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El cementerio de los libros olvidados #1
螚 蟽魏喂维 蟿慰蠀 伪谓苇渭慰蠀
螝蟻蠀渭渭苇谓慰 蟽蟿畏谓 魏伪蟻未喂维 蟿畏蟼 蟺伪位喂维蟼 蟺蠈位畏蟼 蟿畏蟼 螔伪蟻魏蔚位蠋谓畏蟼 尾蟻委蟽魏蔚蟿伪喂 蟿慰 螝慰喂渭畏蟿萎蟻喂慰 蟿蠅谓 螞畏蟽渭慰谓畏渭苇谓蠅谓 螔喂尾位委蠅谓, 渭喂伪 位伪尾蠀蟻喂谓胃蠋未畏 尾喂尾位喂慰胃萎魏畏 渭蔚 尉蔚蠂伪蟽渭苇谓慰蠀蟼 蟿委蟿位慰蠀蟼 蟺慰蠀 未蔚谓 蔚魏未委未慰谓蟿伪喂 蟺喂伪. 危' 伪蠀蟿萎 蟿畏 尾喂尾位喂慰胃萎魏畏 慰未畏纬蔚委蟿伪喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰谓 蟺伪蟿苇蟻伪 蟿慰蠀 慰 未蔚魏维蠂蟻慰谓慰蟼 螡蟿伪谓喂苇位 纬喂伪 谓伪 蔚蟺喂位苇尉蔚喂 苇谓伪 尾喂尾位委慰 伪蟺蠈 蟿伪 蟻维蠁喂伪. 螖喂伪位苇纬蔚喂 蟿畏 "危魏喂维 蟿慰蠀 伪谓苇渭慰蠀" 蟿慰蠀 围慰蠀位喂维谓 螝伪蟻维尉.
螝伪胃蠋蟼 慰 螡蟿伪谓喂苇位 渭蔚纬伪位蠋谓蔚喂, 未喂维蠁慰蟻慰喂 维谓胃蟻蠅蟺慰喂 蠁伪委谓蔚蟿伪喂 谓伪 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓蟿伪喂 纬喂伪 蟿慰 蔚蠉蟻畏渭维 蟿慰蠀. 螠喂伪 谓蠉蠂蟿伪, 蔚谓蠋 蟺蔚蟻喂蟺位伪谓喂苇蟿伪喂 蟽蟿慰蠀蟼 未蟻蠈渭慰蠀蟼, 蟿慰谓 蟺位畏蟽喂维味蔚喂 渭喂伪 蠁喂纬慰蠉蟻伪 蟺慰蠀 蟿慰蠀 胃蠀渭委味蔚喂 苇谓伪谓 萎蟻蠅伪 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 "危魏喂维 蟿慰蠀 伪谓苇渭慰蠀" . 螣 维谓蟿蟻伪蟼 伪蠀蟿蠈蟼 蟺蟻慰蟽蟺伪胃蔚委 谓伪 蔚谓蟿慰蟺委蟽蔚喂 蠈位伪 蟿伪 苇蟻纬伪 蟿慰蠀 螝伪蟻维尉 纬喂伪 谓伪 魏维蠄蔚喂. 螒蠀蟿蠈 蟺慰蠀 伪蟻蠂委味蔚喂 蠅蟼 渭喂伪 蠀蟺蠈胃蔚蟽畏 位慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓喂魏萎蟼 蟺蔚蟻喂苇蟻纬蔚喂伪蟼 蔚尉蔚位委蟽蟽蔚蟿伪喂 蟽蔚 苇谓伪谓 伪纬蠋谓伪 纬喂伪 蟿畏谓 伪谓伪魏维位蠀蠄畏 蟿畏蟼 伪位萎胃蔚喂伪蟼 蟺委蟽蠅 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 味蠅萎 魏伪喂 蟿慰 胃维谓伪蟿慰 蟿慰蠀 围慰蠀位喂维谓 螝伪蟻维尉.
螆谓伪 尾喂尾位委慰-蟽蟿伪胃渭蠈蟼, 渭喂伪 纬慰畏蟿蔚蠀蟿喂魏萎 蔚尉蔚蟻蔚蠉谓畏蟽畏 蟿畏蟼 蔚渭渭慰谓萎蟼 蟽蟿畏 位慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓委伪 魏伪喂 蟽蟿慰谓 苇蟻蠅蟿伪.
螝伪胃蠋蟼 慰 螡蟿伪谓喂苇位 渭蔚纬伪位蠋谓蔚喂, 未喂维蠁慰蟻慰喂 维谓胃蟻蠅蟺慰喂 蠁伪委谓蔚蟿伪喂 谓伪 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓蟿伪喂 纬喂伪 蟿慰 蔚蠉蟻畏渭维 蟿慰蠀. 螠喂伪 谓蠉蠂蟿伪, 蔚谓蠋 蟺蔚蟻喂蟺位伪谓喂苇蟿伪喂 蟽蟿慰蠀蟼 未蟻蠈渭慰蠀蟼, 蟿慰谓 蟺位畏蟽喂维味蔚喂 渭喂伪 蠁喂纬慰蠉蟻伪 蟺慰蠀 蟿慰蠀 胃蠀渭委味蔚喂 苇谓伪谓 萎蟻蠅伪 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 "危魏喂维 蟿慰蠀 伪谓苇渭慰蠀" . 螣 维谓蟿蟻伪蟼 伪蠀蟿蠈蟼 蟺蟻慰蟽蟺伪胃蔚委 谓伪 蔚谓蟿慰蟺委蟽蔚喂 蠈位伪 蟿伪 苇蟻纬伪 蟿慰蠀 螝伪蟻维尉 纬喂伪 谓伪 魏维蠄蔚喂. 螒蠀蟿蠈 蟺慰蠀 伪蟻蠂委味蔚喂 蠅蟼 渭喂伪 蠀蟺蠈胃蔚蟽畏 位慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓喂魏萎蟼 蟺蔚蟻喂苇蟻纬蔚喂伪蟼 蔚尉蔚位委蟽蟽蔚蟿伪喂 蟽蔚 苇谓伪谓 伪纬蠋谓伪 纬喂伪 蟿畏谓 伪谓伪魏维位蠀蠄畏 蟿畏蟼 伪位萎胃蔚喂伪蟼 蟺委蟽蠅 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 味蠅萎 魏伪喂 蟿慰 胃维谓伪蟿慰 蟿慰蠀 围慰蠀位喂维谓 螝伪蟻维尉.
螆谓伪 尾喂尾位委慰-蟽蟿伪胃渭蠈蟼, 渭喂伪 纬慰畏蟿蔚蠀蟿喂魏萎 蔚尉蔚蟻蔚蠉谓畏蟽畏 蟿畏蟼 蔚渭渭慰谓萎蟼 蟽蟿畏 位慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓委伪 魏伪喂 蟽蟿慰谓 苇蟻蠅蟿伪.
628 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
34.3k people are currently reading
608k people want to read
About the author
Carlos Ruiz Zaf贸n
53听books25.9k听followersCarlos Ruiz Zaf贸n was a Spanish novelist known for his 2001 novel La sombra del viento (The Shadow of the Wind). The novel sold 15 million copies and was winner of numerous awards; it was included in the list of the one hundred best books in Spanish in the last twenty-five years, made in 2007 by eighty-one Latin American and Spanish writers and critics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56,132 reviews
February 10, 2014
I read the opening few pages and instantly knew 3 things:
1. I was going to love this book.
2. I needed a whole pad of post-its to mark quotes.
3. I wanted to read this in Spanish for the rich poetry the language would add.
A young boy Daniel is taken by his father to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and told to salvage a book which he must take stewardship over. He choses a novel鈥攐r maybe it chose him鈥攖hat touches him, stirs his desire for literature, and forever entangles him with the fate of the book and its author. The strange author died in poverty but now someone is seeking out all remaining copies of his unsuccessful novels to burn. Daniel embarks on a mission to solve the mystery of the author's story being watched by a revengeful cop and the book burner himself. As the story twists and slowly unravels he doesn't know whose account to trust or how it will affect his life.
Wrapped up in the mystery is a message of death: do we live a full life or wander through it numb? The Shadow of the Wind is an allegory for death in a fictitious novel by the same title. Shadow is a perfect symbol for death evoking images of how death can be metaphorical instead of literal鈥攍iving shadows of lives, chasing shadows of dreams, being shadows of others, letting memories shadow life. Every character had shadows which could engulf them or they could overcome. In this sense death becomes a fate we chose ourselves. For death is not always the worst thing that can happen ("words are not always the worst prison"). Every time the word shadow was used I considered its illusion of death. It was with much thought that the word was scattered throughout the book.
Spoilers
Just as the fictitious novel was an echo of the book and Julian's life, I loved watching Daniel's life parallel Julian's. Both grew up poor without an ideal family life, fell in love with a rich girl who was the adoration of her father and whose brother was a best friend, evoked murderous anger from her father after impregnating her, and when they have a brush with death, extremes of hate and love anchored their fight to survive. As Julian's story unfolds, Daniel unwittingly finds himself in the exact same point of their duel destiny.
Once Daniel is aware of the correlation, the comparison stops. Is it because Daniel consciously chooses to chance his path or has fate dealt him a better hand? Julian wrote "There are no coincidences. We are the puppets of our subconscious desires." But while the message is clear that we chose our own fate, it seems there was no fate but failure for Julian. The sad thing is I believed Julian's love for Penelope as it grew in obsession more than Daniel's love for Beatriz which seemed a happy chance of lust.
Themes of devils and angels are prevalent as characters save and ruin each others' lives. Clara is a physical angel who is blind while Fumero an emotional devil blinded by hate. While women tended to be described as angel and men devil, most characters held both in different shades. Take Julian the angel child bringing life (love, novels) who turned into the devil Lain Coubert bringing death (destruction, fear). But the characters pick whether to accept the destiny allotted them. Fermin was living death in the shadows of the street who had to get over his demons to find life worth living. The shadows for Nuria, Julian, Fortuny, even Fumero didn't have to give them a reason to quit living. They chose shadows.
The book reminded me of The 13th Tale thematically, linguistically, and in delivery, although I loved this book so much more. The way the mystery unfolds finding tidbits from different perspectives enhanced the mystery and aided the depth of characterization. When I can see the vicious wife beater, deceived husband, and regretful father all in Antonio Fortuny I get a more well rounded sense of his motives. I enjoyed how the characters played different roles for each other.
I love Barcelona as the setting. If you've been to the artistically enchanting city, you know it's the perfect backdrop to this eloquently enchanting tale with a gothic feel. The Spanish have a way of making all things metaphorically beautiful. The vivid romantic passages had me smiling and at times laughing out loud. I highly enjoyed the writing and it wasn't until two-thirds of the way into the book that the story finally stole my complete attention. Julian was my initial guess and while the story kept me questioning, it was the best solution and I was happy with the conclusion.
But no novel is perfect; my issues are these:
1. The readymade quotes are extreme. Zafon salvages this by calling himself out on the commentary. He sets the comments up in dialogue and then uses another character to mock the snippets.
2. Perspective, particularly in Nuria's letter, is off. How could she know what Miquel looked at when dying? The chapters of her letters change from direct commentary to Daniel to third-party narrative. Elsewhere in the novel Daniel summarizes conversations in italics but I wondered from whence the interruption of her narrative with Fumero's story came.
3. I always hope historical fiction will showcase a more accurate moral setting, but it rarely happens. While I believed the sex about Zafon's characters, done in secret and with fathers chasing down the culprits, how could they find out they were pregnant the next day? I was also disappointed that all marriages were displayed as wrong and wives disregarded. Oh well. I guess it added to the Spanish flavor of the book.
4. American authors tend to impose unrealistic happy endings while Europeans favor poignant sad ones. At one point it seemed bad things happened to Julian for nothing else than this love of tragedies. It seemed Zafon was going to ruin the characters lives to make a point. But he makes his point with Julian and leaves Daniel to gives us a satisfied ending. A story about the living dead cannot be all bliss but we still find redemption as the characters step out of the shadows and live their lives.
Quotes:
Few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart.
I believed, with the innocence of those who can still count their age on their fingers, that if I closed my eyes and spoke to her, she would be able to hear me wherever I was.
A secret's worth depends on the people form whom it must be kept.
Women have an infallible instinct for knowing when a man has fallen madly in love with them, especially when the male in question is both a complete dunce and a minor.
Death was like a nameless and incomprehensible hand...like a hellish lottery ticket. But I couldn't absorb the idea that death could actually walk by my side, with a human face and a heart that was poisoned with hatred.
The eternal stupidity of pursuing those who hurt us the most.
Paris is the only city in the world where starving to death is still considered an art.
Arrogant as only idiots can be.
I felt myself surrounded by millions of abandoned pages, by worlds and souls without an owner sinking in an ocean of darkness, while the world that throbbed outside the library seemed to be losing its memory.
Presents are made for the pleasure of who gives them, not for the merits of who receives them.
Television...is the Antichrist...our world will not die as a result of the bomb...it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke of everything.
I realized how easily you can lose all animosity toward someone you've deemed your enemy as soon as that person stops behaving as such.
People talk too much. Humans aren't descended from monkeys. They come for parrots.
God, in His infinite wisdom, and perhaps overwhelmed by the avalanche of requests from so many tormented souls, did not answer.
Silencing their hearts and their souls to the point where...they forgot the words with which to express their real feelings.
People are evil. Not evil, moronic, which isn't quite the same thing. Evil presupposes a moral decision.
The words with which a child's heart is poisoned, through malice or through ignorance, remain branded in his memory, and sooner or later they burn his soul.
Marriage and family are only what we make of them.
Sometimes what matters isn't what one gives but what one gives up.
Destiny is usually just around the corner. But what destiny does not do home visits. You have to go for it.
Just an innocent boy who thought he had conquered the world in an hour but didn't yet realize that he could lose it again in an instant.
Keep your dreams. You never know when you might need them.
Fools talk, cowards are silent, wise men listen.
Waiting is the rust of the soul.
Sometimes we think people are like lottery tickets, that they're there to make our most absurd dreams come true.
While you're working you don't have to look life in the eye.
Most of us have the good or bad fortune of seeing our livs fall apart so slowly we barely notice.
Time goes faster the more hollow it is.
I learned to confuse routine with normality.
The world war, which had polluted the entire globe with a stench of corpses that would never go away.
The clear, unequivocal lucidity of madmen who have escaped the hypocrisy of having to abide by a reality that makes no sense.
A story is a letter the author writes to himself to tell himself things he would be unable to discover otherwise.
The art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.
[speaking of television:] The novel is dead and buried...there'll be no more need for books, or churches, or anything.
1. I was going to love this book.
2. I needed a whole pad of post-its to mark quotes.
3. I wanted to read this in Spanish for the rich poetry the language would add.
A young boy Daniel is taken by his father to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and told to salvage a book which he must take stewardship over. He choses a novel鈥攐r maybe it chose him鈥攖hat touches him, stirs his desire for literature, and forever entangles him with the fate of the book and its author. The strange author died in poverty but now someone is seeking out all remaining copies of his unsuccessful novels to burn. Daniel embarks on a mission to solve the mystery of the author's story being watched by a revengeful cop and the book burner himself. As the story twists and slowly unravels he doesn't know whose account to trust or how it will affect his life.
Wrapped up in the mystery is a message of death: do we live a full life or wander through it numb? The Shadow of the Wind is an allegory for death in a fictitious novel by the same title. Shadow is a perfect symbol for death evoking images of how death can be metaphorical instead of literal鈥攍iving shadows of lives, chasing shadows of dreams, being shadows of others, letting memories shadow life. Every character had shadows which could engulf them or they could overcome. In this sense death becomes a fate we chose ourselves. For death is not always the worst thing that can happen ("words are not always the worst prison"). Every time the word shadow was used I considered its illusion of death. It was with much thought that the word was scattered throughout the book.
Spoilers
Just as the fictitious novel was an echo of the book and Julian's life, I loved watching Daniel's life parallel Julian's. Both grew up poor without an ideal family life, fell in love with a rich girl who was the adoration of her father and whose brother was a best friend, evoked murderous anger from her father after impregnating her, and when they have a brush with death, extremes of hate and love anchored their fight to survive. As Julian's story unfolds, Daniel unwittingly finds himself in the exact same point of their duel destiny.
Once Daniel is aware of the correlation, the comparison stops. Is it because Daniel consciously chooses to chance his path or has fate dealt him a better hand? Julian wrote "There are no coincidences. We are the puppets of our subconscious desires." But while the message is clear that we chose our own fate, it seems there was no fate but failure for Julian. The sad thing is I believed Julian's love for Penelope as it grew in obsession more than Daniel's love for Beatriz which seemed a happy chance of lust.
Themes of devils and angels are prevalent as characters save and ruin each others' lives. Clara is a physical angel who is blind while Fumero an emotional devil blinded by hate. While women tended to be described as angel and men devil, most characters held both in different shades. Take Julian the angel child bringing life (love, novels) who turned into the devil Lain Coubert bringing death (destruction, fear). But the characters pick whether to accept the destiny allotted them. Fermin was living death in the shadows of the street who had to get over his demons to find life worth living. The shadows for Nuria, Julian, Fortuny, even Fumero didn't have to give them a reason to quit living. They chose shadows.
The book reminded me of The 13th Tale thematically, linguistically, and in delivery, although I loved this book so much more. The way the mystery unfolds finding tidbits from different perspectives enhanced the mystery and aided the depth of characterization. When I can see the vicious wife beater, deceived husband, and regretful father all in Antonio Fortuny I get a more well rounded sense of his motives. I enjoyed how the characters played different roles for each other.
I love Barcelona as the setting. If you've been to the artistically enchanting city, you know it's the perfect backdrop to this eloquently enchanting tale with a gothic feel. The Spanish have a way of making all things metaphorically beautiful. The vivid romantic passages had me smiling and at times laughing out loud. I highly enjoyed the writing and it wasn't until two-thirds of the way into the book that the story finally stole my complete attention. Julian was my initial guess and while the story kept me questioning, it was the best solution and I was happy with the conclusion.
But no novel is perfect; my issues are these:
1. The readymade quotes are extreme. Zafon salvages this by calling himself out on the commentary. He sets the comments up in dialogue and then uses another character to mock the snippets.
2. Perspective, particularly in Nuria's letter, is off. How could she know what Miquel looked at when dying? The chapters of her letters change from direct commentary to Daniel to third-party narrative. Elsewhere in the novel Daniel summarizes conversations in italics but I wondered from whence the interruption of her narrative with Fumero's story came.
3. I always hope historical fiction will showcase a more accurate moral setting, but it rarely happens. While I believed the sex about Zafon's characters, done in secret and with fathers chasing down the culprits, how could they find out they were pregnant the next day? I was also disappointed that all marriages were displayed as wrong and wives disregarded. Oh well. I guess it added to the Spanish flavor of the book.
4. American authors tend to impose unrealistic happy endings while Europeans favor poignant sad ones. At one point it seemed bad things happened to Julian for nothing else than this love of tragedies. It seemed Zafon was going to ruin the characters lives to make a point. But he makes his point with Julian and leaves Daniel to gives us a satisfied ending. A story about the living dead cannot be all bliss but we still find redemption as the characters step out of the shadows and live their lives.
Quotes:
Few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart.
I believed, with the innocence of those who can still count their age on their fingers, that if I closed my eyes and spoke to her, she would be able to hear me wherever I was.
A secret's worth depends on the people form whom it must be kept.
Women have an infallible instinct for knowing when a man has fallen madly in love with them, especially when the male in question is both a complete dunce and a minor.
Death was like a nameless and incomprehensible hand...like a hellish lottery ticket. But I couldn't absorb the idea that death could actually walk by my side, with a human face and a heart that was poisoned with hatred.
The eternal stupidity of pursuing those who hurt us the most.
Paris is the only city in the world where starving to death is still considered an art.
Arrogant as only idiots can be.
I felt myself surrounded by millions of abandoned pages, by worlds and souls without an owner sinking in an ocean of darkness, while the world that throbbed outside the library seemed to be losing its memory.
Presents are made for the pleasure of who gives them, not for the merits of who receives them.
Television...is the Antichrist...our world will not die as a result of the bomb...it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke of everything.
I realized how easily you can lose all animosity toward someone you've deemed your enemy as soon as that person stops behaving as such.
People talk too much. Humans aren't descended from monkeys. They come for parrots.
God, in His infinite wisdom, and perhaps overwhelmed by the avalanche of requests from so many tormented souls, did not answer.
Silencing their hearts and their souls to the point where...they forgot the words with which to express their real feelings.
People are evil. Not evil, moronic, which isn't quite the same thing. Evil presupposes a moral decision.
The words with which a child's heart is poisoned, through malice or through ignorance, remain branded in his memory, and sooner or later they burn his soul.
Marriage and family are only what we make of them.
Sometimes what matters isn't what one gives but what one gives up.
Destiny is usually just around the corner. But what destiny does not do home visits. You have to go for it.
Just an innocent boy who thought he had conquered the world in an hour but didn't yet realize that he could lose it again in an instant.
Keep your dreams. You never know when you might need them.
Fools talk, cowards are silent, wise men listen.
Waiting is the rust of the soul.
Sometimes we think people are like lottery tickets, that they're there to make our most absurd dreams come true.
While you're working you don't have to look life in the eye.
Most of us have the good or bad fortune of seeing our livs fall apart so slowly we barely notice.
Time goes faster the more hollow it is.
I learned to confuse routine with normality.
The world war, which had polluted the entire globe with a stench of corpses that would never go away.
The clear, unequivocal lucidity of madmen who have escaped the hypocrisy of having to abide by a reality that makes no sense.
A story is a letter the author writes to himself to tell himself things he would be unable to discover otherwise.
The art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.
[speaking of television:] The novel is dead and buried...there'll be no more need for books, or churches, or anything.
May 4, 2023
4.5/5 stars
An astonishingly engaging story within a story type of novel; the passion for books and reading introduced in the first chapter was just an appetizer before all the interconnecting twists and turns.
I鈥檝e been having a lot of good lucks lately in reading books outside of epic fantasy鈥攎y favorite sub-genre. The Shadow of the Wind is a novel that I鈥檝e heard so many positive things about for several years; it is one of those books that鈥檚 often recommended by readers, regardless of their main preferences sub-genre of reading. And now that I鈥檝e read it, I can understand why it received all the critical acclaims. Sheer brilliance in storytelling and writing aside, The Shadow of the Wind is a book about books, a story about a story, and it would be difficult for readers鈥攚ho obviously love books鈥攐f all kind of genre to resist the charm in the narrative. I鈥檓 going backward here because The Shadow of the Wind was published first, but if you鈥檝e read and loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, I think you鈥檙e going to love this novel as well. These two books have many similarities in themes and their approaches to the passion for books and its mystery + coming-of-age centered plotlines.
The Shadow of the Wind is the first book in The Cemetery of Forgotten Books quartet by Carlos Ruiz Zaf贸n. The story takes place in Barcelona, 1945, and here鈥檚 the short premise of the novel. On his eleventh birthday, Daniel Sempere wakes up and finds out that he cannot remember the face of his mother anymore. To cheer him up, Daniel鈥檚 father takes him to the secret of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library that holds the books forgotten by the world, just sitting there waiting for the right reader to choose a book that will hold a special meaning to them. Daniel selects a book titled The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax, and he falls in love with it immensely, then he seeks other books written by Julian only to find out that someone has been destroying every book written by the author. He may just be holding the last copy of the author鈥檚 work, and he鈥檚 trying to solve the mystery behind this bizarre incident.
As I mentioned, The Shadow of the Wind is a story within a story. It tells a coming-of-age story of Daniel Sempere as he tries to unravel the mystery behind Julian Carax and the disappearances of his novels. Despite this novel has been published for more than a decade鈥攁lmost two decades in its original language鈥攏ow, I somehow was able to approach this book knowing close to nothing; I plan to keep it that way for future readers who stumbles upon this review. Let me, however, say that I鈥檓 pleasantly surprised by how much I grew to care about the characters in this novel, especially for Daniel and Fermin鈥擣ermin is hands down my favorite character of the book. Daniel鈥檚 story and the secrets he unravels continuously gripped me, Fermin鈥檚 personality plus his dialogues are so intoxicating, and most of all the friendship these two nurtured is incredibly heartwarming.
I haven鈥檛 been to Barcelona, what I know of it, I see, learn, and heard from other people and other media. However, there鈥檚 a super atmospheric quality that鈥檚 so immersive to Zaf贸n鈥檚 writing; when I was reading the book, it feels like I was truly there. I鈥檓 in a similar situation with my friends, in that I haven鈥檛 read the book in its original language, and because of this, I can鈥檛 gauge the accuracy of the translations. But as far as reading the book in English goes, the translation done by Lucia Graves flows absolutely well. There were a few flashback sections where I found the book to be slightly uneven in its pacing, but for the majority of the novel, Zaf贸n鈥檚 prose and Graves鈥� translations were extraordinarily compelling and accessible. I鈥檓 serious; I lost count on how many passages I highlighted because they were so well-written and relatable to me.
Picture: The Shadow of the Wind by Vincent Chong
There鈥檚 simply no scarcity of insightful and wise remarks within this novel that brims with resonating themes of growing up, love, found family, friendship, and books. In equal measure, it鈥檚 also filled with revenge, loss, and tragedy. The Shadow of the Wind is an amazing piece of literature that begins and concluded its story in a richly satisfying way. Do note that although this is the first book of a quartet, the novel worked wonderfully well as a standalone; I鈥檓 actually surprised that there are three more books in the series. If any one of the sequels is as good as this one, then I know I鈥檓 in for more unforgettable stories to read.
You can order the book from:
You can find and the rest of my reviews at
Special thanks to my Patrons on for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Devin, Hamad, Joie, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas.
An astonishingly engaging story within a story type of novel; the passion for books and reading introduced in the first chapter was just an appetizer before all the interconnecting twists and turns.
I鈥檝e been having a lot of good lucks lately in reading books outside of epic fantasy鈥攎y favorite sub-genre. The Shadow of the Wind is a novel that I鈥檝e heard so many positive things about for several years; it is one of those books that鈥檚 often recommended by readers, regardless of their main preferences sub-genre of reading. And now that I鈥檝e read it, I can understand why it received all the critical acclaims. Sheer brilliance in storytelling and writing aside, The Shadow of the Wind is a book about books, a story about a story, and it would be difficult for readers鈥攚ho obviously love books鈥攐f all kind of genre to resist the charm in the narrative. I鈥檓 going backward here because The Shadow of the Wind was published first, but if you鈥檝e read and loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, I think you鈥檙e going to love this novel as well. These two books have many similarities in themes and their approaches to the passion for books and its mystery + coming-of-age centered plotlines.
鈥淚n the shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner. Every book you see here has been somebody鈥檚 best friend.鈥�
The Shadow of the Wind is the first book in The Cemetery of Forgotten Books quartet by Carlos Ruiz Zaf贸n. The story takes place in Barcelona, 1945, and here鈥檚 the short premise of the novel. On his eleventh birthday, Daniel Sempere wakes up and finds out that he cannot remember the face of his mother anymore. To cheer him up, Daniel鈥檚 father takes him to the secret of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library that holds the books forgotten by the world, just sitting there waiting for the right reader to choose a book that will hold a special meaning to them. Daniel selects a book titled The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax, and he falls in love with it immensely, then he seeks other books written by Julian only to find out that someone has been destroying every book written by the author. He may just be holding the last copy of the author鈥檚 work, and he鈥檚 trying to solve the mystery behind this bizarre incident.
鈥淓very 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. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.鈥�
As I mentioned, The Shadow of the Wind is a story within a story. It tells a coming-of-age story of Daniel Sempere as he tries to unravel the mystery behind Julian Carax and the disappearances of his novels. Despite this novel has been published for more than a decade鈥攁lmost two decades in its original language鈥攏ow, I somehow was able to approach this book knowing close to nothing; I plan to keep it that way for future readers who stumbles upon this review. Let me, however, say that I鈥檓 pleasantly surprised by how much I grew to care about the characters in this novel, especially for Daniel and Fermin鈥擣ermin is hands down my favorite character of the book. Daniel鈥檚 story and the secrets he unravels continuously gripped me, Fermin鈥檚 personality plus his dialogues are so intoxicating, and most of all the friendship these two nurtured is incredibly heartwarming.
鈥淥ne of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. By the time the mind is able to comprehend what has happened, the wounds of the heart are already too deep.鈥�
I haven鈥檛 been to Barcelona, what I know of it, I see, learn, and heard from other people and other media. However, there鈥檚 a super atmospheric quality that鈥檚 so immersive to Zaf贸n鈥檚 writing; when I was reading the book, it feels like I was truly there. I鈥檓 in a similar situation with my friends, in that I haven鈥檛 read the book in its original language, and because of this, I can鈥檛 gauge the accuracy of the translations. But as far as reading the book in English goes, the translation done by Lucia Graves flows absolutely well. There were a few flashback sections where I found the book to be slightly uneven in its pacing, but for the majority of the novel, Zaf贸n鈥檚 prose and Graves鈥� translations were extraordinarily compelling and accessible. I鈥檓 serious; I lost count on how many passages I highlighted because they were so well-written and relatable to me.
鈥淏ea says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.鈥�
Picture: The Shadow of the Wind by Vincent Chong
There鈥檚 simply no scarcity of insightful and wise remarks within this novel that brims with resonating themes of growing up, love, found family, friendship, and books. In equal measure, it鈥檚 also filled with revenge, loss, and tragedy. The Shadow of the Wind is an amazing piece of literature that begins and concluded its story in a richly satisfying way. Do note that although this is the first book of a quartet, the novel worked wonderfully well as a standalone; I鈥檓 actually surprised that there are three more books in the series. If any one of the sequels is as good as this one, then I know I鈥檓 in for more unforgettable stories to read.
鈥淚 was raised among books, making invisible friends in pages that seemed cast from dust and whose smell I carry on my hands to this day.鈥�
You can order the book from:
You can find and the rest of my reviews at
Special thanks to my Patrons on for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Devin, Hamad, Joie, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas.
March 27, 2011
There's probably nothing much I "learned" in the introspective sense, but this is a novel like a novel ought to be. This is an epic film on paper, gloomy and engaging, smokey, noir with crumbling ruins, young love, disfigurment, lust, torture...the stuff of Dumas, DuMauier and, as of late, The Historian. I woke up at five a.m. and had to sweet talk myself back to sleep: all I wanted to do was read. One Friday, after work, I took sanctuary in The Hotel Biron, those little tables in the dark, pages flickering with candles and drank a glass of wine in solitude, completely enthralled in the world of 1940's Barcelona.
I walked home from the train at night and found myself saying the characters names beneath my umbrella, hoping no one would hear me , but they were, quite simply, too beautiful to ignore: Julian Carax, Daniel Semepere, Beatriz...Tomas, Penelope Aldaya and Nuria Monfort.
In a movie this would be too many people, but for this novel they were perfectly seamed, each point of view more entralling and taxing than the one before.
Most refreshing, clearly the author wasn't poisoned with the desire to simply keep the reader in the dark: instead this story, with attention, was something you could figure out--because that's the way life is. The mystery itself isn't supposed to shock you intensely into thinking a book is good, that's a dirty trick. Instead, the STORY carried you. You cared about the story and it was a tragity and mystery all the same, simply because you were invested in these people and what became of them. To know them so intimately from childhood to adulthood and old age, to know them through various degrees of point of view seperation--to hear there is no Penelope, and then to know she is a sister, a love, but to some non-existant...well, it's gothic literature at it's very best.
With a book like this I am almost, ALMOST tempted to give up my most pedantic and pretentious thoughts, paralells and character development--this story is a story and it's just that good. It is the Phantom of the Opera, those dark tunnels and pressure points, a lake with candles or drawing rooms with no fire in the grate and crazy wives being stored in attics over head. This is, quite literally a timeless tale, and yes, reading it will make you smarter, more interested, more cultured (the back of the book includes a walking tour of Barcelona. I missed Barcelona but I am quite determined to go now, with my copy of A Shadow of the Wind in hand, just like wanting desperately to visit Eastern Europe after I finished The Historian and see it all), but more importantly real life simply fades to black as you become completely, totally and fantastically helpless and wrapped up in the lives of others.
While there are fun hybrids--Crash Topics in Calamity Physics, for one, which combine a courses, authors, quotes and plot lines from a thousand famous novels, this book really makes that unnecessary. This is a classic without any help, no cheat cheats necessary. Read it. Read it. Read it.
**I write on books and other stuff at
I walked home from the train at night and found myself saying the characters names beneath my umbrella, hoping no one would hear me , but they were, quite simply, too beautiful to ignore: Julian Carax, Daniel Semepere, Beatriz...Tomas, Penelope Aldaya and Nuria Monfort.
In a movie this would be too many people, but for this novel they were perfectly seamed, each point of view more entralling and taxing than the one before.
Most refreshing, clearly the author wasn't poisoned with the desire to simply keep the reader in the dark: instead this story, with attention, was something you could figure out--because that's the way life is. The mystery itself isn't supposed to shock you intensely into thinking a book is good, that's a dirty trick. Instead, the STORY carried you. You cared about the story and it was a tragity and mystery all the same, simply because you were invested in these people and what became of them. To know them so intimately from childhood to adulthood and old age, to know them through various degrees of point of view seperation--to hear there is no Penelope, and then to know she is a sister, a love, but to some non-existant...well, it's gothic literature at it's very best.
With a book like this I am almost, ALMOST tempted to give up my most pedantic and pretentious thoughts, paralells and character development--this story is a story and it's just that good. It is the Phantom of the Opera, those dark tunnels and pressure points, a lake with candles or drawing rooms with no fire in the grate and crazy wives being stored in attics over head. This is, quite literally a timeless tale, and yes, reading it will make you smarter, more interested, more cultured (the back of the book includes a walking tour of Barcelona. I missed Barcelona but I am quite determined to go now, with my copy of A Shadow of the Wind in hand, just like wanting desperately to visit Eastern Europe after I finished The Historian and see it all), but more importantly real life simply fades to black as you become completely, totally and fantastically helpless and wrapped up in the lives of others.
While there are fun hybrids--Crash Topics in Calamity Physics, for one, which combine a courses, authors, quotes and plot lines from a thousand famous novels, this book really makes that unnecessary. This is a classic without any help, no cheat cheats necessary. Read it. Read it. Read it.
**I write on books and other stuff at
December 31, 2022
:賳毓賲..孬賲丞 爻噩賵賳 兀爻賵兀 賲賳 丕賱賰賱賲丕鬲
爻噩賵賳 丕賱匕賰乇賷丕鬲..氐賯賷毓 丕賱賮卮賱
毓賳丿賲丕 鬲賯賮夭 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 丕賱禺賷丕賱賷丞 禺丕乇噩 氐賮丨丕鬲 丕賱賰鬲亘..賱鬲氐丨丨 賲賮丕賴賷賲賰 賵 鬲賳睾氐 丨賷丕鬲賰 賵 鬲賮鬲丨 毓賷賳賷賰 賯爻乇丕
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噩匕亘鬲賳賷貨賲賳匕 丕賳 賯乇兀鬲 丕賱乇賷賮賷賵 丕賱丕賳噩賱賷夭賷 賱賲丨賲丿 毓乇亘賷 毓賳賴丕.. 賵 乇丕賷鬲 匕賱賰 丕賱乇爻賲 丕賱賯丕鬲賲 丕賱睾丕賲囟 賱兀亘 賵 丕亘賳賴: 賷賳胤賱賯丕賳 賮賷 馗賱 乇賷丨 毓丕鬲賷丞 丕賱賶..賲賯亘乇丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲賳爻賷丞.. 賷丕 賱賴 賲賳 丕爻賲 睾丕賲囟 賲賵丨賷!!..賵 賲賯亘囟 丕賷囟丕 賱賰賱 賲丨亘賷 丕賱賰鬲亘 ..賵 賲毓 乇賵丕賷丞 賲賱毓賵賳丞 賵 賯賱賲 兀孬乇賷..鬲亘丿兀 乇丨賱鬲賳丕
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鬲爻丕亍賱鬲 賰孬賷乇丕 賱賲丕匕丕 丨賯賯鬲 "馗賱 丕賱乇賷丨"賰賱 賴匕賴 丕賱卮毓亘賷丞 賲賳匕 鬲乇噩賲鬲賴丕責責
丕賱廿噩丕亘丞 亘亘爻丕胤丞 賱丕賳賴丕 乇賵丕賷丞 鬲鬲賰賱賲 亘賲賮乇丿丕鬲 毓丕賱賲賳丕 賳丨賳 :賲丿賲賳賷 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞
丕亘胤丕賱賴丕 :氐丕丨亘 賲賰鬲亘丞 賵 丕亘賳賴..賰丕鬲亘 賵 賲賱賴賲鬲賴.. 爻賰乇鬲賷乇丞 亘丿丕乇 賳卮乇 賵 賲鬲乇噩賲 賵 氐丨賮賷..兀氐丨丕亘 丿賵乇 賳卮乇 賵
賲賯鬲賳賷 賵 鬲丕噩乇 賱賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賳丕丿乇丞..賲賳賯亘 毓賳 丕賱賰鬲亘. .賵 丨丕乇爻 賱賲賯亘乇丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲賳爻賷丞(兀丨爻爻鬲 丕賳賴丕 賲孬賱 賴賵噩賵丕乇鬲爻..賱丕 賷乇丕賴丕 丕賱丕 賲賳 賷爻鬲丨賯 )丕
廿賳賴賲 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓 丕賱氐丕賳毓 賱爻毓丕丿鬲賳丕..亘亘爻丕胤丞 鉁�
賵 賲賳 丕賱孬賱丕孬賷賳丕鬲 賵 丨鬲賶 丕賱禺賲爻賷賳丕鬲 賳睾乇賯 賮賷 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 丨賷丕鬲賴賲 丕賱氐毓亘丞 亘亘乇卮賱賵賳丞 賮賷 廿胤丕乇 兀爻賵兀 丨乇亘 兀賴賱賷丞 賵 賳鬲爻丕亍賱
賱賲丕匕丕 鬲噩亘乇賳丕 丕賱丨賷丕丞 毓賱賶 丕鬲禺丕匕 賯乇丕乇丕鬲 賲氐賷乇賷丞 賰亘乇賷 賮賷 爻賳 18 責!責
賱賲丕匕丕 賳禺鬲丕乇 賲賴賳鬲賳丕 賵 丕夭賵丕噩賳丕 賵 卮賰賱 丨賷丕鬲賳丕 賮賷 爻賳 丕賱丕賳賮噩丕乇丕鬲 丕賱賴乇賲賵賳賷丞 丕賱賰亘乇賶責責
賱賲丕匕丕 賳丨丕爻亘 胤賵丕賱 丕賱毓賲乇 毓賱賶 兀禺胤丕亍 丕賱丕禺乇賷賳責
賵 鬲賰賵賳 丕賱賳鬲賷噩丞 丕賱丨鬲賲賷丞 :噩賲賱丞 丕賱賲丐賱賮 丕賱睾丕賲囟 禺賵賱賷丕賳 賰丕乇丕賰丕爻 丕賱禺丕賱丿丞"賱丕 丕爻鬲丨賯 丕賷 卮賷亍 賵 賰賮賶"丕
兀爻卅賱丞 爻鬲噩丿丿賴丕 賮賷 毓賯賱賰 鬲賱賰 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丕賱卮亘賷賴丞 亘丕賱賵乇丿丞 丕賱噩賵乇賷賷丞 丕賱賮丕禺乇丞馃尮..亘胤亘賯丕鬲 賲禺賲賱賷丞 賲鬲丿丕禺賱丞 賲賳 丕賱兀賵乇丕賯
丕賱乇賵賲丕賳爻賷丞 丕丨鬲賱鬲 賲賳 丕丨丿丕孬賴丕 賲孬賱賲丕 鬲丨鬲賱 賲賳 丕賱丨賷丕丞..爻丕毓丕鬲 賯賱賷賱丞 賷賳鬲噩 毓賳賴丕 丌賱丕賲 胤賵賷賱丞鈾ヘ�
賴賷 毓丿丞 乇賵丕賷丕鬲 賲鬲丿丕禺賱丞. .賳丕賯卮鬲 兀賵噩丕毓 丕賱賳囟噩..丌賱丕賲 丕賱賴乇賵亘..氐賯賷毓 丕賱賵丨丿丞 ..丕賴丕賳丞 丕賱囟乇亘 賵 丕賱噩賵毓 賵 爻噩賳 丕賱匕賰乇賷丕鬲
鬲賵丨丿鬲 賲毓 丿丕賳賷賷賱.賵 賮卮賱鬲 賲毓 禺賵賱賷丕賳. .賵 賱賰賳 賲賷噩賷賱 賴賵 賲賳 丕禺鬲胤賮 賯賱亘賷..賵 乇兀賷鬲 賳賮爻賷 賮賷 丕賱兀亘 爻賷賲亘乇賷..賵 亘丕爻鬲孬賳丕亍 賳賵乇賷丕 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 丕賱賳爻丕卅賷丞 孬丕賳賵賷丞
丕賱賳噩賲丞 丕賱賳丕賯氐丞 賱鬲噩丕賵夭丕鬲 廿賱丨丕丿賷丞 丕賱胤丕亘毓 賱賳 兀爻鬲胤賷毓 鬲噩丕賴賱賴丕..賵 丕賳 賰賳鬲 丕毓鬲丿鬲 毓賱賷賴丕 亘賰賱 丕爻賮 賮賷 賰鬲丕亘丕鬲 丕賱兀賵乇賵亘賷賷賳"賮賱賷賴丿賷賴賲 丕賱賱賴 鬲毓丕賱賶 亘賯丿乇鬲賴
"鬲乇噩賲丞 乇丕卅毓丞 賱賲毓丕賵賷丞 毓亘丿 丕賱賲噩賷丿 丕賱匕賷 亘賯賷賳丕 賲毓賴 賱兀乇亘毓 爻賳賵丕鬲 賵 鬲乇賰賳丕 丿丕賳賷賷賱 賵 丕爻乇鬲賴 賮賷 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賳賷 : 賱毓亘丞 丕賱賲賱丕賰
賵 丕賳胤賱賯賳丕 禺賱賮 賰丕鬲亘 丕禺乇 賴賵 丿賷賮賷丿 賲丕乇鬲賷賳
賵 賰丕賳
賲賵毓丿賷 賲毓 丿丕賳賷賷賱 賮賷 賮賷 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賱孬
The prisoner of heaven
賵 丕禺賷乇丕賸 丿禺賱鬲 丕賱賲鬲丕賴丞 賵 禺乇噩鬲 賲賳賴丕: 亘乇亘丕毓賷丞 賱丕 鬲賳爻賶
乇賷賮賷賵 賱毓亘丞 丕賱賲賱丕賰
/review/show...
乇賷賮賷賵: 爻噩賷賳 丕賱爻賲丕亍
/review/show...
乇賷賮賷賵 賲鬲丕賴丞 丕賱兀乇賵丕丨
/review/show...
爻噩賵賳 丕賱匕賰乇賷丕鬲..氐賯賷毓 丕賱賮卮賱
毓賳丿賲丕 鬲賯賮夭 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 丕賱禺賷丕賱賷丞 禺丕乇噩 氐賮丨丕鬲 丕賱賰鬲亘..賱鬲氐丨丨 賲賮丕賴賷賲賰 賵 鬲賳睾氐 丨賷丕鬲賰 賵 鬲賮鬲丨 毓賷賳賷賰 賯爻乇丕
丕"丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞 賱賷爻鬲 爻賵賷 賲乇丌丞 賳乇賶 賮賷賴丕 賲丕 賳賲鬲賱賰賴 賮賷 丿賵丕禺賱賳丕..賵 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 鬲丨鬲賲 毓賱賷賳丕 廿毓賲丕賱 丕賱賯賱亘 賵 丕賱毓賯賱 賲毓丕
賵賴賲丕 毓賲賱鬲丕賳 賳丕丿乇鬲丕賳 丕賱丌賳!丕
噩匕亘鬲賳賷貨賲賳匕 丕賳 賯乇兀鬲 丕賱乇賷賮賷賵 丕賱丕賳噩賱賷夭賷 賱賲丨賲丿 毓乇亘賷 毓賳賴丕.. 賵 乇丕賷鬲 匕賱賰 丕賱乇爻賲 丕賱賯丕鬲賲 丕賱睾丕賲囟 賱兀亘 賵 丕亘賳賴: 賷賳胤賱賯丕賳 賮賷 馗賱 乇賷丨 毓丕鬲賷丞 丕賱賶..賲賯亘乇丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲賳爻賷丞.. 賷丕 賱賴 賲賳 丕爻賲 睾丕賲囟 賲賵丨賷!!..賵 賲賯亘囟 丕賷囟丕 賱賰賱 賲丨亘賷 丕賱賰鬲亘 ..賵 賲毓 乇賵丕賷丞 賲賱毓賵賳丞 賵 賯賱賲 兀孬乇賷..鬲亘丿兀 乇丨賱鬲賳丕
鉁�
丕"丕賱爻乇丿 賴賵 乇爻丕賱丞 賷賰鬲亘賴丕 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賱賷毓乇賷 乇賵丨賴"賵賱賯丿
鬲爻丕亍賱鬲 賰孬賷乇丕 賱賲丕匕丕 丨賯賯鬲 "馗賱 丕賱乇賷丨"賰賱 賴匕賴 丕賱卮毓亘賷丞 賲賳匕 鬲乇噩賲鬲賴丕責責
丕賱廿噩丕亘丞 亘亘爻丕胤丞 賱丕賳賴丕 乇賵丕賷丞 鬲鬲賰賱賲 亘賲賮乇丿丕鬲 毓丕賱賲賳丕 賳丨賳 :賲丿賲賳賷 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞
丕亘胤丕賱賴丕 :氐丕丨亘 賲賰鬲亘丞 賵 丕亘賳賴..賰丕鬲亘 賵 賲賱賴賲鬲賴.. 爻賰乇鬲賷乇丞 亘丿丕乇 賳卮乇 賵 賲鬲乇噩賲 賵 氐丨賮賷..兀氐丨丕亘 丿賵乇 賳卮乇 賵
賲賯鬲賳賷 賵 鬲丕噩乇 賱賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賳丕丿乇丞..賲賳賯亘 毓賳 丕賱賰鬲亘. .賵 丨丕乇爻 賱賲賯亘乇丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲賳爻賷丞(兀丨爻爻鬲 丕賳賴丕 賲孬賱 賴賵噩賵丕乇鬲爻..賱丕 賷乇丕賴丕 丕賱丕 賲賳 賷爻鬲丨賯 )丕
廿賳賴賲 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓 丕賱氐丕賳毓 賱爻毓丕丿鬲賳丕..亘亘爻丕胤丞 鉁�
賵 賲賳 丕賱孬賱丕孬賷賳丕鬲 賵 丨鬲賶 丕賱禺賲爻賷賳丕鬲 賳睾乇賯 賮賷 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 丨賷丕鬲賴賲 丕賱氐毓亘丞 亘亘乇卮賱賵賳丞 賮賷 廿胤丕乇 兀爻賵兀 丨乇亘 兀賴賱賷丞 賵 賳鬲爻丕亍賱
賱賲丕匕丕 鬲噩亘乇賳丕 丕賱丨賷丕丞 毓賱賶 丕鬲禺丕匕 賯乇丕乇丕鬲 賲氐賷乇賷丞 賰亘乇賷 賮賷 爻賳 18 責!責
賱賲丕匕丕 賳禺鬲丕乇 賲賴賳鬲賳丕 賵 丕夭賵丕噩賳丕 賵 卮賰賱 丨賷丕鬲賳丕 賮賷 爻賳 丕賱丕賳賮噩丕乇丕鬲 丕賱賴乇賲賵賳賷丞 丕賱賰亘乇賶責責
賱賲丕匕丕 賳丨丕爻亘 胤賵丕賱 丕賱毓賲乇 毓賱賶 兀禺胤丕亍 丕賱丕禺乇賷賳責
賵 鬲賰賵賳 丕賱賳鬲賷噩丞 丕賱丨鬲賲賷丞 :噩賲賱丞 丕賱賲丐賱賮 丕賱睾丕賲囟 禺賵賱賷丕賳 賰丕乇丕賰丕爻 丕賱禺丕賱丿丞"賱丕 丕爻鬲丨賯 丕賷 卮賷亍 賵 賰賮賶"丕
兀爻卅賱丞 爻鬲噩丿丿賴丕 賮賷 毓賯賱賰 鬲賱賰 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丕賱卮亘賷賴丞 亘丕賱賵乇丿丞 丕賱噩賵乇賷賷丞 丕賱賮丕禺乇丞馃尮..亘胤亘賯丕鬲 賲禺賲賱賷丞 賲鬲丿丕禺賱丞 賲賳 丕賱兀賵乇丕賯
丕賱乇賵賲丕賳爻賷丞 丕丨鬲賱鬲 賲賳 丕丨丿丕孬賴丕 賲孬賱賲丕 鬲丨鬲賱 賲賳 丕賱丨賷丕丞..爻丕毓丕鬲 賯賱賷賱丞 賷賳鬲噩 毓賳賴丕 丌賱丕賲 胤賵賷賱丞鈾ヘ�
賴賷 毓丿丞 乇賵丕賷丕鬲 賲鬲丿丕禺賱丞. .賳丕賯卮鬲 兀賵噩丕毓 丕賱賳囟噩..丌賱丕賲 丕賱賴乇賵亘..氐賯賷毓 丕賱賵丨丿丞 ..丕賴丕賳丞 丕賱囟乇亘 賵 丕賱噩賵毓 賵 爻噩賳 丕賱匕賰乇賷丕鬲
鬲賵丨丿鬲 賲毓 丿丕賳賷賷賱.賵 賮卮賱鬲 賲毓 禺賵賱賷丕賳. .賵 賱賰賳 賲賷噩賷賱 賴賵 賲賳 丕禺鬲胤賮 賯賱亘賷..賵 乇兀賷鬲 賳賮爻賷 賮賷 丕賱兀亘 爻賷賲亘乇賷..賵 亘丕爻鬲孬賳丕亍 賳賵乇賷丕 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 丕賱賳爻丕卅賷丞 孬丕賳賵賷丞
丕賱賳噩賲丞 丕賱賳丕賯氐丞 賱鬲噩丕賵夭丕鬲 廿賱丨丕丿賷丞 丕賱胤丕亘毓 賱賳 兀爻鬲胤賷毓 鬲噩丕賴賱賴丕..賵 丕賳 賰賳鬲 丕毓鬲丿鬲 毓賱賷賴丕 亘賰賱 丕爻賮 賮賷 賰鬲丕亘丕鬲 丕賱兀賵乇賵亘賷賷賳"賮賱賷賴丿賷賴賲 丕賱賱賴 鬲毓丕賱賶 亘賯丿乇鬲賴
"鬲乇噩賲丞 乇丕卅毓丞 賱賲毓丕賵賷丞 毓亘丿 丕賱賲噩賷丿 丕賱匕賷 亘賯賷賳丕 賲毓賴 賱兀乇亘毓 爻賳賵丕鬲 賵 鬲乇賰賳丕 丿丕賳賷賷賱 賵 丕爻乇鬲賴 賮賷 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賳賷 : 賱毓亘丞 丕賱賲賱丕賰
賵 丕賳胤賱賯賳丕 禺賱賮 賰丕鬲亘 丕禺乇 賴賵 丿賷賮賷丿 賲丕乇鬲賷賳
賵 賰丕賳
賲賵毓丿賷 賲毓 丿丕賳賷賷賱 賮賷 賮賷 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱孬丕賱孬
The prisoner of heaven
賵 丕禺賷乇丕賸 丿禺賱鬲 丕賱賲鬲丕賴丞 賵 禺乇噩鬲 賲賳賴丕: 亘乇亘丕毓賷丞 賱丕 鬲賳爻賶
乇賷賮賷賵 賱毓亘丞 丕賱賲賱丕賰
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乇賷賮賷賵: 爻噩賷賳 丕賱爻賲丕亍
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乇賷賮賷賵 賲鬲丕賴丞 丕賱兀乇賵丕丨
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January 5, 2009
After reading The Shadow of the Wind, I was left with somewhat mixed feelings. On the one hand, this is such a beautifully written book, and is in essence an ode to literature. On the other hand, there are some serious flaws which distracts from the whole experience.
The best thing about the book, in my opinion, is Zafon's skill in artistic writing. It reminds me of why I love to read in the first place, and makes me wish I could write as beautiful as this. The book contains lots of memorable quotes as well, definitely a good thing as far as I'm concerned.
So after about 50 pages in, I was ready to love this book as I seldom loved another book before. But as the story progressed, that resolution started to diminish slowly but surely. Ironically, one the more obvious flaws is Zafon's overuse of stylistic writing. It seems like everyone acts or talks in a very elaborate manner, even in the simplest of situations, and this can really become tiresome after a while.
The plot also isn't as ingenious as the hype would make you believe. Zafon does a good job creating a sense of mystery early on, and there are obvious parallels between the main character Daniel Sempere, and Julian Carax, the writer whose past he is trying to uncover. But ultimately, the stories of Daniel and Julian are seperate ones, and they just happen to interconnect with one another more by chance than by design.
By far the most troublesome flaw is the way the mysteries are "resolved". All too often, answers are given by having some side character or another tell his or her story for pages. Nowhere is this more evident than at the end of the book, where literally every single detail is revealed in the form of a (very) long letter, even details which the writer of the letter never could have known, since she wasn't even involved in those events. It's as if Zafon did not have a clue or the motivation to write a logical conclusion, and decided to just dump all the information in one place.
With a bit more attention to actual plot and character development, this could have been one of my favourite books. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed reading the Shadow of the Wind. It's just a shame that it falls some way short of its potential.
The best thing about the book, in my opinion, is Zafon's skill in artistic writing. It reminds me of why I love to read in the first place, and makes me wish I could write as beautiful as this. The book contains lots of memorable quotes as well, definitely a good thing as far as I'm concerned.
So after about 50 pages in, I was ready to love this book as I seldom loved another book before. But as the story progressed, that resolution started to diminish slowly but surely. Ironically, one the more obvious flaws is Zafon's overuse of stylistic writing. It seems like everyone acts or talks in a very elaborate manner, even in the simplest of situations, and this can really become tiresome after a while.
The plot also isn't as ingenious as the hype would make you believe. Zafon does a good job creating a sense of mystery early on, and there are obvious parallels between the main character Daniel Sempere, and Julian Carax, the writer whose past he is trying to uncover. But ultimately, the stories of Daniel and Julian are seperate ones, and they just happen to interconnect with one another more by chance than by design.
By far the most troublesome flaw is the way the mysteries are "resolved". All too often, answers are given by having some side character or another tell his or her story for pages. Nowhere is this more evident than at the end of the book, where literally every single detail is revealed in the form of a (very) long letter, even details which the writer of the letter never could have known, since she wasn't even involved in those events. It's as if Zafon did not have a clue or the motivation to write a logical conclusion, and decided to just dump all the information in one place.
With a bit more attention to actual plot and character development, this could have been one of my favourite books. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed reading the Shadow of the Wind. It's just a shame that it falls some way short of its potential.
November 24, 2009
I can't believe someone actually published this book. Even worse, in my opinion is the fact that this book is on the New York Times Bestseller List. How is this possible? It must only mean that there are a lot of people out there that think very differently from me. Don't you be one of them. Seriously. Don't be fooled by this book. It is insipid, lame, and poorly written.
First. The prose is so overblown that the author uses three adjectives for every single noun. Count them. He evidently was told that to be a writer you have to make everything as descriptive as possible, and then he decided that meant that each noun had to be modified three, always three, and only three times. Argh.
Second. The author must have looked up every word he could in a thesaurus and chosen the one that was most obscure or had the most syllables. Who is he trying to impress? Maybe it was the translator's fault? Maybe not. Either way, this style is used even when describing what the ten year old character sees and says. Which brings me to my next point.
Third. Every character in this book speaks with exactly the same voice. All you hear is the authors voice, not any different characterizations. And that voice demonstrates the problems I described in my first and second points. But that's not all. There is an even worse, and definitely fatal, problem with this book.
Fourth. This story was written as a mystery. Nine years lurch by as the character slowly tries to unravel the details of the main conflict. I actually don't have a problem with this in theory. Unfortunately, after three quarters of the book, and numerous new characters, the mystery is no clearer. So what does the author do about it? He has one of the characters write a 30 page (or so) letter to the main character telling him what really happened. Ta-da. The mystery is solved. The author is such a terrible writer that he can't even solve his own mystery. He has to use a cheap cop-out to clear everything up.
I can't respect that. Sorry. I can't believe so many other people have.
Boycott the book. Really.
First. The prose is so overblown that the author uses three adjectives for every single noun. Count them. He evidently was told that to be a writer you have to make everything as descriptive as possible, and then he decided that meant that each noun had to be modified three, always three, and only three times. Argh.
Second. The author must have looked up every word he could in a thesaurus and chosen the one that was most obscure or had the most syllables. Who is he trying to impress? Maybe it was the translator's fault? Maybe not. Either way, this style is used even when describing what the ten year old character sees and says. Which brings me to my next point.
Third. Every character in this book speaks with exactly the same voice. All you hear is the authors voice, not any different characterizations. And that voice demonstrates the problems I described in my first and second points. But that's not all. There is an even worse, and definitely fatal, problem with this book.
Fourth. This story was written as a mystery. Nine years lurch by as the character slowly tries to unravel the details of the main conflict. I actually don't have a problem with this in theory. Unfortunately, after three quarters of the book, and numerous new characters, the mystery is no clearer. So what does the author do about it? He has one of the characters write a 30 page (or so) letter to the main character telling him what really happened. Ta-da. The mystery is solved. The author is such a terrible writer that he can't even solve his own mystery. He has to use a cheap cop-out to clear everything up.
I can't respect that. Sorry. I can't believe so many other people have.
Boycott the book. Really.
March 26, 2015
The fact is that I鈥檒l never be able to write a real review for this book. Here is why :
1. I鈥檓 not good enough.
I鈥檓 not now and I鈥檒l never be. It doesn鈥檛 matter how many books you have read or how smart you are, you鈥檒l never be good enough for that. You won鈥檛 be able to find exact words and it鈥檚 not just you. Only person who can is the author himself, but I think he already said everything he wanted.
Don鈥檛 believe me?
- 鈥淏ooks are mirrors - you only see in them what you already have inside you.鈥�
- 鈥淭he moment you stop to think about whether you love someone, you've already stopped loving that person forever.鈥�
- 鈥淎 story is a letter that the author writes to himself, to tell himself things that he would be unable to discover otherwise.鈥�
- 鈥淭here are few reasons for telling the truth, but for lying the number is infinite.鈥�
- 鈥淚n the shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner. Every book you see here has been somebody鈥檚 best friend.鈥�
Do you now?
2. It鈥檚 impossible.
I鈥檒l try to describe it. It鈥檚 not the same feeling but the result is. You know that moment, or better said that feeling, when you see someone who means a lot to you and you have that beautiful feeling inside of you. Now try to describe it. You can鈥檛? I know.
3. And last but not least....
Please allow me to quote the author:
鈥淥nce, in my father's bookshop, I heard a regular customer say that few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart. Those first images, the echo of words we think we have left behind, accompany us throughout our lives and sculpt a palace in our memory to which, sooner or later 鈥� no matter how many books we read, how many worlds we discover, or how much we learn or forget 鈥� we will return.鈥�
And this is mine.
1. I鈥檓 not good enough.
I鈥檓 not now and I鈥檒l never be. It doesn鈥檛 matter how many books you have read or how smart you are, you鈥檒l never be good enough for that. You won鈥檛 be able to find exact words and it鈥檚 not just you. Only person who can is the author himself, but I think he already said everything he wanted.
Don鈥檛 believe me?
- 鈥淏ooks are mirrors - you only see in them what you already have inside you.鈥�
- 鈥淭he moment you stop to think about whether you love someone, you've already stopped loving that person forever.鈥�
- 鈥淎 story is a letter that the author writes to himself, to tell himself things that he would be unable to discover otherwise.鈥�
- 鈥淭here are few reasons for telling the truth, but for lying the number is infinite.鈥�
- 鈥淚n the shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner. Every book you see here has been somebody鈥檚 best friend.鈥�
Do you now?
2. It鈥檚 impossible.
I鈥檒l try to describe it. It鈥檚 not the same feeling but the result is. You know that moment, or better said that feeling, when you see someone who means a lot to you and you have that beautiful feeling inside of you. Now try to describe it. You can鈥檛? I know.
3. And last but not least....
Please allow me to quote the author:
鈥淥nce, in my father's bookshop, I heard a regular customer say that few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart. Those first images, the echo of words we think we have left behind, accompany us throughout our lives and sculpt a palace in our memory to which, sooner or later 鈥� no matter how many books we read, how many worlds we discover, or how much we learn or forget 鈥� we will return.鈥�
And this is mine.
December 23, 2023
Wow. I don鈥檛 know who I was before this book blew into my life like a storm wind, but I don鈥檛 miss that person.
June 10, 2022
Why did I leave this book unread on my shelves for 6 years?!
Read it!
Read it!
November 22, 2022
Termin茅 el libro pero no les voy a decir cu谩ntas estrellas le puse todav铆a jejejeje.
November 13, 2024
This is a book about books, a story about stories. It starts and ends in a library of sorts, themes and plots are echoed across decades, tied together by actors who find their roles changing, and by a pen that links two cycles of the story and has its own tale that started before and goes on beyond.
"the art of reading is slowly dying, it's an intimate ritual, a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.鈥�
Zaf贸n is a master of prose, he is eminently quotable even in translation. The story is set in Barcelona and stretches from the turn of the 19th century to the sixties, though focusing most heavily in post civil war Spain recovering in the 40s and 50s. It's a bitter sweet story, as much about the slow acceptance of loss as about fighting against it or finding happiness.
"Most of us have the good or bad fortune of seeing our lives fall apart so slowly we barely notice it."
The setting is vividly brought to life. Many of the characters live in poverty or close to it, and the ventures into Paris bring to mind Orwell's descriptions. Barcelona is the star of the piece though.
"one of the many places in Barcelona where the nineteenth century had not yet been served its eviction notice"
Shadow of the Wind is a love story, or two love stories, or several love stories to be honest. We focus on Daniel, a young man growing up, and becoming obsessed with the story of another man, a writer whose young life (decades earlier) is unfolded for us through Daniel's investigations. Both of them finding difficult and potentially tragic love.
"Her voice was pure crystal, transparent and so fragile I feared that her words would break if I interrupted them."
The Shadow of the Wind has a lot to say about books and reading, rather less to say about the business of writing though.
"Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you."
"Novels, as everyone knew, were for women and for people with nothing better to do."
It's a complex interwoven plot, not without threat and violence, with a series of reveals that undermine what you think you know.
A fascinating and lovely read, and a nice break from the fantasy books that I have read almost exclusively over the last 5 years.
Give it a try!
...
"the art of reading is slowly dying, it's an intimate ritual, a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.鈥�
Zaf贸n is a master of prose, he is eminently quotable even in translation. The story is set in Barcelona and stretches from the turn of the 19th century to the sixties, though focusing most heavily in post civil war Spain recovering in the 40s and 50s. It's a bitter sweet story, as much about the slow acceptance of loss as about fighting against it or finding happiness.
"Most of us have the good or bad fortune of seeing our lives fall apart so slowly we barely notice it."
The setting is vividly brought to life. Many of the characters live in poverty or close to it, and the ventures into Paris bring to mind Orwell's descriptions. Barcelona is the star of the piece though.
"one of the many places in Barcelona where the nineteenth century had not yet been served its eviction notice"
Shadow of the Wind is a love story, or two love stories, or several love stories to be honest. We focus on Daniel, a young man growing up, and becoming obsessed with the story of another man, a writer whose young life (decades earlier) is unfolded for us through Daniel's investigations. Both of them finding difficult and potentially tragic love.
"Her voice was pure crystal, transparent and so fragile I feared that her words would break if I interrupted them."
The Shadow of the Wind has a lot to say about books and reading, rather less to say about the business of writing though.
"Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you."
"Novels, as everyone knew, were for women and for people with nothing better to do."
It's a complex interwoven plot, not without threat and violence, with a series of reveals that undermine what you think you know.
A fascinating and lovely read, and a nice break from the fantasy books that I have read almost exclusively over the last 5 years.
Give it a try!
...
February 18, 2020
riveting. mysterious. haunting. imaginative. charming. sentimental.
the list of adjectives is endless. and whilst this book is all of these, the one thing that i will forever remember about this book is how it makes me appreciate the art of storytelling. i didnt feel like i was reading a novel; i felt as if someone very dear was sitting next to me and telling me their favourite tale. i was enamoured with the nuances of the language and swept up with all the action. it was an absolute pleasure to experience such a well-told story. truly a masterpiece in every way possible.
鈫� 5 stars
the list of adjectives is endless. and whilst this book is all of these, the one thing that i will forever remember about this book is how it makes me appreciate the art of storytelling. i didnt feel like i was reading a novel; i felt as if someone very dear was sitting next to me and telling me their favourite tale. i was enamoured with the nuances of the language and swept up with all the action. it was an absolute pleasure to experience such a well-told story. truly a masterpiece in every way possible.
鈫� 5 stars
February 15, 2021
2/2.5 stars. Look, it's not my thing to mince my words, so I'll give you my opinion and ultimately, you'll decide what to make of it anyway : as far as I'm concerned, is overrated and, to say the truth, a bit of a smokescreen. Despite its obvious qualities, I have to admit that I'm a little baffled of its status given that all the flaws, if found in some random YA book, would be called out without any doubt.
鉁� Caricatures as characters, from Daniel the Romantic whose constant whining reminded me of some 18th Century hero (someone saves me from , please), to the twisting-moustache villain whose mother, you guessed right, was a crazy bitch (mwahahahaha). As for the women (OMG, the WOMEN), they're either sexual creatures (often vile and manipulative, because of course *roll eyes*) or solely conceived for the Great Goal of Bearing children (or assuming their care). It's pretty simple, actually : the good girls are those who get pregnant or are desperate for it, and all women are portrayed through their looks. All of these characters were flat and forgettable in my book.
鉁� Blatant sexism pouring through every page, and before you mention it, I KNOW, the society in 1945/1950 wasn't kind on women. I do know that, yet I don't believe that the portrayal of sexist behavior had to be so IN YOUR FACE. In the past I've read historical novels that let me furious about the way women were treated and categorized into little boxes (mother, virgin, whore, if you're asking) but in I never felt that the issue was handled or acknowledged, or barely (they do mention it in other men, but for me they were no better). It was just THERE. All the time, and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to care about characters - Fermin and Daniel, for example - who constantly objectify women, when they're not busy expressing stereotypes like, "women can't do Maths", or, "women who let you touch them the first time are whores", etc, etc. I read the French translation, so I'm not going to write down the quotes, but they are EVERYWHERE. I felt like drowning.
鉁� The instalove, anyone? Far from me the intent of spoiling the story to you, so I'll just say this : there are three couples in this story, and the THREE OF THEM suffer from major instalove (the kind where people see each other once, talk twice, and share iloveyous). What the hell?! Again, if this book was called The Storm and The Thorns, and some generic YA bullshit, it would have annoyed me, because I cannot feel invested in a romance if there's neither growth nor depth. Why in the world should I feel differently this time? I do not. Honestly? I couldn't care less.
鉁� The resolution of the intrigue did not satisfy me, because I found the way it was revealed rather lazy. Sure, I did not expect it, but after having remained in the dark during 80% of the book, I was a little disappointed by the avalanche of information that was thrown in my face, in a info-dumping fashion. Even with the interesting , it felt like such a cop-out.
鉁� The atmosphere is darkly enticing, captivating, even, and for me the real MC is Barcelona. Indeed I couldn't look away from the fascinating picture created, from the vivid slices of life put into black and white letters. I wish the descriptions of Paris would have reached this level of brilliance, but I didn't really mind. Albeit the difficult times described, reading made me want to come back there, and I probably will very soon.
鉁� The writing, if not free of some cheesy figures of speech - but it could be the translation - is addictive and compelling. From the first page I was hooked, and my interest didn't falter before reaching the second half (but I already explained why).
鈻� All in all, was a disappointment for me. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but in the end, the story didn't convince me, and even the message - no matter how great it was, or wanted to be - felt a bit superficial because spoiled by the lack of depth of the characters.
*Shrugs*
For more of my reviews, please visit:
May 10, 2019
賱賲 賷丨亘賳丕 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賵 賱賲 賷爻毓賳丕貙 賵賵爻毓鬲賳丕 兀乇賮賮 賲賰鬲亘丕鬲賳丕 賵 丨賷夭 睾乇賮賳丕 丕賱囟賷賯丞.
鬲賳亘賷賴: 賴匕賴 乇賵丕賷丞 賱丕 鬲購賯乇兀 毓賱賷 毓噩賱貙 賵 賱丕 賮賷 賮賵丕氐賱 亘賷賳 兀毓賲丕賱 賲賴賲丞
爻鬲爻乇賯賰 賵 賱賳 鬲賮賱鬲賰貙 爻鬲賮乇睾 賲賳賴丕 賵 賱賳 鬲賮乇睾 賲賳賰.
September 26, 2024
"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."
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 Juli谩n 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 欧宝娱乐 would allow 5-star-plus ratings for special books such as this.
The author's character imagery is up there with M谩rquez 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 b锚te noire of the piece.
Zaf贸n'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, Zaf贸n!" 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 Zaf贸n 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 欧宝娱乐' 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? : )
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 Juli谩n 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 欧宝娱乐 would allow 5-star-plus ratings for special books such as this.
The author's character imagery is up there with M谩rquez 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 b锚te noire of the piece.
Zaf贸n'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, Zaf贸n!" 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 Zaf贸n 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 欧宝娱乐' 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? : )
September 18, 2022
The gold standard predetermined to rule historiographic metafiction
Characters, world, and deeper meaning combined in astonishing density and quality
Some rare books have a certain something, the perfect combination of many good qualities that are rarely found in one novel and it somehow reminds me of John Irving and Dan Simmons too. It麓s all so perfectly fitting together, so clever, deep, witty, add some more positive adjectives if you wish, there are just so many worth mentioning.
Big history
By using different periods of Spanish history, the author draws a living Ken Follett style history picture that especially points the finger at how all the periods are interconnected and what caused which problem. One of the essential tools for this is the
Mysterious book
This single plot device enables Zafon to make credible main story arcs and construct an amazing panorama of Spanish culture. Of course, he doesn麓t just point the finger at the evil protagonist, but at the ideologies that made them monsters, which has certainly led to the one or other conservative outcry when it was published and became an international megaseller as an extra bonus. It could also be that it was the authors' intent to push the sales by especially aiming at this effect.
Inception style story within a story
Maybe one of the best uses of this trope I麓ve ever seen, linked with family history. While the book is the main physical red line, the backflip retrospective time loop effect makes the character development more suspenseful and always opens questions about the many different options the story could push forward, leaving the reader no time to rest together with the great characters.
The perfect dose of sadness
There is absolutely no overkill of emotions or tragedy, it always stays in the acceptable dose range and, very probably, is credible too. See, I麓ve some kind of problems with objectively assessing how good emotional descriptions are, because I tend to rate plot and ideas over characters in most of my reading (and am dead and cold inside) and novels like that are exceptions in my schedule to camouflage my totally 眉ber cool weirdness and try to understand human relationships and emotions. But with incompetent subjectivity, I deem it sweeping without escalating towards soap opera for just any moment.
Fascistic dictatorship until 1977
This historic anomaly, with the extra bonus of hardcore conservatism and Catholicism, is what makes Spain a European exception. A socioeconomic and epigenetic subject that is certainly in full focus of many humanities, as it shows the longtime effects of such terrible management styles in all fields of society. For Spanish readers, it adds the reading bonus of nonfiction facts and a move towards reappraisal and a culture of remembrance that uses objective measures just as in all other countries haunted by fascism. It麓s extremely disturbing to think about the fact that Francos' terror continued for 3 decades after all other European dictatorships had been crushed in WW2.
The love for and magic of books
Many philosophical and metaphysical options to talk about imagination, the power of fantasy, or just living in fictional universes, but no matter what one picks, it麓s a declaration of love for the best hobby to rule them all. And, of course, accelerate the, hopefully not backlashy and incestuously degenerating, course of history by spreading wisdom, enlightenment, and progressive ideas.
Easy to enter for all groups of readers
One of these novels everyone, no matter what genre preferences, more in character or plot focused works, should read, because the ingenuity of unique pieces like that lies in taking anything that already worked well in creative writing and endless amounts of tropes, postmodern deconstructed stereotypes, and mechanisms to assemble them to such an unforgettable reading fun.
The role of women in dark times
With full focus on how the sick, conservative, and sheer evil ideologies torture women, Zafon creates intense and sad pictures of the ultimate consequences of alpha male dominance. War and murder are the big picture, but what is often forgotten are the unknown and uncounted numbers of abused and raped women, who were forced to abort their unworthy mongrel babies, because of Christian charity and autocratic governments working together to create real life hellhole prison states.
There is no substitute
I could endlessly talk about what makes it great, but instead, I will encourage everyone to read it, and Irving and Simmons I already mentioned of course too. In all three cases, I ask myself how long it takes to write such works and how it麓s even possible, although I would agree with Stephen King, who said he is envious because Simmons writes like a God. And probably all of the three are half-Gods, alien human hybrids, or something, I could find no serious scientific literature dealing with this theory, but still deem it an option.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
Characters, world, and deeper meaning combined in astonishing density and quality
Some rare books have a certain something, the perfect combination of many good qualities that are rarely found in one novel and it somehow reminds me of John Irving and Dan Simmons too. It麓s all so perfectly fitting together, so clever, deep, witty, add some more positive adjectives if you wish, there are just so many worth mentioning.
Big history
By using different periods of Spanish history, the author draws a living Ken Follett style history picture that especially points the finger at how all the periods are interconnected and what caused which problem. One of the essential tools for this is the
Mysterious book
This single plot device enables Zafon to make credible main story arcs and construct an amazing panorama of Spanish culture. Of course, he doesn麓t just point the finger at the evil protagonist, but at the ideologies that made them monsters, which has certainly led to the one or other conservative outcry when it was published and became an international megaseller as an extra bonus. It could also be that it was the authors' intent to push the sales by especially aiming at this effect.
Inception style story within a story
Maybe one of the best uses of this trope I麓ve ever seen, linked with family history. While the book is the main physical red line, the backflip retrospective time loop effect makes the character development more suspenseful and always opens questions about the many different options the story could push forward, leaving the reader no time to rest together with the great characters.
The perfect dose of sadness
There is absolutely no overkill of emotions or tragedy, it always stays in the acceptable dose range and, very probably, is credible too. See, I麓ve some kind of problems with objectively assessing how good emotional descriptions are, because I tend to rate plot and ideas over characters in most of my reading (and am dead and cold inside) and novels like that are exceptions in my schedule to camouflage my totally 眉ber cool weirdness and try to understand human relationships and emotions. But with incompetent subjectivity, I deem it sweeping without escalating towards soap opera for just any moment.
Fascistic dictatorship until 1977
This historic anomaly, with the extra bonus of hardcore conservatism and Catholicism, is what makes Spain a European exception. A socioeconomic and epigenetic subject that is certainly in full focus of many humanities, as it shows the longtime effects of such terrible management styles in all fields of society. For Spanish readers, it adds the reading bonus of nonfiction facts and a move towards reappraisal and a culture of remembrance that uses objective measures just as in all other countries haunted by fascism. It麓s extremely disturbing to think about the fact that Francos' terror continued for 3 decades after all other European dictatorships had been crushed in WW2.
The love for and magic of books
Many philosophical and metaphysical options to talk about imagination, the power of fantasy, or just living in fictional universes, but no matter what one picks, it麓s a declaration of love for the best hobby to rule them all. And, of course, accelerate the, hopefully not backlashy and incestuously degenerating, course of history by spreading wisdom, enlightenment, and progressive ideas.
Easy to enter for all groups of readers
One of these novels everyone, no matter what genre preferences, more in character or plot focused works, should read, because the ingenuity of unique pieces like that lies in taking anything that already worked well in creative writing and endless amounts of tropes, postmodern deconstructed stereotypes, and mechanisms to assemble them to such an unforgettable reading fun.
The role of women in dark times
With full focus on how the sick, conservative, and sheer evil ideologies torture women, Zafon creates intense and sad pictures of the ultimate consequences of alpha male dominance. War and murder are the big picture, but what is often forgotten are the unknown and uncounted numbers of abused and raped women, who were forced to abort their unworthy mongrel babies, because of Christian charity and autocratic governments working together to create real life hellhole prison states.
There is no substitute
I could endlessly talk about what makes it great, but instead, I will encourage everyone to read it, and Irving and Simmons I already mentioned of course too. In all three cases, I ask myself how long it takes to write such works and how it麓s even possible, although I would agree with Stephen King, who said he is envious because Simmons writes like a God. And probably all of the three are half-Gods, alien human hybrids, or something, I could find no serious scientific literature dealing with this theory, but still deem it an option.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
September 11, 2021
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.
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.
Read
October 3, 2023Sound the alarm! Unpopular opinion to follow!
To put it simply: verbose and wearying. Zaf贸n 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.
Zaf贸n: *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:
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.
To put it simply: verbose and wearying. Zaf贸n 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.
Zaf贸n: *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:
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?"
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.
August 31, 2015
This is an excellent piece of literature. It contains poetic storytelling, shocking twists, thoroughly developed characters, symbolism, humor, romance, betrayal, action, sentimentality, nostalgia, and much, much more.
For book lovers it is perfect because it revolves around the mysteries of a little known author (Julian Carax) that the main protagonist, Daniel, stumbles across in a secret stash of literature called the Cemetery of Forgotten books. From there it quickly develops into a fantastic story of good vs. evil; driven by jealousy and shrouded in the unknown.
I saw some complaints that this book is slow. I can understand that - it is not a light book and it is not a quick read. But, the payoff from getting immersed in the thick narrative is totally worth the extra time in the end.
Lovers of books, lovers of historical fiction, lovers of mysteries with shocking twists, lovers of complex romance/revenge story lines, lovers of ultimate good vs evil battles - step right in to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books . . . and lose yourself in The Shadow of the Wind.
For book lovers it is perfect because it revolves around the mysteries of a little known author (Julian Carax) that the main protagonist, Daniel, stumbles across in a secret stash of literature called the Cemetery of Forgotten books. From there it quickly develops into a fantastic story of good vs. evil; driven by jealousy and shrouded in the unknown.
I saw some complaints that this book is slow. I can understand that - it is not a light book and it is not a quick read. But, the payoff from getting immersed in the thick narrative is totally worth the extra time in the end.
Lovers of books, lovers of historical fiction, lovers of mysteries with shocking twists, lovers of complex romance/revenge story lines, lovers of ultimate good vs evil battles - step right in to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books . . . and lose yourself in The Shadow of the Wind.
August 6, 2021
La Sombra Del Viento = The Shadow of the Wind (El cementerio de los libros olvidados #1), Carlos Ruiz Zaf贸n
The novel is actually a story within a story. The boy, Daniel Sempere, in his quest to discover Juli谩n's other works, becomes involved in tracing the entire history of Carax.
His friend, who goes by the alias of Ferm铆n Romero de Torres, was imprisoned and tortured in Montju茂c Castle as a result of his involvement in espionage against the government during the Civil War.
He helps Daniel in a number of ways, but their probing into the murky past of a number of people who have been either long dead or long forgotten unleashes the dark forces of the murderous Inspector Fumero. ...
毓賳賵丕賳賴丕蹖 趩丕倬 卮卅賴 丿乇 丕蹖乇丕賳: 芦爻丕蹖賴 亘丕丿禄貨 芦爻丕蹖賴 蹖 亘丕丿禄貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 讴丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵蹖蹖夭 夭丕賮賵賳 - 讴丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵卅蹖爻 爻丕賮賵賳 - 讴丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵卅蹖孬 孬丕賮賵賳貨 鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮 乇賵夭 賴卮鬲賲 賲丕賴 丿爻丕賲亘乇 爻丕賱 2016賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 爻丕蹖賴 亘丕丿貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 讴丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵蹖蹖夭 夭丕賮賵賳 - 讴丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵卅蹖爻 爻丕賮賵賳 - 讴丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵卅蹖孬 孬丕賮賵賳貨 賲鬲乇噩賲 讴蹖賵賲乇孬 倬丕乇爻丕蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 毓賱賲貙 1385貨 丿乇728氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9644056876貨 賲賵囟賵毓 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 丕爻倬丕賳蹖丕蹖蹖 - 爻丿賴 21賲
賲鬲乇噩賲: 賲賴乇丿丕丿 亘丕夭蹖丕乇蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 賴乇锟斤拷爻貙 1393貨 丿乇 賴賮鬲 賵 647氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9789643639235貨
賲鬲乇噩賲: 賳丕夭賳蹖賳 賳賵匕乇蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 丿蹖亘丕蹖賴貙 1395貨 丿乇 696氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9786002122216貨
毓賳賵丕賳: 爻丕蹖賴 蹖 亘丕丿貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 爻賴蹖賱 爻賲蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 賯賯賳賵爻貙 1395貨 丿乇 600氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9789643116897貨
倬爻乇 蹖讴 讴鬲丕亘鈥屬佖辟堌簇� 丿乇 讴鬲丕亘禺丕賳賴鈥� 蹖 讴賴賳賴鈥� 蹖 倬丿乇 禺賵蹖卮貙 丿乇 丕賳亘丕乇蹖 禺丕賳賴貙 讴鬲丕亘 芦爻丕蹖賴鈥� 蹖 亘丕丿禄 乇丕 倬蹖丿丕貙 賵 亘乇丕蹖 卮賳丕禺鬲賳 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴鈥� 蹖 丕孬乇貙 鬲賱丕卮 禺賵丿 乇丕 丌睾丕夭 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賵 爻乇丕賳噩丕賲 丿乇賲蹖鈥屰屫жㄘ� 讴賴 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴鈥� 蹖 丌賳 賲乇丿蹖 丕爻鬲貙 亘丕 趩賴乇賴鈥� 丕蹖 爻賵禺鬲賴貙 賵 卮亘蹖賴 卮亘丨貙 讴賴 诏丕賴蹖 馗丕賴乇 卮丿賴貙 賵 诏丕賴 丕夭 賳馗乇賴丕 倬賳賴丕賳 賲蹖鈥屬呚з嗀� 賴賲鈥屭嗁嗃屬� 丿乇賲蹖鈥屰屫жㄘ� 讴賴 賵蹖 讴鬲丕亘鈥屬囏й� 亘爻蹖丕乇蹖 亘賳賵卮鬲賴貙 丕賲丕 賴賲賴鈥� 蹖 丌賳鈥屬囏ж� 噩夭 芦爻丕蹖賴鈥� 蹖 亘丕丿禄 乇丕貙 丕夭 亘蹖賳 亘乇丿賴 丕爻鬲貨 丕賲丕 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 亘丿蹖賳鈥屬傌必ж� 丕爻鬲貙 讴賴 丿禺鬲乇 賵 倬爻乇蹖 胤蹖 蹖讴 丌卮賳丕蹖蹖貙 亘賴 蹖讴鈥屫屭� 丿賱鈥屫ㄘж� 卮丿賴貙 賵 氐丕丨亘 賮乇夭賳丿蹖 賲蹖鈥屫促堎嗀� 丕賲丕 亘毓丿賴丕 丿乇賲蹖鈥屰屫жㄙ嗀� 讴賴 丿丕乇丕蹖 乇丕亘胤賴鈥� 賳賭賻爻賻亘蹖貙 亘丕 蹖讴丿蹖诏乇 亘賵丿賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 賵 ...貨
賳賯賱 丕夭 丌睾丕夭 賲鬲賳: (賴賳賵夭 乇賵夭蹖 乇丕 讴賴 倬丿乇賲 亘乇丕蹖 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 亘丕乇 賲乇丕 亘賴 诏賵乇爻鬲丕賳 讴鬲丕亘賴丕蹖 賮乇丕賲賵卮 卮丿賴 亘乇丿貙 亘賴 蹖丕丿 丿丕乇賲貨 丕賵丕蹖賱 鬲丕亘爻鬲丕賳 1945賲蹖賱丕丿蹖 亘賵丿貙 賵 賵賯鬲蹖 爻倬蹖丿賴 趩賵賳 鬲丕噩蹖 丕夭 賲爻 诏丿丕禺鬲賴 亘乇 爻乇 芦乇丕賲亘賱丕 丿賵 爻丕賳鬲丕 賲賵賳蹖讴丕禄 賲蹖賳卮爻鬲貙 賲丕 丿乇 禺蹖丕亘丕賳賴丕蹖 賲丿賮賵賳 夭蹖乇 丌爻賲丕賳 禺丕讴爻鬲乇蹖賽 芦亘丕乇爻賱賵賳丕禄 乇丕賴 賲蹖乇賮鬲蹖賲
倬丿乇賲 賴卮丿丕乇 丿丕丿: 芦丿賳蹖賱貙 丿乇 賲賵乇丿 趩蹖夭蹖 讴賴 丕賲乇賵夭 賲蹖亘蹖賳蹖貙 賳亘丕蹖丿 亘賴 丕丨丿蹖 丨乇賮 亘夭賳蹖貙 丨鬲蹖 亘賴 丿賵爻鬲鬲貙 鬲賵賲丕爻貨 賴蹖趩 讴爻禄貨
丨鬲蹖 亘賴 賲丕賲丕賳責
倬丿乇賲 丌賴 讴卮蹖丿貙 賵 睾賲卮 乇丕 丿乇 倬爻 賱亘禺賳丿蹖 賲睾賲賵賲 讴賴 爻乇鬲丕爻乇 毓賲乇 趩賵賳 賳賯卮 爻丕蹖賴 亘乇 賱亘丕賳卮 亘賵丿 倬賳賴丕賳 讴乇丿貨 睾賲诏蹖賳 賵 睾氐賴 丿丕乇貙 噩賵丕亘 丿丕丿: 芦丕賱亘鬲賴 讴賴 賲蹖鬲賵賳蹖 亘賴 丕賵賳 亘诏蹖貨 賲丕 趩蹖夭蹖 乇賵 丕夭 丕賵賳 賲禺賮蹖 賳賲蹖讴賳蹖賲貨 賴賲賴 趩蹖 乇賵 賲蹖鬲賵賳蹖 亘賴 丕賵賳 亘诏蹖禄貨
讴賲蹖 倬爻 丕夭 噩賳诏 丿丕禺賱蹖貙 卮蹖賵毓 賳丕诏賴丕賳蹖 芦賵亘丕禄 賲丕丿乇賲 乇丕 亘丕 禺賵丿 亘乇丿賴 亘賵丿貨 丿乇 趩賴丕乇賲蹖賳 爻丕賱乇賵夭 鬲賵賱丿賲 丕賵 乇丕 丿乇 芦賲賵賳禺賵蹖蹖讴禄 丿賮賳 讴乇丿蹖賲貨 鬲賳賴丕 趩蹖夭蹖 讴賴 丕夭 丌賳 賵丕賯毓賴 丿乇 蹖丕丿賲 賲丕賳丿賴貙 丕蹖賳 丕爻鬲 讴賴 爻乇鬲丕爻乇 丌賳 乇賵夭 賵 卮亘 亘丕乇丕賳 亘丕乇蹖丿貙 賵 丕蹖賳讴賴 賵賯鬲蹖 丕夭 倬丿乇賲 倬乇爻蹖丿賲 丌蹖丕 丌爻賲丕賳 诏乇蹖賴 賲蹖讴賳丿貙 賳鬲賵丕賳爻鬲 亘乇 禺賵丿卮 賲爻賱胤 卮賵丿 賵 噩賵丕亘賲 乇丕 亘丿賴丿貨 卮卮 爻丕賱 亘毓丿 噩丕蹖 禺丕賱蹖 賲丕丿乇賲 賴賳賵夭 丿乇 丕胤乇丕賮賲丕賳 丕丨爻丕爻 賲蹖卮丿貙 賮乇蹖丕丿 爻讴賵鬲蹖 讴乇 讴賳賳丿賴 讴賴 賴賳賵夭 蹖丕丿 賳诏乇賮鬲賴 亘賵丿賲 趩胤賵乇 亘丕 讴賱賲丕鬲 禺丕賲賵卮卮 讴賳賲貨 賲賳 賵 倬丿乇賲 丿乇 丌倬丕乇鬲賲丕賳蹖 賲丨賯乇 丿乇 芦讴丕賱賴 爻丕賳鬲丕 丌賳丕禄 夭賳丿诏蹖 賲蹖讴乇丿蹖賲貙 丿乇 賮丕氐賱賴 蹖讴 爻賳诏 丕賳丿丕夭 丕夭 賲蹖丿丕賳 讴賱蹖爻丕貨 丌倬丕乇鬲賲丕賳賲丕賳 丿乇爻鬲 亘丕賱丕蹖 讴鬲丕亘賮乇賵卮蹖 亘賵丿貙 賲蹖乇丕孬 倬丿乇亘夭乇诏賲 讴賴 賲鬲禺氐氐 賳爻禺賴 賴丕蹖 賳丕蹖丕亘 讴賱讴爻蹖賵賳乇賴丕 賵 讴鬲丕亘賴丕蹖 丿爻鬲 丿賵賲 亘賵丿 賭賭 讴爻亘 賵 讴丕乇蹖 爻丨乇 卮丿賴 讴賴 倬丿乇賲 丕賲蹖丿賵丕乇 亘賵丿 乇賵夭蹖 亘賴 賲賳 鬲毓賱賯 诏蹖乇丿貨 賲賳 丿乇 賲蹖丕賳 讴鬲丕亘賴丕 亘夭乇诏 賲蹖卮丿賲 賵 丿乇 賱丕亘賴 賱丕蹖 氐賮丨丕鬲蹖 讴賴 倬賳丿丕乇蹖 丕夭 丿賱 睾亘丕乇 亘乇丌賲丿賴 亘賵丿賳丿貙 丿賵爻鬲丕賳蹖 賳丕賲乇卅蹖 賲蹖蹖丕賮鬲賲貙 氐賮丨丕鬲蹖 讴賴 亘賵蹖卮丕賳 鬲丕 亘賴 丕賲乇賵夭 賳蹖夭 亘乇 丿爻鬲丕賳賲 賲丕賳丿賴 丕爻鬲貨 丿乇 讴賵丿讴蹖 丌賲賵禺鬲賲 讴賴 趩诏賵賳賴 丿乇 鬲丕乇蹖讴蹖 丕鬲丕賯 禺賵丕亘賲 丨蹖賳 丨乇賮 夭丿賳 亘丕 賲丕丿乇賲 亘賴 禺賵丕亘 亘乇賵賲 賵 丕夭 丨賵丕丿孬 乇賵夭貙 賲丕噩乇丕賴丕蹖賲 丿乇 賲丿乇爻賴 賵 趩蹖夭賴丕蹖蹖 讴賴 亘賴 賲賳 丌賲賵禺鬲賴 亘賵丿賳丿貙 亘乇丕蹖卮 亘诏賵蹖賲貨 賳賲蹖鬲賵丕賳爻鬲賲 氐丿丕蹖卮 乇丕 亘卮賳賵賲 蹖丕 丿爻鬲 賳賵丕夭卮诏乇卮 乇丕 丨爻 讴賳賲貙 丕賲丕 鬲賱丕賱賵 賵 诏乇賲丕蹖 賵噩賵丿卮 丿乇 诏賵卮賴 诏賵卮賴 蹖 禺丕賳賴 賲丕賳 丨爻 賲蹖卮丿貙 賵 賲賳 亘丕 賲毓氐賵賲蹖鬲 讴爻丕賳蹖讴賴 賴賳賵夭 爻丕賱蹖丕賳 毓賲乇卮丕賳 丕夭 鬲毓丿丕丿 丕賳诏卮鬲丕賳 丿賵 丿爻鬲卮丕賳 鬲噩丕賵夭 賳讴乇丿賴貙 丕毓鬲賯丕丿 丿丕卮鬲賲 讴賴 丕诏乇 趩卮賲丕賳賲 乇丕 亘亘賳丿賲 賵 亘丕 丕賵 丨乇賮 亘夭賳賲貙 丕賵 賴乇 讴噩丕 讴賴 亘丕卮丿貙 氐丿丕蹖賲 乇丕 賲蹖卮賳賵丿貨 诏丕賴蹖 倬丿乇賲 丕夭 丕鬲丕賯 睾匕丕禺賵乇蹖 亘賴 丨乇賮賴丕蹖賲 诏賵卮 賲蹖丿丕丿 賵 丿乇 爻讴賵鬲 賲蹖诏乇蹖爻鬲)貨 倬丕蹖丕賳 賳賯賱
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 04/06/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 14/05/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
The novel is actually a story within a story. The boy, Daniel Sempere, in his quest to discover Juli谩n's other works, becomes involved in tracing the entire history of Carax.
His friend, who goes by the alias of Ferm铆n Romero de Torres, was imprisoned and tortured in Montju茂c Castle as a result of his involvement in espionage against the government during the Civil War.
He helps Daniel in a number of ways, but their probing into the murky past of a number of people who have been either long dead or long forgotten unleashes the dark forces of the murderous Inspector Fumero. ...
毓賳賵丕賳賴丕蹖 趩丕倬 卮卅賴 丿乇 丕蹖乇丕賳: 芦爻丕蹖賴 亘丕丿禄貨 芦爻丕蹖賴 蹖 亘丕丿禄貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 讴丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵蹖蹖夭 夭丕賮賵賳 - 讴丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵卅蹖爻 爻丕賮賵賳 - 讴丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵卅蹖孬 孬丕賮賵賳貨 鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮 乇賵夭 賴卮鬲賲 賲丕賴 丿爻丕賲亘乇 爻丕賱 2016賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 爻丕蹖賴 亘丕丿貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 讴丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵蹖蹖夭 夭丕賮賵賳 - 讴丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵卅蹖爻 爻丕賮賵賳 - 讴丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵卅蹖孬 孬丕賮賵賳貨 賲鬲乇噩賲 讴蹖賵賲乇孬 倬丕乇爻丕蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 毓賱賲貙 1385貨 丿乇728氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9644056876貨 賲賵囟賵毓 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 丕爻倬丕賳蹖丕蹖蹖 - 爻丿賴 21賲
賲鬲乇噩賲: 賲賴乇丿丕丿 亘丕夭蹖丕乇蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 賴乇锟斤拷爻貙 1393貨 丿乇 賴賮鬲 賵 647氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9789643639235貨
賲鬲乇噩賲: 賳丕夭賳蹖賳 賳賵匕乇蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 丿蹖亘丕蹖賴貙 1395貨 丿乇 696氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9786002122216貨
毓賳賵丕賳: 爻丕蹖賴 蹖 亘丕丿貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 爻賴蹖賱 爻賲蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 賯賯賳賵爻貙 1395貨 丿乇 600氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9789643116897貨
倬爻乇 蹖讴 讴鬲丕亘鈥屬佖辟堌簇� 丿乇 讴鬲丕亘禺丕賳賴鈥� 蹖 讴賴賳賴鈥� 蹖 倬丿乇 禺賵蹖卮貙 丿乇 丕賳亘丕乇蹖 禺丕賳賴貙 讴鬲丕亘 芦爻丕蹖賴鈥� 蹖 亘丕丿禄 乇丕 倬蹖丿丕貙 賵 亘乇丕蹖 卮賳丕禺鬲賳 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴鈥� 蹖 丕孬乇貙 鬲賱丕卮 禺賵丿 乇丕 丌睾丕夭 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賵 爻乇丕賳噩丕賲 丿乇賲蹖鈥屰屫жㄘ� 讴賴 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴鈥� 蹖 丌賳 賲乇丿蹖 丕爻鬲貙 亘丕 趩賴乇賴鈥� 丕蹖 爻賵禺鬲賴貙 賵 卮亘蹖賴 卮亘丨貙 讴賴 诏丕賴蹖 馗丕賴乇 卮丿賴貙 賵 诏丕賴 丕夭 賳馗乇賴丕 倬賳賴丕賳 賲蹖鈥屬呚з嗀� 賴賲鈥屭嗁嗃屬� 丿乇賲蹖鈥屰屫жㄘ� 讴賴 賵蹖 讴鬲丕亘鈥屬囏й� 亘爻蹖丕乇蹖 亘賳賵卮鬲賴貙 丕賲丕 賴賲賴鈥� 蹖 丌賳鈥屬囏ж� 噩夭 芦爻丕蹖賴鈥� 蹖 亘丕丿禄 乇丕貙 丕夭 亘蹖賳 亘乇丿賴 丕爻鬲貨 丕賲丕 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 亘丿蹖賳鈥屬傌必ж� 丕爻鬲貙 讴賴 丿禺鬲乇 賵 倬爻乇蹖 胤蹖 蹖讴 丌卮賳丕蹖蹖貙 亘賴 蹖讴鈥屫屭� 丿賱鈥屫ㄘж� 卮丿賴貙 賵 氐丕丨亘 賮乇夭賳丿蹖 賲蹖鈥屫促堎嗀� 丕賲丕 亘毓丿賴丕 丿乇賲蹖鈥屰屫жㄙ嗀� 讴賴 丿丕乇丕蹖 乇丕亘胤賴鈥� 賳賭賻爻賻亘蹖貙 亘丕 蹖讴丿蹖诏乇 亘賵丿賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 賵 ...貨
賳賯賱 丕夭 丌睾丕夭 賲鬲賳: (賴賳賵夭 乇賵夭蹖 乇丕 讴賴 倬丿乇賲 亘乇丕蹖 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 亘丕乇 賲乇丕 亘賴 诏賵乇爻鬲丕賳 讴鬲丕亘賴丕蹖 賮乇丕賲賵卮 卮丿賴 亘乇丿貙 亘賴 蹖丕丿 丿丕乇賲貨 丕賵丕蹖賱 鬲丕亘爻鬲丕賳 1945賲蹖賱丕丿蹖 亘賵丿貙 賵 賵賯鬲蹖 爻倬蹖丿賴 趩賵賳 鬲丕噩蹖 丕夭 賲爻 诏丿丕禺鬲賴 亘乇 爻乇 芦乇丕賲亘賱丕 丿賵 爻丕賳鬲丕 賲賵賳蹖讴丕禄 賲蹖賳卮爻鬲貙 賲丕 丿乇 禺蹖丕亘丕賳賴丕蹖 賲丿賮賵賳 夭蹖乇 丌爻賲丕賳 禺丕讴爻鬲乇蹖賽 芦亘丕乇爻賱賵賳丕禄 乇丕賴 賲蹖乇賮鬲蹖賲
倬丿乇賲 賴卮丿丕乇 丿丕丿: 芦丿賳蹖賱貙 丿乇 賲賵乇丿 趩蹖夭蹖 讴賴 丕賲乇賵夭 賲蹖亘蹖賳蹖貙 賳亘丕蹖丿 亘賴 丕丨丿蹖 丨乇賮 亘夭賳蹖貙 丨鬲蹖 亘賴 丿賵爻鬲鬲貙 鬲賵賲丕爻貨 賴蹖趩 讴爻禄貨
丨鬲蹖 亘賴 賲丕賲丕賳責
倬丿乇賲 丌賴 讴卮蹖丿貙 賵 睾賲卮 乇丕 丿乇 倬爻 賱亘禺賳丿蹖 賲睾賲賵賲 讴賴 爻乇鬲丕爻乇 毓賲乇 趩賵賳 賳賯卮 爻丕蹖賴 亘乇 賱亘丕賳卮 亘賵丿 倬賳賴丕賳 讴乇丿貨 睾賲诏蹖賳 賵 睾氐賴 丿丕乇貙 噩賵丕亘 丿丕丿: 芦丕賱亘鬲賴 讴賴 賲蹖鬲賵賳蹖 亘賴 丕賵賳 亘诏蹖貨 賲丕 趩蹖夭蹖 乇賵 丕夭 丕賵賳 賲禺賮蹖 賳賲蹖讴賳蹖賲貨 賴賲賴 趩蹖 乇賵 賲蹖鬲賵賳蹖 亘賴 丕賵賳 亘诏蹖禄貨
讴賲蹖 倬爻 丕夭 噩賳诏 丿丕禺賱蹖貙 卮蹖賵毓 賳丕诏賴丕賳蹖 芦賵亘丕禄 賲丕丿乇賲 乇丕 亘丕 禺賵丿 亘乇丿賴 亘賵丿貨 丿乇 趩賴丕乇賲蹖賳 爻丕賱乇賵夭 鬲賵賱丿賲 丕賵 乇丕 丿乇 芦賲賵賳禺賵蹖蹖讴禄 丿賮賳 讴乇丿蹖賲貨 鬲賳賴丕 趩蹖夭蹖 讴賴 丕夭 丌賳 賵丕賯毓賴 丿乇 蹖丕丿賲 賲丕賳丿賴貙 丕蹖賳 丕爻鬲 讴賴 爻乇鬲丕爻乇 丌賳 乇賵夭 賵 卮亘 亘丕乇丕賳 亘丕乇蹖丿貙 賵 丕蹖賳讴賴 賵賯鬲蹖 丕夭 倬丿乇賲 倬乇爻蹖丿賲 丌蹖丕 丌爻賲丕賳 诏乇蹖賴 賲蹖讴賳丿貙 賳鬲賵丕賳爻鬲 亘乇 禺賵丿卮 賲爻賱胤 卮賵丿 賵 噩賵丕亘賲 乇丕 亘丿賴丿貨 卮卮 爻丕賱 亘毓丿 噩丕蹖 禺丕賱蹖 賲丕丿乇賲 賴賳賵夭 丿乇 丕胤乇丕賮賲丕賳 丕丨爻丕爻 賲蹖卮丿貙 賮乇蹖丕丿 爻讴賵鬲蹖 讴乇 讴賳賳丿賴 讴賴 賴賳賵夭 蹖丕丿 賳诏乇賮鬲賴 亘賵丿賲 趩胤賵乇 亘丕 讴賱賲丕鬲 禺丕賲賵卮卮 讴賳賲貨 賲賳 賵 倬丿乇賲 丿乇 丌倬丕乇鬲賲丕賳蹖 賲丨賯乇 丿乇 芦讴丕賱賴 爻丕賳鬲丕 丌賳丕禄 夭賳丿诏蹖 賲蹖讴乇丿蹖賲貙 丿乇 賮丕氐賱賴 蹖讴 爻賳诏 丕賳丿丕夭 丕夭 賲蹖丿丕賳 讴賱蹖爻丕貨 丌倬丕乇鬲賲丕賳賲丕賳 丿乇爻鬲 亘丕賱丕蹖 讴鬲丕亘賮乇賵卮蹖 亘賵丿貙 賲蹖乇丕孬 倬丿乇亘夭乇诏賲 讴賴 賲鬲禺氐氐 賳爻禺賴 賴丕蹖 賳丕蹖丕亘 讴賱讴爻蹖賵賳乇賴丕 賵 讴鬲丕亘賴丕蹖 丿爻鬲 丿賵賲 亘賵丿 賭賭 讴爻亘 賵 讴丕乇蹖 爻丨乇 卮丿賴 讴賴 倬丿乇賲 丕賲蹖丿賵丕乇 亘賵丿 乇賵夭蹖 亘賴 賲賳 鬲毓賱賯 诏蹖乇丿貨 賲賳 丿乇 賲蹖丕賳 讴鬲丕亘賴丕 亘夭乇诏 賲蹖卮丿賲 賵 丿乇 賱丕亘賴 賱丕蹖 氐賮丨丕鬲蹖 讴賴 倬賳丿丕乇蹖 丕夭 丿賱 睾亘丕乇 亘乇丌賲丿賴 亘賵丿賳丿貙 丿賵爻鬲丕賳蹖 賳丕賲乇卅蹖 賲蹖蹖丕賮鬲賲貙 氐賮丨丕鬲蹖 讴賴 亘賵蹖卮丕賳 鬲丕 亘賴 丕賲乇賵夭 賳蹖夭 亘乇 丿爻鬲丕賳賲 賲丕賳丿賴 丕爻鬲貨 丿乇 讴賵丿讴蹖 丌賲賵禺鬲賲 讴賴 趩诏賵賳賴 丿乇 鬲丕乇蹖讴蹖 丕鬲丕賯 禺賵丕亘賲 丨蹖賳 丨乇賮 夭丿賳 亘丕 賲丕丿乇賲 亘賴 禺賵丕亘 亘乇賵賲 賵 丕夭 丨賵丕丿孬 乇賵夭貙 賲丕噩乇丕賴丕蹖賲 丿乇 賲丿乇爻賴 賵 趩蹖夭賴丕蹖蹖 讴賴 亘賴 賲賳 丌賲賵禺鬲賴 亘賵丿賳丿貙 亘乇丕蹖卮 亘诏賵蹖賲貨 賳賲蹖鬲賵丕賳爻鬲賲 氐丿丕蹖卮 乇丕 亘卮賳賵賲 蹖丕 丿爻鬲 賳賵丕夭卮诏乇卮 乇丕 丨爻 讴賳賲貙 丕賲丕 鬲賱丕賱賵 賵 诏乇賲丕蹖 賵噩賵丿卮 丿乇 诏賵卮賴 诏賵卮賴 蹖 禺丕賳賴 賲丕賳 丨爻 賲蹖卮丿貙 賵 賲賳 亘丕 賲毓氐賵賲蹖鬲 讴爻丕賳蹖讴賴 賴賳賵夭 爻丕賱蹖丕賳 毓賲乇卮丕賳 丕夭 鬲毓丿丕丿 丕賳诏卮鬲丕賳 丿賵 丿爻鬲卮丕賳 鬲噩丕賵夭 賳讴乇丿賴貙 丕毓鬲賯丕丿 丿丕卮鬲賲 讴賴 丕诏乇 趩卮賲丕賳賲 乇丕 亘亘賳丿賲 賵 亘丕 丕賵 丨乇賮 亘夭賳賲貙 丕賵 賴乇 讴噩丕 讴賴 亘丕卮丿貙 氐丿丕蹖賲 乇丕 賲蹖卮賳賵丿貨 诏丕賴蹖 倬丿乇賲 丕夭 丕鬲丕賯 睾匕丕禺賵乇蹖 亘賴 丨乇賮賴丕蹖賲 诏賵卮 賲蹖丿丕丿 賵 丿乇 爻讴賵鬲 賲蹖诏乇蹖爻鬲)貨 倬丕蹖丕賳 賳賯賱
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 04/06/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 14/05/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
April 28, 2021
I, too, have a cemetery of forgotten books. A mental one, if you will.
And I am filing this one under "to forget" straightaway.
This book has been on my to-read list for what feels like 11 years, but was probably between 2 and 4. It seems like required reading for anyone who a) likes books, b) likes genre-bending blends of literature and fantasy, or c) enjoys fun books but is also pretentious.
I'm all three, so this seemed dreamy.
And then I found a copy of it in a used bookstore and the cat lady cashier recommended it as I was buying it (which is always a good sign), and it seemed dreamiER.
And then I started reading it, and for the first 15% it still seemed dreamy.
And then it took me almost two weeks to finish it because I dreaded even picking it up.
Everything about this fell apart for me. The pacing, the characters, my interest, the treatment and discussion of women, the themes, the setting. I didn't care about anything I was supposed to and sometimes I was even growing AGGRAVATED.
I hate to be aggravated.
I am glad this book is a ~modern classic~ and so many people's all time favorite and blah blah blah but honestly...
I don't even understand how people like this book.
And that almost never happens to me.
Bottom line: Sorry, everyone! Except really I feel like you should apologize to me.
--------------
pre-review
...except this one, for me.
review to come / 2ish stars
--------------
tbr review
books about books are the best kind of books
And I am filing this one under "to forget" straightaway.
This book has been on my to-read list for what feels like 11 years, but was probably between 2 and 4. It seems like required reading for anyone who a) likes books, b) likes genre-bending blends of literature and fantasy, or c) enjoys fun books but is also pretentious.
I'm all three, so this seemed dreamy.
And then I found a copy of it in a used bookstore and the cat lady cashier recommended it as I was buying it (which is always a good sign), and it seemed dreamiER.
And then I started reading it, and for the first 15% it still seemed dreamy.
And then it took me almost two weeks to finish it because I dreaded even picking it up.
Everything about this fell apart for me. The pacing, the characters, my interest, the treatment and discussion of women, the themes, the setting. I didn't care about anything I was supposed to and sometimes I was even growing AGGRAVATED.
I hate to be aggravated.
I am glad this book is a ~modern classic~ and so many people's all time favorite and blah blah blah but honestly...
I don't even understand how people like this book.
And that almost never happens to me.
Bottom line: Sorry, everyone! Except really I feel like you should apologize to me.
--------------
pre-review
...except this one, for me.
review to come / 2ish stars
--------------
tbr review
books about books are the best kind of books
August 31, 2024
there just aren鈥檛 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.
February 15, 2016
馗賱 丕賱乇賷丨
賴匕丕 賴賵 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱兀賵賱 賲賳 乇亘丕毓賷丞 (賲賯亘乇丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲賳爻賷丞) 賱賱廿爻亘丕賳賷 賰丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵賷孬 夭丕賮賵賳貙 丕賱乇亘丕毓賷丞 賲賳賮氐賱丞 賷賲孬賱 賰賱 噩夭亍 賲賳賴丕 賰鬲丕亘丕賸 賲爻鬲賯賱丕賸貙 氐丿乇 丨鬲賶 丕賱丌賳 孬賱丕孬丞 兀噩夭丕亍貙 鬲乇噩賲 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱兀賵賱 賵爻賷氐丿乇 賯乇賷亘丕賸 賵亘丕賳鬲馗丕乇 丕賱孬丕賳賷 賵丕賱孬丕賱孬 賵丕賱鬲賷 兀鬲賲賳賶 兀賱丕 鬲鬲兀禺乇 賰孬賷乇丕賸貙 賮賯丿 鬲乇賰賳賷 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱兀賵賱 賲匕賴賵賱丕賸貙 賴賱 鬲毓乇賮賵賳 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賱匕賷匕丞責 鬲賱賰 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱鬲賷 鬲匕賰乇賰 毓賳丿賲丕 鬲賮乇睾 賲賳賴丕 亘賱賲賻 兀丨亘亘鬲 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 賲賳 丕賱亘丿丕賷丞!! 鬲賱賰 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱鬲賷 鬲卮亘賴 丨賱賲丕賸 噩賲賷賱丕賸貙 賯氐氐 賲鬲卮丕亘賰丞 鬲丿賵乇 賮賷 兀噩賵丕亍 賲丨亘亘丞貙 賴匕丕 賲丕 氐賳毓賴 賱賳丕 夭丕賮賵賳貙 亘乇卮賱賵賳丞 賲丕 亘毓丿 丕賱丨乇亘貙 卮丕亘 賷丿毓賶 丿丕賳賷丕賱 爻賷賲亘乇賷 賷賯賵丿賴 賵丕賱丿賴 廿賱賶 賲賰丕賳 睾乇賷亘 賷丿毓賶 賲賯亘乇丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲賳爻賷丞 丨賷孬 鬲丨賮馗 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賯鬲乇亘 賲賳 丕賱丕賳丿孬丕乇貙 賷禺鬲丕乇 氐丕丨亘賳丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱匕賷 爻賷鬲賰賮賱 亘丨賮馗賴貙 乇賵丕賷丞 亘毓賳賵丕賳 (馗賱 丕賱乇賷丨) 賱乇賵丕卅賷 亘乇卮賱賵賳賷 賲噩賴賵賱 賷丿毓賶 禺賵賱賷丕賳 賰丕乇丕賰爻貙 賲賳 賴賳丕 鬲賳胤賱賯 丕賱賯氐丞 賲賳 賴賵 丕賱乇噩賱 丕賱睾丕賲囟 丕賱匕賷 賷賮鬲卮 毓賳 賰鬲亘 禺賵賱賷丕賳 賵賷丨乇賯賴丕貙 賲丕 賴賷 賯氐丞 禺賵賱賷丕賳 賵賱賲丕匕丕 賮乇 賲賳 亘乇卮賱賵賳丞責 賴賱 賴賵 丨賷 兀賲 賯鬲賱 賮賷 賲亘丕乇夭丞 睾丕賲囟丞責 賯氐氐 氐睾賷乇丞 鬲鬲賰卮賮 賱賳丕貙 賳賱噩 賲鬲丕賴丞 賱匕賷匕丞貙 賳鬲毓乇賮 毓賱賶 卮禺氐賷丕鬲 乇丕卅毓丞貙 賲賳 賲賳丕 賱賳 賷丨亘 賮賷乇賲賷賳 乇賵賲賷乇賵責 賴匕賴 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 丕賱胤乇賷賮丞 賵丕賱賲噩賳賵賳丞.
毓馗賷賲丞 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞貙 賱丕 鬲賮賵鬲!!
賴匕丕 賴賵 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱兀賵賱 賲賳 乇亘丕毓賷丞 (賲賯亘乇丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲賳爻賷丞) 賱賱廿爻亘丕賳賷 賰丕乇賱賵爻 乇賵賷孬 夭丕賮賵賳貙 丕賱乇亘丕毓賷丞 賲賳賮氐賱丞 賷賲孬賱 賰賱 噩夭亍 賲賳賴丕 賰鬲丕亘丕賸 賲爻鬲賯賱丕賸貙 氐丿乇 丨鬲賶 丕賱丌賳 孬賱丕孬丞 兀噩夭丕亍貙 鬲乇噩賲 丕賱噩夭亍 丕賱兀賵賱 賵爻賷氐丿乇 賯乇賷亘丕賸 賵亘丕賳鬲馗丕乇 丕賱孬丕賳賷 賵丕賱孬丕賱孬 賵丕賱鬲賷 兀鬲賲賳賶 兀賱丕 鬲鬲兀禺乇 賰孬賷乇丕賸貙 賮賯丿 鬲乇賰賳賷 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱兀賵賱 賲匕賴賵賱丕賸貙 賴賱 鬲毓乇賮賵賳 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賱匕賷匕丞責 鬲賱賰 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱鬲賷 鬲匕賰乇賰 毓賳丿賲丕 鬲賮乇睾 賲賳賴丕 亘賱賲賻 兀丨亘亘鬲 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 賲賳 丕賱亘丿丕賷丞!! 鬲賱賰 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱鬲賷 鬲卮亘賴 丨賱賲丕賸 噩賲賷賱丕賸貙 賯氐氐 賲鬲卮丕亘賰丞 鬲丿賵乇 賮賷 兀噩賵丕亍 賲丨亘亘丞貙 賴匕丕 賲丕 氐賳毓賴 賱賳丕 夭丕賮賵賳貙 亘乇卮賱賵賳丞 賲丕 亘毓丿 丕賱丨乇亘貙 卮丕亘 賷丿毓賶 丿丕賳賷丕賱 爻賷賲亘乇賷 賷賯賵丿賴 賵丕賱丿賴 廿賱賶 賲賰丕賳 睾乇賷亘 賷丿毓賶 賲賯亘乇丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲賳爻賷丞 丨賷孬 鬲丨賮馗 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賯鬲乇亘 賲賳 丕賱丕賳丿孬丕乇貙 賷禺鬲丕乇 氐丕丨亘賳丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱匕賷 爻賷鬲賰賮賱 亘丨賮馗賴貙 乇賵丕賷丞 亘毓賳賵丕賳 (馗賱 丕賱乇賷丨) 賱乇賵丕卅賷 亘乇卮賱賵賳賷 賲噩賴賵賱 賷丿毓賶 禺賵賱賷丕賳 賰丕乇丕賰爻貙 賲賳 賴賳丕 鬲賳胤賱賯 丕賱賯氐丞 賲賳 賴賵 丕賱乇噩賱 丕賱睾丕賲囟 丕賱匕賷 賷賮鬲卮 毓賳 賰鬲亘 禺賵賱賷丕賳 賵賷丨乇賯賴丕貙 賲丕 賴賷 賯氐丞 禺賵賱賷丕賳 賵賱賲丕匕丕 賮乇 賲賳 亘乇卮賱賵賳丞責 賴賱 賴賵 丨賷 兀賲 賯鬲賱 賮賷 賲亘丕乇夭丞 睾丕賲囟丞責 賯氐氐 氐睾賷乇丞 鬲鬲賰卮賮 賱賳丕貙 賳賱噩 賲鬲丕賴丞 賱匕賷匕丞貙 賳鬲毓乇賮 毓賱賶 卮禺氐賷丕鬲 乇丕卅毓丞貙 賲賳 賲賳丕 賱賳 賷丨亘 賮賷乇賲賷賳 乇賵賲賷乇賵責 賴匕賴 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 丕賱胤乇賷賮丞 賵丕賱賲噩賳賵賳丞.
毓馗賷賲丞 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞貙 賱丕 鬲賮賵鬲!!
August 25, 2022
Exquisite is a word I have reserved for that extra special gem and the 鈥溾€nchanted sense of promise鈥� that comes with stories like 鈥淭he Shadow of the Wind鈥�. I savoured the pages, and was mesmerised and captivated with this book that will remain in my mind for a long time. With its beautiful writing, and gorgeous storytelling, it is a story of love, of hate, of tragedy and the dreams that live and disappear in the shadow of the wind.
The Plot
An antique book dealer takes his son Daniel to the secret and mysterious cemetery of Forgotten books, a labyrinth of obscure and forgotten book titles that have since gone out of print but have soul that live on in the people that read them.
鈥溾€� you only see in them what you already have inside you.... 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.鈥�
In choosing a book called the Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax, Daniel embarks on a dangerous path of discovery, when he makes a chilling encounter with who he believes is La铆n Coubert the name of a character in the book he has just read; and it is the name of the Devil himself. Faced by this strange and dark person from the shadows, Daniel refuses to give up or sell the book and so a ten-year journey begins and a literary hunt for the Carax鈥檚 story and those he loved and lost. The story takes us to Barcelona, into towering mansions and eerie back-streets, and to Paris where Carax wrote most of his novels whilst longing for his lost love, and then back to Spain for the climatic ending.
Review and Comments
The Shadow of the Wind is an impressively accomplished and stunning novel that captures your imagination and carries you through a story or passion and hatred, of heart and soul, of beauty and of longing with an abundance of anticipation, adventure and thrill as Daniel seeks to discover the life and story behind the author Carax.
The standout quality of the book has to be the authors writing style and his extraordinary command over language. There is a dreamlike quality to the writing, that was so enchanting and beautiful, I felt totally captivated and almost bewitched by the story and trapped inside the world the author created for us.
However, the attributes of the book don鈥檛 stop there, the characters are superb, so well developed and compelling, that they come alive in the storytelling and with well-crafted dialogue. The plot is superb, however, if there was one negative to add, the flow of the book and structure of the book was not perfect in my opinion because it wasn鈥檛 always clear who was narrating the story. Yet any negative is certainly overshadowed by the book鈥檚 brilliance, the soul and enchanting but heart-breaking story linking two generations.
I love the quote, 鈥渂ooks are like mirrors, you only see in them what you already have inside you鈥�
I could not recommend highly enough. I would give 6 stars if I could.
The Plot
An antique book dealer takes his son Daniel to the secret and mysterious cemetery of Forgotten books, a labyrinth of obscure and forgotten book titles that have since gone out of print but have soul that live on in the people that read them.
鈥溾€� you only see in them what you already have inside you.... 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.鈥�
In choosing a book called the Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax, Daniel embarks on a dangerous path of discovery, when he makes a chilling encounter with who he believes is La铆n Coubert the name of a character in the book he has just read; and it is the name of the Devil himself. Faced by this strange and dark person from the shadows, Daniel refuses to give up or sell the book and so a ten-year journey begins and a literary hunt for the Carax鈥檚 story and those he loved and lost. The story takes us to Barcelona, into towering mansions and eerie back-streets, and to Paris where Carax wrote most of his novels whilst longing for his lost love, and then back to Spain for the climatic ending.
Review and Comments
The Shadow of the Wind is an impressively accomplished and stunning novel that captures your imagination and carries you through a story or passion and hatred, of heart and soul, of beauty and of longing with an abundance of anticipation, adventure and thrill as Daniel seeks to discover the life and story behind the author Carax.
The standout quality of the book has to be the authors writing style and his extraordinary command over language. There is a dreamlike quality to the writing, that was so enchanting and beautiful, I felt totally captivated and almost bewitched by the story and trapped inside the world the author created for us.
However, the attributes of the book don鈥檛 stop there, the characters are superb, so well developed and compelling, that they come alive in the storytelling and with well-crafted dialogue. The plot is superb, however, if there was one negative to add, the flow of the book and structure of the book was not perfect in my opinion because it wasn鈥檛 always clear who was narrating the story. Yet any negative is certainly overshadowed by the book鈥檚 brilliance, the soul and enchanting but heart-breaking story linking two generations.
I love the quote, 鈥渂ooks are like mirrors, you only see in them what you already have inside you鈥�
I could not recommend highly enough. I would give 6 stars if I could.
October 28, 2018
匕賰乇鬲賳賷 賴匕賴 丕賱賯氐丞 亘鬲賱賰 丕賱毓乇丕卅爻 丕賱乇賵爻賷丞 丕賱賲賮乇睾丞 賵丕賱鬲賷 鬲丨賵賷 毓賱賷 毓丿丿 賰亘賷乇 賲賳 丕賱賳賲丕匕噩 丕賱賲氐睾乇丞 賲賳賴丕 亘丿丕禺賱賴丕貙 禺胤賵丞 亘禺胤賵丞 鬲賰鬲卮賮 兀賳 丕賱丨賰丕賷丞 丕賳賯爻賲鬲 廿賱賷 丌賱丕賮 丕賱賯氐氐 賵賰兀賳賴丕 丿禺賱鬲 賱亘賷鬲 丕賱賲乇丕賷丕 賵鬲賮鬲鬲 賮賷 丕賳毓賰丕爻丕鬲 賱丕 賳賴丕卅賷丞
亘丕賱乇睾賲 賲賳 丕賳 鬲賱賰 丕賱賲賯賵賱丞 賯丕賱賴丕 丿丕賳賷賱 丨賵賱 乇賵丕賷丞 "馗賱 丕賱乇賷丨" 亘賲賳鬲氐賮 丕賱賰鬲丕亘貙 賮亘賳賴丕賷丞 乇賵丕賷鬲賴 賳賮爻賴丕 賵噩丿鬲 丕賱噩賲賱丞 鬲賳胤亘賯 毓賱賷賴丕 丕賷囟丕
賮丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賴賷 毓丿丞 賯氐氐 賲鬲乇丕賰亘丞 亘賴丕 睾賲賵囟貙 廿孬丕乇丞 賵鬲卮賵賷賯 -賵丕賯賱 丕賱賯賱賷賱 賲賳 丕賱賲賱賱 丕丨賷丕賳丕-貙 賲鬲賲賷夭丞 賵賷睾賱亘 毓賱賷賴丕 丕賱卮噩賳
賴賷 賯氐氐 毓賳 丕賱毓賲乇 賵丕賱夭賲賳貙 丕賱賲氐丕卅乇 丕賱賲鬲卮丕亘賰丞貙 毓賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲 賵毓卮賯 丕賱賰鬲亘
毓賳 丕賱氐丿丕賯丕鬲 丕賱賯丿賷賲丞 丕賱賲賮賯賵丿丞貙 毓賳 丕賱兀亘賵丞貙 毓賳 丕賱丨亘 丕賱匕賷 賰丕賳 賵氐丕乇 匕賰乇賷貙 賵賱賰賳 丿賵賳 賮賯丿丕賳 丕賱兀賲賱
賵丕賷囟丕貙 賴賷 賯氐丞 亘賱丿 賮賷 馗乇賵賮 氐毓亘丞
丕賴賱丕 亘賰賲 賮賷 亘乇卮賱賵賳丞 貙 丕亘丕賳 丕賱丨乇亘 丕賱毓丕賱賲賷丞 丕賱孬丕賳賷丞..毓氐乇 丕賱丿賷賰鬲丕鬲賵乇賷丞 賵丕賱馗賱賲...賵丕賱丿賲丕亍
賴賷 丨賰丕賷丞 氐亘賷 "丿丕賳賷丕賱" 賷丨丕賵賱 賰卮賮 兀爻乇丕乇 丨賷丕丞 賵睾賲賵囟 賳賴丕賷丞 賲丐賱賮 乇賵丕卅賷 睾賷乇 卮賴賷乇 亘毓丿 賯乇丕亍丞 廿丨丿賷 乇賵丕賷丕鬲賴貙 賵賱賰賳 卮禺氐 睾丕賲囟 賷亘丨孬 毓賳 賰賱 賳爻禺 乇賵丕賷丕鬲賴 賱賷丨乇賯賴丕
賱賷胤丕乇丿 丿丕賳賷丕賱 丕卮亘丕丨 賲賳 丕賱賲丕囟賷 賮賷 鬲丨賯賷賯丕鬲賴 賮賷 氐丿丕賯锟斤拷 賲賮賯賵丿丞 賵丨亘 囟丕卅毓 貙 賵賱鬲鬲卮丕亘賰 賯氐丞 丨賷丕丞 丿丕賳賷丕賱貙 賲乇丕賴賯鬲賴 賵卮亘丕亘賴 賵丕賱匕賷 賮賷 賲鬲賯亘賱 毓賲乇賴 賲毓 賯氐丞 賲丕囟賷 賲丐賱賮 乇賵丕賷鬲賴 丕賱賲賮囟賱丞
賮賷 丨賯亘丞 夭賲賳賷丞 賵 賲賰丕賳 睾賳賷 亘丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷丞 貙 亘乇卮賱賵賳丞 廿亘丕賳 丕賱丨乇亘 丕賱毓丕賱賲賷丞 丕賱孬丕賳賷丞 賵賵賯賵毓賴丕 鬲丨鬲 丕賱丨賰賲 丕賱丿賷賰鬲丕鬲賵乇賷...賵賲毓 賱賲丨丞 賲賳 丕賱禺賷丕賱 賵丕賱爻丨乇 噩毓賱鬲 賲賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 鬲乇丕噩賷丿賷丕 亘丿賷毓丞
賱丕 兀賳賰乇 兀賳 賲賳 亘毓丿 丕賱賮氐賱 丕賱兀賵賱 丕賱匕賷 亘賴 賲賯亘乇丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲賳爻賷丞 丕賱乇賴賷亘丞貙 丕賱睾丕賲囟丞 丕賱爻丕丨乇丞 貙 亘丿兀鬲 丕卮毓乇 亘卮卅 賲賳 丕賱賲賱賱 賲賳 賰孬乇丞 丕賱賵氐賮 賵丕賱鬲賮丕氐賷賱 亘賱丕 丕丨丿丕孬 賱亘囟毓丞 賮氐賵賱..賵亘毓囟 丕賱丨賵丕乇丕鬲 丕賱賲胤賵賱丞 賱兀丨丿 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 -毓賲賷賯丞 鬲氐賱禺 賱賱丕賯鬲亘丕爻丕鬲 賵賱賰賳賴丕 賲胤賵賱丞 丕丨賷丕賳丕 夭丕卅丿丞 毓賳 丕賱賱夭賵賲 - 賱賯丿 賰丕賳鬲 賮毓賱丕 賲鬲毓丿丿丞 丕賱丨賰丕賷丕鬲 賵丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲
賰丕賱毓乇丕卅爻 丕賱乇賵爻賷丞 "賲丕鬲乇賷賵卮賰丕" 賰賲丕 賯丕賱 亘胤賱 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞
孬賲 丕賰鬲卮賮鬲 丕賱胤亘賯丕鬲 丕賱丿丕禺賱賷丞 賱賱丨賰丕賷丞 賲毓 賲乇賵乇 丕賱賵賯鬲 賮賷 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 貙 賲毓 賲乇賵乇 丕賱夭賲賳.. 賲毓 丕賱賳賵爻鬲丕賱賷噩丕
丨夭賳 賱丿乇噩丞 丕賳 毓賷賳賷 丕賲鬲賱丕亍鬲 亘丕賱丿賲賵毓 賯亘賱 賳賴丕賷鬲賴丕 ..賵馗賱鬲 丨鬲賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞
賵賱賰賳 丿毓賳丕 賱丕 賳賮爻丿 賱賰 丕賱丨賰丕賷丞 賵賱賳丨賰賷 卮賷卅丕 毓賳 胤亘賯丕鬲 丕賱賯氐丞
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丕賱賯赌赌氐赌赌赌赌丞
** 賴賷 賯氐丞 毓賳 丕賱賰鬲亘 **
"丕賱賰鬲亘 賴賷 賲乇丕賷丕鬲 : 丕賳鬲 賮賯胤 鬲乇賷 賮賷賴賲 賲丕 賴賵 亘丿丕禺賱賰 賲爻亘賯丕"
賵毓賳丿賲丕 夭丕乇 丕賱賮鬲賷 丿丕賳賷丕賱 爻賷賲亘乇 賲毓 兀亘賷賴 賱丕賵賱 賲乇丞 賵賴賵 賮賷 毓賲乇 丕賱毓丕卮乇丞 匕賱賰 丕賱賲賰丕賳 丕賱賰卅賷亘 丕賱毓噩賷亘 丕賱爻丨乇賷貙 賲賯亘乇丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲賳爻賷丞貙 噩賳丞 毓卮丕賯 丕賱賰鬲亘 賰丿丕賳賷丕賱 賵兀亘賷賴 賵丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 卮禺氐賷丕鬲 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞貙 賱賷禺鬲丕乇 賰鬲丕亘丕 賱賷鬲亘賳丕賴 ...賮廿賳賴 廿禺鬲丕乇 "馗賱 丕賱乇賷丨" 賱噩賵賱賷丕賳 賰丕乇賰爻貙 賵毓卮賯賴...亘賱 氐丕乇 賲賴賵賵爻丕 亘兀爻賱賵亘 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賵亘丿兀 賷亘丨孬 毓賳 丕賱賲夭賷丿 賲賳 乇賵丕賷丕鬲賴...賵賱賰賳賴 賵氐賱 賱胤乇賷賯 賲爻丿賵丿
賮噩賵賱賷丕賳 賰丕乇賰爻 賲丕鬲 賮賷 馗乇賵賮 睾丕賲囟丞 貙 賵賰賱 賳爻禺丞 賲賳 賰賱 乇賵丕賷丕鬲賴 賷鬲賲 噩賲毓賴丕 賵丨乇賯賴丕 賲賳 卮禺氐賷丞 睾丕賲囟丞 鬲爻毓賷 賱賲丨賵 丕賷 匕賰乇賷 賱賱賲丐賱賮...賰賱 賯胤毓賴 賲賳 乇賵丨賴 賲賵噩賵丿丞 亘丕賱賰鬲亘
** 賴賷 賯氐丞 毓賳 乇賵丨 丕賱賰鬲亘 **
" 賰賱 賰鬲丕亘貙 賰賱 賲噩賱丿 鬲乇丕賴 賴賳丕貙 賱賴 乇賵丨. 乇賵丨 丕賱卮禺氐 丕賱匕賷 賰鬲亘賴貙 賵兀賵賱卅賰 丕賱匕賷賳 賷賯乇丐賵賳賴貙 賷毓賷卮賵賳賴 賵賷丨賱賲賵賳 亘賴. 賮賷 賰賱 賲乇丞 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷鬲賳賯賱 賲賳 賷丿 賱丌禺乇賷貙 賵賷賯毓 賳馗乇 丕丨丿賴賲 毓賱賷 氐賮丨丕鬲賴貙 賮廿賳 乇賵丨 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 鬲賳賲賵 賵鬲賯賵賷"
賵賱賰賳 亘胤賱 賯氐鬲賳丕 貙丿丕賳賷丕賱貙 賱賲 賷毓賱賲 丕賳 亘賯乇丕亍鬲賴 賱賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵鬲睾賱睾賱賴 賮賷 乇賵丨 賲丐賱賮賴丕 賰丕乇丕賰爻 賵丕賱亘丨孬 丨賵賱 賯氐鬲賴 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷丞 賵睾賲賵囟 丨賷丕鬲賴 賵馗乇賵賮 賵賮丕鬲賴 兀賳賴丕 爻鬲賯賵丿賴 賱賱毓丿賷丿 賲賳 丕賱賯氐氐 丕賱賲鬲卮丕亘賰丞 亘賱 賵丕賱鬲賷 爻鬲鬲丿丕禺賱 賲毓 丨賷丕鬲賴 賳賮爻賴 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 ...賵乇亘賲丕 鬲鬲卮丕亘賰 賵鬲鬲賲丕孬賱 賲毓 賲氐賷乇賴
** 賴賷 賯氐丞 毓賳 卮禺氐賷丕鬲 賵賲氐丕卅乇 賲鬲卮丕亘賰丞 **賵亘賷賳賲丕 賷亘丨孬 丿丕賳賷丕賱 毓賳 丕賱丨賯賷賯丞 賵乇丕亍 賰丕乇賰爻貙 賷賱鬲賯賷 亘丕賱毓丿賷丿 賲賳 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 丕賱賲禺鬲賱賮丞 賵賷賰賵賳 氐丿丕賯丕鬲 賲鬲賳賵毓丞 賲孬賱 賮賷乇賲賷賳 乇賵賲賷乇賵 丿賷 鬲賵乇夭 丕賱賴丕乇亘 賲賳 亘胤卮 丕賱亘賵賱賷爻 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷 丕賱賮丕卮賷
賵亘丕賱乇睾賲 賲賳 丿賵乇賴 丕賱賲賴賲 賮賷 賲爻丕毓丿丞 丿丕賳賷丕賱 賮賷 乇丨賱丞 丕賱亘丨孬 毓賳 賱睾夭 賰丕乇賰爻貙廿賱丕 兀賳 賲胤丕乇丿丞 丕賱囟丕亘胤 丕賱賮丕卮賷 丕賱賮丕爻丿 丕賱賲賮鬲卮 禺丕賮賷賷乇 賮賷乇賲賵 賱賴 爻賷噩毓賱 丕賱兀賲賵乇 氐毓亘丞 亘丨賯貙 賵爻賷鬲卮丕亘賰 賲氐賷乇賴 賲毓 丿丕賳賷丕賱 賵兀亘賷賴
賴賳丕賰 丕賷囟丕 丕賱丕亘 賮賷乇賳丕賳丿賵 乇丕賲賵爻 賵匕賰乇賷丕鬲 丕賱氐丿丕賯丕鬲 丕賱賯丿賷賲丞 丕賱囟丕卅毓丞
賵赖賳丕賰 賳賵乇丕 賲賵賳賮賵乇鬲 賵賯氐丞 丨賷丕鬲賴丕 丕賱丨夭賷賳丞 丕賱鬲賷 兀賵噩毓鬲 賯賱亘賷 賰孬賷乇丕 貙 毓賱丕賯鬲賴丕 丕賱賲賮賯賵丿丞 亘兀亘賷賴丕貙 賵丨亘 毓賲乇賴丕 丕賱匕賷 賱賲 賷賰賳 賱賴丕 賷賵賲丕 囟丕毓 賱賱兀亘丿貙 賰丕乇丕賰爻
亘賱 廿賳 賯氐丞 丨亘 賰丕乇丕賰爻 賲毓 丨亘賴 丕賱賵丨賷丿 賵丕禺鬲 氐丿賷賯賴 爻鬲鬲卮丕亘賴 賰孬賷乇丕 賲毓 賯氐丞 丿丕賳賷丕賱 賲毓 丨亘賴 賱丕禺鬲 氐丿賷賯賴 丕賱賵丨賷丿貙 賵丨鬲賷 卮禺氐賷丞 賳賵乇丕 丕賱丨夭賷賳丞 爻鬲噩丿 賱賴丕 氐丿賷 賮賷 丨賷丕丞 丿丕賳賷丕賱 賯丿 賷鬲賲孬賱 賮賷 丨賰丕賷鬲賴 丕賱賲丐賱賲丞 賲毓 賰賱丕乇丕 丕賱丨爻賳丕亍 丕賱毓賲賷丕亍 丕賱毓丕卮賯丞 賱賱賰鬲亘
賵丕賱丕賴賲貙 賴賳丕賰 爻賷賲亘乇 貙賵丕賱丿 丿丕賳賷丕賱 賵丕賱匕賷 賲賳 丕噩賲賱 氐賵乇 卮禺氐賷丕鬲 丕賱兀亘 賮賷 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲 亘丨賯貙 毓卮賯鬲 毓賱丕賯鬲賴 賲毓 廿亘賳賴 賵鬲胤賵乇賴丕 毓賱賷 賲丿丕乇 丕賱丕丨丿丕孬...丕賱夭賲賳
** 賵賴賷 賯氐丞 毓賳 丕賱兀亘 **
"賵噩丿鬲 兀亘賷 賳丕卅賲丕 賮賷 賰乇爻賷賴貙 賵賲賱丕亍丞 鬲睾胤賷 爻丕賯賷賴 賵賰鬲丕亘賴 丕賱賲賮囟賱 毓賱賷 丨噩乇賴 -賳爻禺丞 賲賳 賰鬲丕亘 賮賵賱鬲賷乇 賰丕賳丿賷丿- 賵丕賱鬲賷 兀毓丕丿 賯乇兀鬲賴丕 亘囟毓 賲乇丕鬲 賰賱 毓丕賲貙 丕賱賲乇丕鬲 丕賱賵丨賷丿丞 丕賱鬲賷 兀爻賲毓賴 賷囟丨賰 賮賷賴丕 賲賳 賯賱亘賴
鬲兀賲賱鬲賴 : 卮毓乇賴 乇賲丕丿賷丕貙 賷禺賮貙 賵噩賱丿 賵噩賴賴 亘丿兀 賷乇鬲禺賷 丨賵賱 丕賱禺丿. 賳馗乇鬲 賱賱乇噩賱 丕賱匕賷 馗賳賳鬲賴 賷賵賲丕 賱丕 賷賯賴乇: 賴賵 丕賱兀賳 賷亘丿賵 賴卮丕貙 賲賴夭賵賲丕 丿賵賳 兀賳 賷丿乇賷 匕賱賰. 乇亘賲丕 賰賱丕賳丕 賲賴夭賵賲丕賳. 賲賱鬲 毓賱賷賴 賱兀睾胤賷賴 亘丕賱賲賱丕卅丞 丕賱鬲賷 賰丕賳 賷毓丿 賱爻賳賵丕鬲 亘丕賱鬲亘乇毓 亘賴丕 貙 賵賯亘賱鬲 噩亘賷賳賴貙 賵賰兀賳賷 亘賮毓賱賷 賴匕丕 賷賲賰賳賳賷 丨賲丕賷鬲賴 賲賳 丕賱賲禺丕胤乇 丕賱禺賮賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 爻鬲亘毓丿賴 毓賳賷貙 毓賳 賴匕賴 丕賱卮賯丞 丕賱氐睾賷乇丞貙 賵毓賳 匕賰乇賷丕鬲賷. 賰賲丕 賱賵 兀賳 亘賴匕賴 丕賱賯亘賱丞 賷賲賰賳賳賷 兀賳 兀禺丿毓 丕賱夭賲賳 賵丕賯賳毓賴 兀賳 賷鬲禺胤丕賳丕...兀賳 賷毓賵丿 賷賵賲丕 兀禺乇貙 亘丨賷丕丞 丕禺乇賷"
睾乇賷亘 丕賳 鬲丿賲毓 毓賷賳賷 賵兀卮毓乇 亘賴匕丕 丕賱卮噩賳 賲賳 鬲賱賰 丕賱噩賲賱丞 丕賱丕禺賷乇丞 丕賱賷賵賲貙 29 賷賵賱賷賵貙 亘毓丿 8 卮賴賵乇 賲賳 賯乇丕亍丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞
毓賱丕賯丞 丕賱兀亘 賵丕亘賳賴 亘鬲賱賰 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 噩賲賷賱丞 亘丿賷毓丞 亘丨賯...賲賳匕 丕賳 丕氐胤丨亘 丕亘賳賴 賱賷禺鬲丕乇 賰鬲丕亘丕...賵丨鬲賷 賳賴丕賷丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞
丕賱夭賲賳 丕賱匕賷 賱丕 賷賲賰賳賳丕 禺丿丕毓賴...爻賷賲乇 亘賳丕 賵賱賳 賷鬲禺胤丕賳丕 賰賲丕 鬲賲賳賷 丿丕賳賷丕賱
** 賵賴賷 賯氐丞 毓賳 丕賱夭賲賳 **
賵賴匕丕 賲丕 賷丐爻乇賳賷 賮賷 丕賱丨賰丕賷丕鬲..賷賱賲爻 賯賱亘賷 亘賱賲爻丞 亘丕乇丿丞 鬲爻亘亘 丕賱乇噩賮丞 貙 賵賱賰賳賷 賱丕 兀賲賱 賲賳 賯乇丕亍丞 賲孬賱 鬲賱賰 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲 丕賱毓馗賷賲丞 毓賳 丕賱夭賲賳 禺丕氐丕 毓賳丿賲丕 鬲賰賵賳 賲賰鬲賵亘丞 亘噩賲丕賱 賵爻丨乇 賰鬲賱賰 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞
兀賳 丕賱夭賲賳 賴賵 賲丕賷鬲賰乇乇...賷毓賷丿 賳賮爻賴..噩毓賱 噩賲賷毓 丕賱賲氐丕卅乇 賲鬲卮丕亘賰丞...丕賱賯賱賲 丕賱丨亘乇 丕賱兀賳賷賯..丕賱丨亘..丕賱氐丿丕賯丞..丕賱賰鬲亘..丕賱亘賷丕賳賵
賯丿 鬲氐賳賮 賰"賵丕賯毓賷丞 爻丨乇賷丞" 賵賱賰賳 賰賲丕 賳亘賴賳賷 兀丨丿 丕賱兀氐丿賯丕亍 貙 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賲丨賲丿 賲噩丿賷 貙 兀賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賱賷爻鬲 亘賴丕 噩丕賳亘 "丕賱賲賷鬲丕賮賷夭賷賯丕" 賰丨賱 賱賰賱 賴匕丕 丕賱爻丨乇
賵賱賰賳賴 賷馗賱 爻丨乇丕 亘丨賯 賵丕賯毓賷丕
賵兀禺賷乇丕貙
** 賴賷 賯氐丞 毓賳 賲丿賷賳丞 鬲賵丕噩賴 丕賵賯丕鬲 毓氐賷亘丞 **
"賴匕賴 丕賱賲丿賷賳丞 爻丕丨乇丞. 賴賱 鬲毓賱賲 匕賱賰 賷丕丿丕賳賷丕賱責 廿賳賴丕 鬲鬲爻賱賱 鬲丨鬲 噩賱丿賰 賵鬲爻乇賯 乇賵丨賰 丿賵賳 丕賳 鬲毓賱賲責"
乇亘賲丕 賴賷 毓賳 亘乇卮賱賵賳丕貙 兀爻亘丕賳賷丕 賮賷 兀賵賯丕鬲 毓氐賷亘丞 貙 丕賵 "賲丿賷賳丞 丕賱馗賱丕賱" 賮賷 "兀賷丕賲 丕賱乇賲丕丿" 賰賲丕 丕爻賲鬲賴丕 賮氐賵賱 鬲賱賰 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞
賵賴賷 丕爻賲丕亍 鬲賱賷賯 亘賮氐賵賱 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賮毓賱丕 丨賷孬 賮賷 禺賱賮賷丞 兀丨丿丕孬 賯氐丞 丿丕賳賷丕賱 賴賳丕賰 賯氐丞 丕賱丨乇亘 丕賱兀賴賱賷丞 亘廿爻亘丕賳賷丕 賵爻賳賵丕鬲 賲丕 賯亘賱 丕賱丨乇亘 丕賱毓丕賱賲賷丞 丕賱孬丕賳賷丞 賵氐毓賵丿 丕賱賮丕卮賷丞 賵丕賱賯賲毓 亘毓丿 爻賯賵胤 亘乇卮賱賵賳丞
賵賱賰賳 賵氐賮 丕賱賲丿賷賳丞 亘丕賱爻丨乇 丕賱鬲賮氐賷賱賷貙 卮賵丕乇毓賴丕 賵丕賱鬲乇丕賲 丕賱匕賷 賷禺鬲乇賯賴丕...賵胤丕亘毓賴丕 丕賱賯賵胤賷 亘丕賱兀禺氐 賲賳匕 賵氐賮 丕賱兀亘賵丕亘 丕賱乇賴賷亘丞 賱賲賯亘乇丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲賳爻賷丞 鈥�. 賲賳丕禺賴丕 賵 兀卮毓丞 丕賱卮賲爻 亘丨賵丕乇賷賴丕 丕賱囟賷賯丞 賵丨鬲賷 丕賱毓丕氐賮丞 丕賱孬賱噩賷丞 亘賳賯胤丞 匕乇賵丞 兀丨丿丕孬 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 貙 賰賱 賴匕丕 賲賰鬲賵亘 亘爻丨乇 丨賯賷賯賷 賷噩毓賱 賱賷爻 賮賯胤 賲賳 丕賱賲丿賷賳丞 爻丕丨乇丞貙 亘賱 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賳賮爻賴丕 爻丕丨乇丞..鬲鬲爻賱賱 鬲丨鬲 噩賱丿賰 乇睾賲 亘毓囟 丕噩夭丕亍賴丕 丕賱亘胤賷卅丞 賳賵毓丕貙 丕賱丕 丕賳賴丕 爻鬲禺丿乇賰 賵鬲鬲爻賱賱 丨鬲賷 鬲爻賱亘 乇賵丨賰 亘賳賴丕賷鬲賴丕 貙 賵鬲噩毓賱 乇丨賱鬲賰 亘賴丕 賱丕 鬲賳爻賷
賰賲丕 賮毓賱 噩賵賱賷丕賳 賰丕乇丕賰爻 賲毓 丿丕賳賷丕賱 爻賷賲亘乇貙 爻賷賮毓賱 賰丕乇賱賵爻 夭丕賮賵賳 賲毓賰
賴賱 賯賱鬲 賱賰 丕賳賴丕 賯氐丞 毓賳 丕賱賲氐丕卅乇 丕賱賲鬲卮丕亘賰丞責
賲丨賲丿 丕賱毓乇亘賷
賯乇丕亍丞 賲賳 14 丿賷爻賲亘乇 2015
丕賱賷 22 丿賷爻賲亘乇 2015
丕賱乇賷賮賷賵 丕賱毓乇亘賷 賮賷 29 賷賵賱賷賵 2016
October 21, 2019
I loved this book so much that I feel like my tears should speak for themselves and I don't even need to review it. At the same time, I want to shout from the rooftops about how good this book is. So here I am.
This book is the perfect mix of dark brooding mystery with a wistful romance and a melancholy, bookish main character. There's so many elements that are effortlessly held afloat by the gorgeous, melodic, and yet digestible writing. I tabbed the everloving sunshine out of this book because there's so many astute and haunting lines; Zaf贸n is truly a talented writer who I certainly see myself reading more from.
My only issue throughout the book was the way the mystery unfolded, but it was more of a user error because I took so long to read this book that between sittings, I would forget all the details about which character is who. Also, the perspective jumping from character to character could be a bit startling, but by the end of this book when I spent the last 50 pages sobbing and hugging my cat as I read on, I couldn't give a single damn about this minor storytelling blip.
Very few books earn the title of a masterpiece from me, but this is one of them. It takes you on a complete journey with characters so lifelike and human, eccentric and lovely, twisted and vile. I foresee this being a book that, when I pass it in a book shop, I will stroke its spine lovingly and remember the hours I spent cuddled with it, lost in its alternating gloomy and hopeful moods.
This book is the perfect mix of dark brooding mystery with a wistful romance and a melancholy, bookish main character. There's so many elements that are effortlessly held afloat by the gorgeous, melodic, and yet digestible writing. I tabbed the everloving sunshine out of this book because there's so many astute and haunting lines; Zaf贸n is truly a talented writer who I certainly see myself reading more from.
My only issue throughout the book was the way the mystery unfolded, but it was more of a user error because I took so long to read this book that between sittings, I would forget all the details about which character is who. Also, the perspective jumping from character to character could be a bit startling, but by the end of this book when I spent the last 50 pages sobbing and hugging my cat as I read on, I couldn't give a single damn about this minor storytelling blip.
Very few books earn the title of a masterpiece from me, but this is one of them. It takes you on a complete journey with characters so lifelike and human, eccentric and lovely, twisted and vile. I foresee this being a book that, when I pass it in a book shop, I will stroke its spine lovingly and remember the hours I spent cuddled with it, lost in its alternating gloomy and hopeful moods.
June 29, 2013
It's been a couple years since I read this book so I shouldn't and won't go into details, but the effect has lingered all this time. There's no other book I'm quicker to recommend than this one. It's not that it's particularly important in a lot of the ways "important" books are, it's just that it works as pure reading pleasure (and sometimes, isn't that enough?); so I find reviews from people desperate to discover structural flaws and stylistic cliches to be totally missing the point. Buy it new, breathe in the perfume of those pages, tell your friends and family you're going to be busy for a few days and disappear into it.
December 3, 2018
賱賷爻鬲 兀賵賱 乇賵丕賷丞 爻賷卅丞 兀賯乇兀賴丕 賱賰賳賴丕 鬲丨馗賶 亘鬲賯賷賷賲 賲乇鬲賮毓 亘賷賳 賯乇丕亍 丕賱噩賵丿乇賷丿夭貙 賵賱賳 鬲賰賵賳 丕賱兀禺賷乇丞
賯乇兀鬲 鬲賱賰 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘爻賯賮 鬲賵賯毓丕鬲 賲乇鬲賮毓貙 賱賰賳賷 乇丕賴賳鬲 毓賱賶 噩賵丕丿 禺丕爻乇
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 鬲丿賵乇 賮賷 賲丿賷賳丞 亘乇卮賱賵賳丞 兀賷丕賳 丕賱丨賰賲 丕賱丿賷賰丕鬲賵乇賷 賱賱噩賳乇丕賱 賮乇丕賳賰賵貙 丕賱乇丕賵賷 胤賮賱 氐睾賷乇 賵賵丕賱丿賴 賷賲鬲賱賰 賲鬲噩乇 賱賱賰鬲亘貙 賮賷 亘丿丕賷丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賷氐胤丨亘 丕賱賵丕賱丿 丕亘賳賴 丕賱賵丨賷丿 賱賲丕 賷爻賲賷 賲賯亘乇丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲賳爻賷丞貙 丨賷孬 賷賵噩丿 賳爻禺丞 賲賳 賰賱 賰鬲丕亘 賲賴丿丿 亘丕賱囟賷丕毓貙 賷賳鬲賯賷 丕賱賵賱丿 賰鬲丕亘 亘卮賰賱 毓卮賵丕卅賷 賱賷丨鬲賮馗 亘賴貙 賱賷賯毓 丨馗賴 毓賱賶 乇賵丕賷丞 賱賰丕鬲亘 丕爻亘丕賳賷 賲睾賲賵乇 毓賳賵丕賳賴丕 馗賱 丕賱乇賷丨
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 鬲丿賵乇 亘毓丿 匕賱賰 賮賷 禺胤丕賳 賲鬲賵丕夭賷丕賳貙 丨賷丕丞 丕賱乇丕賵賷 賵賴賵 賷賰亘乇 賵亘禺丕氐丞 丨賷丕鬲賴 丕賱毓丕胤賮賷丞貙 賵丕賱禺胤 丕賱賲賵丕夭賷 賷丿賵乇 丨賵賱 乇丨賱鬲賴 賱賱亘丨孬 毓賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱睾丕賲囟 賲丐賱賮 乇賵丕賷丞 馗賱 丕賱兀賮毓賷貙 丕賱丕賳鬲賯丕賱 亘賷賳 丕賱禺胤丕賳 賱賲 賷賰賳 爻賱爻丕賸 毓賱賶 丕賱丕胤賱丕賯貙 亘賲噩乇丿 兀賳 鬲賳丿賲噩 賮賷 兀丨丿賴賲丕 丨鬲賷 賷賳賯賱賰 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 廿賱賶 丕賱禺胤 丕賱賲賵丕夭賷 賮噩兀丞 亘毓丿 兀賳 鬲賰賵賳 賯丿 賳爻賷鬲 丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 兀丨丿丕孬賴貙 賵賰毓丕丿丞 賰賱 丕賱兀毓賲丕賱 丕賱賱丕鬲賷賳賷丞貙 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賲夭丿丨賲丞 噩丿丕賸 亘丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 賵賴賵 賲丕 賷乇亘賰 丕賱賯丕乇卅 賮賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞貙 賵賰孬賷乇 賲賳賴丕 卮禺氐賷丕鬲 孬丕賳賵賷丞貙 亘賲噩乇丿 兀賳 鬲丨賮馗 丕爻賲 卮禺氐賷丞 丨鬲賶 鬲禺鬲賮賶
丕賱爻乇丿 賲乇亘賰 賱賱睾丕賷丞貙 賵鬲賷乇丞 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 鬲鬲氐丕毓丿 亘卮賰賱 噩賷丿 賮賷 亘毓囟 賮氐賵賱 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞貙 孬賲 鬲鬲亘丕胤卅 亘卮賰賱 賷孬賷乇 賲賱賱 丕賱賯丕乇卅 賮賷 賮氐賵賱 兀禺乇賶貙 賵賱丕 鬲亘丿兀 亘丕賰鬲卮丕賮 賲睾夭賶 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 廿賱賶 賵賴賷 鬲賯丕乇亘 毓賱賶 丕賱丕賳鬲賴丕亍
賰賲丕 賯賱鬲 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵丕賯毓賷丞 亘賴丕 馗賱 賲賳 丕賱賮丕賳鬲丕夭賷丕貙 賵鬲賵噩丿 亘賴丕 孬睾乇丕鬲 鬲賴丿賲 兀賷 毓賲賱 兀丿亘賷貙 賵賲賳賴丕 丕賱爻賴賵賱丞 丕賱睾乇賷亘丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲丨賰賷 亘賴丕 毓丿丞 卮禺氐賷丕鬲 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 禺丕氐丞 賱賱乇丕賵賷 毓賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱匕賷 賷亘丨孬 毓賳賴
亘卮賰賱 毓丕賲 乇賵丕賷丞 賲賲賱丞貙 賵賷亘丿賵 兀賳 丨馗賷 毓丕孬乇 賲毓 丕賱兀丿亘 丕賱賱丕鬲賷賳賷 賮賷 丕賱鬲賮乇丞 丕賱兀禺賷乇丞
賯乇兀鬲 鬲賱賰 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘爻賯賮 鬲賵賯毓丕鬲 賲乇鬲賮毓貙 賱賰賳賷 乇丕賴賳鬲 毓賱賶 噩賵丕丿 禺丕爻乇
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 鬲丿賵乇 賮賷 賲丿賷賳丞 亘乇卮賱賵賳丞 兀賷丕賳 丕賱丨賰賲 丕賱丿賷賰丕鬲賵乇賷 賱賱噩賳乇丕賱 賮乇丕賳賰賵貙 丕賱乇丕賵賷 胤賮賱 氐睾賷乇 賵賵丕賱丿賴 賷賲鬲賱賰 賲鬲噩乇 賱賱賰鬲亘貙 賮賷 亘丿丕賷丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賷氐胤丨亘 丕賱賵丕賱丿 丕亘賳賴 丕賱賵丨賷丿 賱賲丕 賷爻賲賷 賲賯亘乇丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱賲賳爻賷丞貙 丨賷孬 賷賵噩丿 賳爻禺丞 賲賳 賰賱 賰鬲丕亘 賲賴丿丿 亘丕賱囟賷丕毓貙 賷賳鬲賯賷 丕賱賵賱丿 賰鬲丕亘 亘卮賰賱 毓卮賵丕卅賷 賱賷丨鬲賮馗 亘賴貙 賱賷賯毓 丨馗賴 毓賱賶 乇賵丕賷丞 賱賰丕鬲亘 丕爻亘丕賳賷 賲睾賲賵乇 毓賳賵丕賳賴丕 馗賱 丕賱乇賷丨
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 鬲丿賵乇 亘毓丿 匕賱賰 賮賷 禺胤丕賳 賲鬲賵丕夭賷丕賳貙 丨賷丕丞 丕賱乇丕賵賷 賵賴賵 賷賰亘乇 賵亘禺丕氐丞 丨賷丕鬲賴 丕賱毓丕胤賮賷丞貙 賵丕賱禺胤 丕賱賲賵丕夭賷 賷丿賵乇 丨賵賱 乇丨賱鬲賴 賱賱亘丨孬 毓賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱睾丕賲囟 賲丐賱賮 乇賵丕賷丞 馗賱 丕賱兀賮毓賷貙 丕賱丕賳鬲賯丕賱 亘賷賳 丕賱禺胤丕賳 賱賲 賷賰賳 爻賱爻丕賸 毓賱賶 丕賱丕胤賱丕賯貙 亘賲噩乇丿 兀賳 鬲賳丿賲噩 賮賷 兀丨丿賴賲丕 丨鬲賷 賷賳賯賱賰 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 廿賱賶 丕賱禺胤 丕賱賲賵丕夭賷 賮噩兀丞 亘毓丿 兀賳 鬲賰賵賳 賯丿 賳爻賷鬲 丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 兀丨丿丕孬賴貙 賵賰毓丕丿丞 賰賱 丕賱兀毓賲丕賱 丕賱賱丕鬲賷賳賷丞貙 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賲夭丿丨賲丞 噩丿丕賸 亘丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 賵賴賵 賲丕 賷乇亘賰 丕賱賯丕乇卅 賮賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞貙 賵賰孬賷乇 賲賳賴丕 卮禺氐賷丕鬲 孬丕賳賵賷丞貙 亘賲噩乇丿 兀賳 鬲丨賮馗 丕爻賲 卮禺氐賷丞 丨鬲賶 鬲禺鬲賮賶
丕賱爻乇丿 賲乇亘賰 賱賱睾丕賷丞貙 賵鬲賷乇丞 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 鬲鬲氐丕毓丿 亘卮賰賱 噩賷丿 賮賷 亘毓囟 賮氐賵賱 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞貙 孬賲 鬲鬲亘丕胤卅 亘卮賰賱 賷孬賷乇 賲賱賱 丕賱賯丕乇卅 賮賷 賮氐賵賱 兀禺乇賶貙 賵賱丕 鬲亘丿兀 亘丕賰鬲卮丕賮 賲睾夭賶 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 廿賱賶 賵賴賷 鬲賯丕乇亘 毓賱賶 丕賱丕賳鬲賴丕亍
賰賲丕 賯賱鬲 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵丕賯毓賷丞 亘賴丕 馗賱 賲賳 丕賱賮丕賳鬲丕夭賷丕貙 賵鬲賵噩丿 亘賴丕 孬睾乇丕鬲 鬲賴丿賲 兀賷 毓賲賱 兀丿亘賷貙 賵賲賳賴丕 丕賱爻賴賵賱丞 丕賱睾乇賷亘丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲丨賰賷 亘賴丕 毓丿丞 卮禺氐賷丕鬲 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 禺丕氐丞 賱賱乇丕賵賷 毓賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱匕賷 賷亘丨孬 毓賳賴
亘卮賰賱 毓丕賲 乇賵丕賷丞 賲賲賱丞貙 賵賷亘丿賵 兀賳 丨馗賷 毓丕孬乇 賲毓 丕賱兀丿亘 丕賱賱丕鬲賷賳賷 賮賷 丕賱鬲賮乇丞 丕賱兀禺賷乇丞
August 6, 2021
Oh, this was dreadful.
To be fair, and I'll say this up front: I am NOT the right reader for this book. I shouldn't have been allowed within a ten mile radius of it, let alone read it. This was a function of being invited to a book club at my place of work, and my very first time as a participant in an in-person reading group.
I know this book is widely beloved and is an international best seller. That's a fact.
What's also a fact, is that it's ridiculously melodramatic, unbelievable, and sickly-sentimental. I can't stand the way it's written. I'll stop talking for a minute, and let the writing say it all:
"Childhood devotions make unfaithful and fickle lovers."
"Undressing a woman for the first time is like peeling a hot sweet potato on a winter's night."
"That woman is a volcano on the point of eruption with a libido of igneous magma with a heart of an angel."
"He was both funereal and incandescent."
"The servant glided away at the slightest order from the master with the efficiency and submissiveness of a body of well-trained insects."
In addition to many other quotable quotes such as the above, there's a scene in which a father and son bring a beggar into their home and the two of them bathe and towel him off. For what possible reason? Can't the beggar, an adult male, bathe himself? It takes two adult men to clean him?
And: one of the (unidimensional) female characters "insists" on describing her own eyes as "emerald and sapphire", NOT light blue. Who does this? Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't emerald and sapphire two totally different colours?
I couldn't bear all the backstory, the endless backstory. The stilted dialogue. The ending, in which the mystery is solved by the convenient discovery of a letter which answers each and every question you could possibly have, if, by the end of the 500+ pages, you still cared.
I'm sorry! What a crank I am! What a snob! Not book club material, as it turns out. And now if you'll excuse me, I'll do you all a favour and return to my solitary literary pursuits.
To be fair, and I'll say this up front: I am NOT the right reader for this book. I shouldn't have been allowed within a ten mile radius of it, let alone read it. This was a function of being invited to a book club at my place of work, and my very first time as a participant in an in-person reading group.
I know this book is widely beloved and is an international best seller. That's a fact.
What's also a fact, is that it's ridiculously melodramatic, unbelievable, and sickly-sentimental. I can't stand the way it's written. I'll stop talking for a minute, and let the writing say it all:
"Childhood devotions make unfaithful and fickle lovers."
"Undressing a woman for the first time is like peeling a hot sweet potato on a winter's night."
"That woman is a volcano on the point of eruption with a libido of igneous magma with a heart of an angel."
"He was both funereal and incandescent."
"The servant glided away at the slightest order from the master with the efficiency and submissiveness of a body of well-trained insects."
In addition to many other quotable quotes such as the above, there's a scene in which a father and son bring a beggar into their home and the two of them bathe and towel him off. For what possible reason? Can't the beggar, an adult male, bathe himself? It takes two adult men to clean him?
And: one of the (unidimensional) female characters "insists" on describing her own eyes as "emerald and sapphire", NOT light blue. Who does this? Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't emerald and sapphire two totally different colours?
I couldn't bear all the backstory, the endless backstory. The stilted dialogue. The ending, in which the mystery is solved by the convenient discovery of a letter which answers each and every question you could possibly have, if, by the end of the 500+ pages, you still cared.
I'm sorry! What a crank I am! What a snob! Not book club material, as it turns out. And now if you'll excuse me, I'll do you all a favour and return to my solitary literary pursuits.
December 20, 2012
Dire. The writing is along Dan Brown lines, with flowery metaphors mixed until they become meaningless. From page 1: "My father sighed, hiding behind the sad smile that followed him like a shadow all through his life." How can he be hiding behind it if it's following him? Then on the next page someone is described as having "vulturine features", but in the following sentence he has an "aquiline gaze". This sloppiness is everywhere.
The whole thing feels like it desperately wants be seen as some kind of profound parable, but the only result is that the characters are just implausible symbols. They are too bland even to hate 鈥� unlike the book itself, which I loathed.
The whole thing feels like it desperately wants be seen as some kind of profound parable, but the only result is that the characters are just implausible symbols. They are too bland even to hate 鈥� unlike the book itself, which I loathed.
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