The Shadow of the Wind-Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Book Title: The Shadow of the Wind (Cemetery of Forgotten Books #1)
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Version: Paperback
ISBN: 9780753821206
Published: 2005
First Published: 2001
Number of Pages: 512
Genre: Fiction, Mystery

REVIEW: This is a book about the love of books and so even before I read it I knew that I would love it. I had been told repeatedly that I should read this book and because my list of books to read was so long I kept putting it off. And then someone kind of forced it on me and I am so very glad that he did. This book literally blew me away, it was a truly magical journey that I quickly fell in love with.

The writing soared off the pages in leaps and bounds. It flowed and had beauty to it, every word, every phrase chosen perfectly to make this a truly magical story. Although it was translated from the original Spanish text the power and love behind the words of Mr. Zafron came through loud and clear. His writing is something that is rather unusual in this day and age where it's all about quantity (how many books you can sell) over quality (how well the book is written) Mr. Zafron has it all. His writing is an inspiration and that is a beautiful thing to find. I felt as if I melted into his writing; it was an incredible thing because it was less like I was reading a book and more like I was experiencing it.

His characters are rich with life, especially his young protagonist Daniel Sempere, and yet they are flawed. I loved this about Mr. Zafron's characters. They were so well put together that they seemed as if they could be real people. Not all characters are like this I have found. Sure they are likable, some even lovable, but not all are this real. I really enjoyed the fact that not only were all of these characters in love with books (all characters that feel this love are ok by me) but they each had their very human flaws and I truly loved that. It helped that the characters were flawed. This was a kind of down in the dirt type of mystery and it needed the down in the dirt types to help solve it.

The story is amazing! A young boy that loves books becomes obsessed with one and decides he has to have the rest of the author's work. However this quest seems impossible when he discovers that someone has been traveling the world looking for those books and burning them. And so Daniel embarks on a journey that takes him into the deepest secrets that Barcelona holds. Into brothels and churches, running from the law and begging help from a beggar. Every twist, every new thing that is revealed makes the book totally amazing all over again. Stack them all up and you get one of the best books that I have ever read.

I really loved this book and I highly, highly recommend "The Shadow of the Wind" to everyone! It's that good of a book. I think that it has a little bit of everything in it. So naturally it appeals to everyone. This is just an all around great read and I hope that you go out as soon as possible and find yourself a copy. This is a journey that is worth diving into.