Book Review - The Shadow of the Wind

The Shadow of the WindThe Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was our book club selection for the month.

The story starts in Barcelona in 1945 just after Franco has taken over. Daniel is a young boy whose Father owns a bookstore and whose Mother is dead. His Father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books (basically a big warehouse) where he picks out a book written by Julian Carax. After reading the book in one long sitting, Daniel tries to find other books by Carax but instead finds a great deal of mystery. Carax himself is in the wind and someone is tracking down and destroying all of his published books.

Part coming of age story, part murder mystery, part historical fiction, this is a very engrossing story. I bought the book at Changing Hands on Sunday thinking I would spread it out over a few nights but ended up reading it cover to cover.

If you like your endings all tied together nicely in one big bow, this book is perfect for you. It was a little too neat for me but I enjoyed it nonetheless. So did my book club peeps.

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