Beth F
Sandy
Nicole
Michelle
S. Krishna
Shadow of the Wind – Book Review
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
“Shadow of the Wind” is a gothic, bookish thriller. When Daniel’s father takes him to the Cemetary of Forgotten Books, he discovers a book called “Shadow of the Wind” by Julian Carax and, with it, a mystery. There is someone hunting down and burning all of Carax’s books. Daniel has what is probably the last copy of “Shadow of the Wind” in existence. Even more perplexing, the man who seems to be burning the books calls himself Lain Coubert, which is the name of one of the characters in “Shadow of the Wind.” In “Shadow of the Wind,” Coubert is the name of the Devil. Who is Coubert, really? What happened to Carax? How does the sadistic Inspector Fumero fit into all of this?
“Shadow of the Wind” was a really fantastic book. The plot was definitely complicated and twisting, but it worked. These are my favorite sorts of mysteries, rambling gothic plots, somewhat similar to “The Thirteenth Tale” in feel, though not in detail. One thing that “Shadow of the Wind” and “The Thirteenth Tale” do have in common, though, is the underlying love of books. This is a book-lover’s mystery, and this book lover loved it.
Buy this book from:
Powells.
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.
Amazon.
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I completely agree that The Shadow of the Wind and The Thirteenth Tale are similar in feel but not in content, and I loved them both. Glad to hear you did, too!
.-= Rebecca @ The Book Lady’s Blog´s last blog ..Teaser Tuesdays: Purge =-.
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I keep seeing great reviews for this book (and for his new book). I can’t wait to read it, especially after seeing you compare it to The Thirteenth Tale, which I really enjoyed.
.-= Brittany´s last blog ..On the Big Screen… =-.
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I’m not really familiar with gothic thrillers but this sounds really good!
.-= rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..Review of “Moby Dick” (on CD) by Herman Melville, Narrated by Frank Muller =-.
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I am distressed, because I ordered this audio from the library. It showed up without Disc 10, they are blaming me for losing it and are going to charge me a huge fee to replace it. The worst part is I can’t start the audio until I get disc 10!!! Argh!
.-= Sandy´s last blog ..Bon Voyage! =-.
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devourerofbooks Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 8:46 am
Oh no, that’s terrible Sandy! I hope you get things worked out and get to listen to the audio (without getting charged!).
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I loved this book too! Gotta love books that really seem like they are written for book lovers.
.-= Meghan´s last blog ..Review: Welcome to Temptation, Jennifer Crusie =-.
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I totally agree that this book feels very similar to The Thirteenth Tale… but for some reason, while I loved TTT, I couldn’t get into this one at all, even while feeling like I *should* have loved it. Strange. Glad you liked it, though!
.-= Fyrefly´s last blog ..Keith Donohue – Angels of Destruction =-.
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Love that cover! This was my fav book of 2006. I devoured it (hehe).
.-= Chris@bookarama´s last blog ..Bookish Movies =-.
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You’ve just named two of my all-time favorite books! And both are so often overlooked, which is just tragic, in my opinion.
In a recent review, someone compared my upcoming book, Prophecy of the Sisters, to The Thirteenth Tale, something I considered the highest possible compliment!
You’ve got great taste in books!
.-= Michelle Zink´s last blog ..Eight Little Things =-.
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This sounds fabulous – I love the cover too!
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Review and Giveaway: Into the Beautiful North =-.
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Great review…right to the point, I like that!! I must read this book, heard so many great things about it!!
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I am reading this one now. I loved The Thirteenth Tale so that comparison is helpful.
.-= Ti´s last blog ..Monday Mish-Mosh =-.
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I am long overdue in reading this one. I had hoped to get to it last year but never managed it. Maybe this year. It definitely sounds like something I would enjoy reading.
.-= Literary Feline´s last blog ..Review: Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel =-.
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It was just about my top read for the year it came out. And you’re right I see exactly what you mean about the similar feel of this one with Thirteenth Tale.
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea =-.
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I have only heard of this book since Angel’s Game came out and people have been comparing the two, saying Shadow was better. *sigh* I just wish I could read them all! :-p
.-= The Kool-Aid Mom´s last blog ..Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay =-.
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This sounds like it might be really good! And I love the cover.
.-= heidenkind´s last blog ..True Blood: Art History Shout-Out! =-.
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I really enjoyed Shadow of the Wind and Thirteenth Tale.
.-= Diane´s last blog ..Tuesday Teasers – June 16th =-.
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Gothic bookish thriller – that is a great way to describe this one! This is a book I really need to go back and re-read.
.-= S. Krishna´s last blog ..Along for the Ride – Sarah Dessen =-.
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I’ve been meaning to read this for years. I need to just do it!
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I loved this book and I am looking forward to news on the arrival of the baby!
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This was already on my wishlist and now your review has made me want to read it even more!
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..Literary Links of Note =-.
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I listened to this book, and it left me cold. For a good literary thriller, try The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber. Very good read.
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[...] Jen at Devourer of Books calls Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruis Zafon a “gothic, bookish thriller.” Count me [...]