Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 98 votes)
5 stars
34(35%)
4 stars
28(29%)
3 stars
36(37%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
98 reviews
April 16,2025
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*****VERY UNPOPULAR OPINION TIME*****

The majority of my friends love this book to death but I didn't. Some of my friends didn't love it so I don't feel so alone thank goodness.

I tried reading the paperback awhile back and put it down. Then I picked it up again and the beginning was so good. I thought we were going to go on some kind of crazy journey when I read about the cemetery of forgotten books. It just never went where I thought it might go.

I finally got the audio version on Overdrive and the narrator was wonderful, the little music parts while reading were wonderful, I just couldn't get into it.

I really don't think it was my mood either even though I'm fighting a reading slump. I just didn't care for any of the characters or what was going on. It's a shame but I can't love them all, but I am glad for those that do love the book =)
April 16,2025
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there just aren’t enough words. top 5 all-time for me. the twists and turns are delectable. so full of soul and a true psalm to all lovers of books and the joys of reading them.
April 16,2025
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Wow. I don’t know who I was before this book blew into my life like a storm wind, but I don’t miss that person.
April 16,2025
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La mia video-recensione qui:

https://youtu.be/Z1q-qqOwrWc

Un romanzo avvincente, doloroso, divertente e indimenticabile ambientato in una Barcellona piovosa alle prese con guerre reali e sentimentali. Assolutamente consigliato!
April 16,2025
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Fifth reading: September 8-11, 2021
I can't believe it's been over 4 years since I last read this masterpiece! Part of me is glad that I waited a bit between re-reads since it let me forget some of the elements of the story, which made rediscovering them even more enjoyable. However, what I didn't forget is how much I truly love this book. And it remains my favorite book ever. I know I'm super biased, but I just think it's fantastic, and I find it hard to believe any book will ever beat this one for me. Even though I can see its criticisms (particularly the lack of well-rounded female characters in this story), my pleasure in falling headfirst into this world every time I read this book is unlike any other reading experience. I can't wait to keep visiting it with the other books in this series soon.

Fourth reading: May 7-17, 2017
Of course I love this book soooo much. It's my all-time favorite. This is the 4th year in a row I've read it, and it never gets old. If you haven't already read this at my suggestion, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

Third reading: May 14-21, 2016

Second reading: May 23-25, 2015-
Okay, I can confidently say, upon re-reading this, that it is one of my all-time favorite books. It was just as surprising and enchanting and delightful as the first time I read it, if not more so. The writing is impeccable. The weaving together of so many storylines and characters is remarkable. I can't gush enough about this book, so I will just say EVERYONE GO READ THIS NOW PLEASE. You won't regret it.

First read: May 12-17, 2014-
Everything about this novel was captivating. The story follows Daniel, a young boy, whose father is a bookseller. He is taken to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and allowed to pick out one book that he is expected to 'save' or, in a sense, remember throughout his life. He picks a novel by Julian Carax titled "The Shadow of the Wind," and is immediately sucked into the story. From there, the novel follows Daniel as he begins to learn more about the illusive author, Julian Carax, and about the web of lies and intrigue that he gets trapped in.

The writing is absolutely gorgeous. The book is full of incredible quotes, wonderful, beautifully strung out sentences. I never underline in books. This book, however, required a pencil at the ready at all times, because I couldn't pass up underlining some amazing parts.

Though the plot isn't super strong, there is a mysterious and magical quality to the book that propels you through it, page after page. The characters feel so real, and thus their lives seem to be playing out for you in such a real way that you are concerned and invested, wanting to know what happens next.

I loved the setting of Barcelona. This is also a book translated from Spanish, which is even more impressive on the part of the translator. I think the translation was incredible.

Overall, this is a book that I will return to again in my life, I am sure. It is captivating and a new favorite. 5/5.
April 16,2025
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I remember taking a Canadian edition with me to vacation in Dubai... And when we went to see Golden souk, instead of, like true female, enjoying all the displayed golden wonders, I found first bench and finished the book, while my family ohed and ahed over so much gold in one place...
one of the five best books I've read in last 10 years
April 16,2025
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Sound the alarm! Unpopular opinion to follow!

To put it simply: verbose and wearying. Zafón seems to have swallowed a thesaurus and proceeds to regurgitate synonyms with unrelenting force. In The Shadow of the Wind, a man does not simply urinate, he "discharge[s] his generous, steamy cascade."

The Shadow of the Wind is an ode to books that's not so much Gothic literature as it's a telenovela, a trait that's only exacerbated by Jonathan Davis' melodramatic delivery as narrator.

Female characters fall into one of two categories: either beautiful and voluptuous, with tremulous breasts, shapely calves, and a body suitable for impregnating, or unattractive old women whose haggard appearance deems them unsuitable for bedding. Every sex scene is so awkward, I found myself repeatedly wondering if this book was penned by a virgin.

Death is a constant threat - at every turn, for every character - until it bears no gravity.

Zafón: *mentions death*
Me: *rolls eyes, yawns*

The opening pages had me worried, because of one particular detail - one detail - that told me this would be a book I wasn't liable to get along with. I should have heeded my intuition and saved myself eighteen grueling hours of slogging through this tiresome audiobook. The opening scene that planted the first seed of concern:
n  On that June morning, I woke up screaming at first light. My heart was pounding in my chest as if it feared that my soul wanted to carve its way out and run off down the stairs. My father hurried into my room and he held me in his arms, trying to calm me.

[. . .] We looked at each other in the half-light, searching for words that didn't exist. For the first time, I realized my father was growing old. He stood up and drew the curtains to let in the pale glint of dawn.

"Come, Daniel, get dressed. I want to show you something," he said.

"Now? At five o'clock in the morning?"
n

I ask you, when has a child ever been aware of, or concerned with, what time in the morning they've woken their parents? That line reeks of contrived drama.

I wanted to like this book, truly, but it wasn't the right fit for me. Between the bloated writing, sexism, and exhausting abundance of drama, reaching the final page was an absolute chore.
April 16,2025
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n  "Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it."n


In post-civil war Barcelona, ten-year-old birthday boy, Daniel Sempere is taken by his father to a top-secret, labyrinthine library called 'The Cemetery of Forgotten Books' and asked to select whichever one of the dusty publications calls out to him from an exhaustive succession of shelves.
He chooses an obscure novel, The Shadow of the Wind written by the enigmatic Julián Carax, an author whose life and work are shrouded in dark mystery.

Over time, the book awakens this socially awkward boy to fresh possibilities and new friendships in a city still handcuffed to its recent history. Daniel, himself, describes the novel thus: "It is a story of love, of hatred and of the dreams that live in the shadow of the wind."

In the honeymoon period of my read I was already thinking it to be one of the best books I'd picked up in a very long time and, after a handful of chapters, I was wishing that Goodreads would allow 5-star-plus ratings for special books such as this.
The author's character imagery is up there with Márquez and Rushdie (it has the comportment of magical realism, but both feet are set firmly in the realism camp). The story has heart and soul and nobly champions the underdog in an unjust world. Look out for nasty piece of work, Chief Inspector Francisco Javier Fumero, he of the pencil moustache and greasy grin; very much the bête noire of the piece.
Zafón's expressive prose and finespun storytelling held me in a dizzy state of veneration and had me purring in my armchair like a pampered pussycat.
But, oh!
Alas, damnation and gadzooks!
Did you hear me? "Gadzooks," I said!!
The author somehow snatches defeat from the jaws of victory by allowing his dazzling story to become bogged down by a warehouse load of wearisome narrative in the middle orders of the piece.
"Get on with it, Zafón!" I shouted.
(He didn't hear me).

And where's a book defibrillator when you need one?

It's a real shame because this book is infused with brilliance; Carlos Ruiz Zafón was incontestably touched by greatness.
My humble opinion is that this magical rites-of-passage/good-versus-evil sprawl of a novel would have easily merited that notional 5-star-plus rating, were it not for the drawn-out tedium of its meandering epicentre. Editing out a hundred or more pages would've done this a power of good.
I'm still awarding it 4.5, rounded up to 5. Its sublimity outweighs its imperfections.

And listen up, my Goodreads' brothers, sisters, funsters, pseuds, bibliophiles and savants.
Daniel Sempere's book epiphany will resonate with each one of you.
For each of us, is one book that has been waiting for us from before we were even born.
I wonder which one is yours? : )
April 16,2025
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:نعم..ثمة سجون أسوأ من الكلمات
سجون الذكريات..صقيع الفشل
عندما تقفز الشخصيات الخيالية خارج صفحات الكتب..لتصحح مفاهيمك و تنغص حياتك و تفتح عينيك قسرا

ا"الكتابة ليست سوي مرآة نرى فيها ما نمتلكه في دواخلنا..و القراءة تحتم علينا إعمال القلب و العقل معا
وهما عملتان نادرتان الآن!ا

جذبتني؛منذ ان قرأت الريفيو الانجليزي لمحمد عربي عنها.. و رايت ذلك الرسم القاتم الغامض لأب و ابنه: ينطلقان في ظل ريح عاتية الى..مقبرة الكتب المنسية.. يا له من اسم غامض موحي!!..و مقبض ايضا لكل محبي الكتب ..و مع رواية ملعونة و قلم أثري..تبدأ رحلتنا



ا"السرد هو رسالة يكتبها المؤلف ليعري روحه"ولقد
تساءلت كثيرا لماذا حققت "ظل الريح"كل هذه الشعبية منذ ترجمتها؟؟
الإجابة ببساطة لانها رواية تتكلم بمفردات عالمنا نحن :مدمني القراءة
ابطالها :صاحب مكتبة و ابنه..كاتب و ملهمته.. سكرتيرة بدار نشر و مترجم و صحفي..أصحاب دور نشر و
مقتني و تاجر للكتب النادرة..منقب عن الكتب. .و حارس لمقبرة الكتب المنسية(أحسست انها مثل هوجوارتس..لا يراها الا من يستحق )ا
إنهم المجتمع الصانع لسعادتنا..ببساطة ✏


و من الثلاثينات و حتى الخمسينات نغرق في تفاصيل حياتهم الصعبة ببرشلونة في إطار أسوأ حرب أهلية و نتساءل

لماذا تجبرنا الحياة على اتخاذ قرارات مصيرية كبري في سن 18 ؟!؟
لماذا نختار مهنتنا و ازواجنا و شكل حياتنا في سن الانفجارات الهرمونية الكبرى؟؟
لماذا نحاسب طوال العمر على أخطاء الاخرين؟
و تكون النتيجة الحتمية :جملة المؤلف الغامض خوليان كاراكاس الخالدة"لا استحق اي شيء و كفى"ا

أسئلة ستجددها في عقلك تلك الرواية الشبيهة بالوردة الجوريية الفاخرة
April 16,2025
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رواية (ظل الريح).. تأتينا هي الأخرى من عالم هذا الدكتاتوري الإسباني الذي عصف بمملكة إسبانيا في القرن الماضي أثناء فترة الحرب الأهلية في إسبانيا. شدني الكاتب منذ أول الخيوط من مقبرته (مقبرة الكتب) التي غصنا معه فيها لنهاية أخر الأوراق. سيكون عليك ملاحظة الفرق بين بوليسة اجاثا كرستي وبين كارلوس هنا هو إضافة لمسة حب جميلة نفتقر لها في روايات اجاثا كرستي التي تبدأ وتنتهي بالبوليسية. برشلونة / السحر الإسباني هي منبت مكتبة المقبرة. وهي برشلونة ما بعد عهد فرانكو الدموي.


رحلة الكتاب المُحرّم داخل المقبرة مربكة في النص ومربكة للقارئ لكن كارلوس يذب فيك هوس متابعة الكتاب الممنوع أو المحرم وهي ظاهرة تستهوي حتى من لا يهتم بالقراءة. دانييال / دانييل يمسك بظل الريح الكتاب الذي يعتقد أن يبعث الشيطان. مزاولته القديمة في زيارة موقع المكتبة التي أصطلحوا على تسميتها مقبرة الكتب مأوى كل كتاب غير صالح. تُخلق علاقة بين الكتاب المغضوب عليه وبين ابن الوراق، دانييل صاحبة المكتبة. ذلك الكتاب الذي كان يتوجب عليه أن يختاره أو يختار غيرة المهم الخروج من المكتبة مع كتاب مختار فكان (ظل الريح) الذي نال اعجاب الشاب وتعجب أكثر من عظمة الكاتب وكيف يمنع مثل هذه التحفة الإبداعية سيبدأ بعد هذا العشق مطاردات بين دانييل وبين الحقيقة يبحث عن المؤلف الحقيقي للكتاب إلا أن روح شريرة متثملة في شخصية من الكتاب يطارد هو الآخر حامل النسخة الأخيرة من الكتاب المغضوب عليه ليتلفه.

يوثق المؤلف لمدينة برشلونة ما بعد الحرب العالمية.. حيث مقر إقامتة ومقر المكتبة.. برشلونة مابعد الحرب الأهلية عن بقايا الفاشية والفوضى التي خلفتها الحرب عن الحب وألغاز تضج بها الرواية بخيال مجنون وإبداعي. برشلونة / المكتبة.. برشلونة ذاكرة البلاد المنسية نتاج ما بعد الحرب الأهلية الإسبانية والحرب العالمية الأولى وصراعات الدكتاتور الإسباني فرانكو هذا الشبح الذي سوف يطاردنا في كل أدب إسباني نجد شيء من حقارته. حتى وإن كانت هذه الرواية معنية بعوالم بعيدة عنه بعض الشيء لكنها تقترب من رائحة الموت والخوف. كل هذا يتم توظيفه وفق حبكة متينة وبدرجة عالية في سياق الرواية. حتى تلك القصص المتشعبة لا تخف منها هي جزء من حبكة طويلة بين الحب والكرة والخوف ورغبة المعرفة والمطاردة تسير خيوط الرواية.

هذه الرواية مفترق طرق بين الحب والكره والخير والشر العاطفة في الرواية والمغامرة في في الرواية ربما هي كل ماذكرت.

روايات هذا المبدع السابقة لظل الريح المترجمة للإنجليزية وغيرها من اللغات – بإستشناء لغتنا – كانت روايات موجهة لأدب الطفل والمراهقين وعندما بدأ وكتب هذه الرواية إنتقل الرجل لعالم مختلف فأختلفت معه شريحته من القراء فبلغ ما بلغ من عالمية وليست محلية فقط.
هذه الرواية هى رباعية للمؤلف بينما بعض المواقع الإسبانية والإنجليزية تقول بأنها رباعية وليست ثلاثية، ثم صدر منها الجزد الرابع . قرأت منها باللغة الإنجليزية :

ظل الريح : مقبرة الكتب المنسية - The Shadow of the Wind
لعبة الملاك - El juego del ángel
سجين السماء - El prisionero del cielo
المتاهة - El laberinto de los espíritus
وكلاهما – أي الأخيرتين – لم يعرفها القارئ العربي بإسثناء الجزء الأول قد ترجم مؤخرًا كما عرفت، ثم ترجم الجزء الثاني في 2017

وكلاهما – أي الأخيرتين – لم يعرفها القارئ العربي بإسثناء الجزء الأول قد ترجم مؤخرًا كما عرفت.

أعتقد أن الرواية تحصد الآن قراءات عديدة عربية بعد ترجمتها المتأخرة جدًا. قراءة العمل بلغة إنجليزية كانت رائعة بالنسبة لي. عشقي لإسبانيا بدايات جذور الأندلس هو من يشدني لقراءة أي عمل أو دراسة لهذي اللغة الفاتنة وهذا الأدب الفخم.

عندما تجد هذه الرواية قم بشرائها دون أي تردد، وكذلك يجب أن تفعل مع كتب هذا المؤلف المجنون خصوصًا بقية السلسلة لعبة الملاك وسجين السماء.
April 16,2025
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From the day 10 year old Daniel is introduced to the Cemetery of Forgotten books by his father; and when invited to, chooses a book, The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax, a decade and more is spent on the mystery thus unearthed. Somebody is systematically destroying any book written by Carax! What? A book mystery that starts in a secret book cemetery!

This Gothic mystery set mostly in Barcelona in the 1950s but covers the post Spanish Civil War years too, should be a special and golden read, but there's something missing! Maybe there's too much use of exposition? The Spanish Civil War was given just a few odd paragraphs here and there, I wanted more. At times I flew through this book, on other occasions it was a struggle to pick up. 6 out of 12

"To truly hate is an art one learns with time."
Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1)
.
2020 read; 2005 read
April 16,2025
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“Few things leave a deeper mark on the reader, than the first book that finds its way to his heart.”

Barcelona, 1945. Daniel Sempere comes across a book on his eleventh birthday. Upon reading the novel, Daniel is so intrigued by the beauty of this "forgotten" book that he goes about on a search for any other works of the same author: a mysterious character called Julián Carax. It is then that he discovers that Carax's books have been fast disappearing from the face of the earth, as if someone was destroying every single copy with the name of Julián Carax attached to it.

The Shadow of the Wind is a dark, mystery novel where there's secrets in every corner and grief, anger and vengeance in every other page. A 21st century masterpiece of gothic fiction.
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