’m a speed-reader. A skimmer, even. I know. Horrible habit. A habit that was only encouraged by the intricate subplots and interwoven narratives of Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s The Shadow of the Wind. This book for me was like crack to an addict. Zafón’s novel is about a young man named Daniel from Barcelona in the 1940-50s and his obsession with Julian Carax, the author of his favorite book (also titled The Shadow of the Wind), but this just brushes the surface. Ever-looming in the background are tension-fraught dualities: between Francisco Franco’s Nationalist regime and the leftist intelligentsia (personified by the ruthless police inspector Fumero who is pursuing Daniel’s homeless friend Fermín), between Daniel’s desires for an older blind seductress and his best friend’s younger sister, and between the disturbingly parallel lives of Daniel and Carax.

There’s no question about it, this book has a powerful forward momentum that compelled me to keep reading – and even read again. Zafón’s pacing is perfectly suited to the plot – the action-filled scenes read faster than quiet ones, yet (perhaps because there is so little action) throughout the book you can’t escape the feeling of a heavy-handed melodrama. Zafón tries to break up the over-the-top gothic storytelling with lighthearted interludes, but never successfully alleviates the feeling that Daniel, and Zafón, are taking themselves very seriously.

Fortunately, the heavy tone is counterbalanced by the light agility with which Zafon intertwines the threads of his characters’ stories. But for a book with so many twists and turns along the way, I have to admit I’m little disappointed by the predictability of some of the book’s final revelations. For me, the best solution to a mystery is the one that’s plausible, but not predictable. Sadly, a few of the major puzzles are too easy to answer. Given the number of questions raised during Daniel’s quest for answers, though, there are surprises enough.

On the whole, Zafón pleasingly blends mystery, thriller, romance, and humor in his intricately spun novel, but at times stumbles over his own story with overly melodramatic language.

It should be noted that Zafón’s novel was originally written in Spanish, and the English version I read was translated by Lucia Graves. Zafón has since written a sequel (also translated by Graves into English) called The Angel’s Game, which fills in the backstory of the mysterious Julian Carax. You can bet I’ll be reading it.

Final Grade: B+

Don’t forget to check back in a few days to see what Sina and Kim thought of The Shadow of the Wind!

See larger image The Shadow of the Wind (Paperback) By (author) Carlos Ruiz Zaf�n List Price: $16.00 USD New From: $7.38 In Stock Used from: $0.75 In Stock Release date January 25, 2005.

Every month the readheads pick one book that all three of us read and review. Our book for November is Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s The Shadow of the Wind.

Synopsis from Publishers Weekly:

The time is the 1950s; the place, Barcelona. Daniel Sempere, the son of a widowed bookstore owner, is 10 when he discovers a novel, The Shadow of the Wind, by Julián Carax. The novel is rare, the author obscure, and rumors tell of a horribly disfigured man who has been burning every copy he can find of Carax’s novels. The man calls himself Laín Coubert-the name of the devil in one of Carax’s novels. As he grows up, [...] he begins investigating the life and death of Carax [...] Officially, Carax’s dead body was dumped in an alley in 1936. But discrepancies in this story surface. As Daniel’s quest continues, frightening parallels between his own life and Carax’s begin to emerge.

Have you guys read The Shadow of the Wind? If so, please tell us what you thought in the comments! Later this month we’ll post our collective reviews of this book. We encourage y’all to read it too!

Updated 12/01/09:
Check out our reviews: Kim’s, Ranjana’s, and Sina’s.