The Shadow of the Wind - Book Review

Today I am going to deviate a little from my typical platform of making fun of people, making fun of myself or ripping on Obama. I think there is enough sadness and devastation going on in Haiti right now without that.

So instead, I am going to do something I've never done before, write a book review. Those of you who follow me might remember my hub Where Have All The Nice People Gone where I mentioned finding an astonishing amount of kindness at my local public library. Well, I also found a fantastic book that I feel compelled to tell you all about.

I was in a hurry this particular day, so I quickly scanned the New Books section. I liked the cover of this particular book, and saw that it was a New York Times Bestseller, so I checked it out. I know, never judge a book by its cover and all that, but really, they don't call it marketing for nothing!

The Shadow of the Wind is a story that was originally written in Spanish, and was translated to English by Lucia Graves (beautifully so, I might add). It is a story about many things, books, the love of literature, scandal, murder, corrupt government, friendship and tragedy.

The story begins when a young child who mourns the memory of his mother is taken to a mysterious and wondrous cavern filled with forgotten books. In this dark cavern, he finds a book that will change his life, or perhaps lead him to his fate.

That discovery leads this boy on a lifelong journey. The book spans a fairly long time period (1945-1966), and during this time,we get to watch this splendidly well rounded character develop relationships with a plethora of fabulous characters; his nurturing and lovable father, a myterious, sensual blind woman who steals Daniel's heart from day one, an intelligent and mysterious book seller, and my personal favorite, a homeless man who becomes Daniel's very best friend, and truly reveals that people are not always what they seem.

This character, Fermin Romero de Torres is my favorite of the whole story. A man that most people wouldn't waste even enough saliva to spit on, turns out to have more integrity, loyalty and kindness in his little finger than most humans can muster in a lifetime.

As mentioned before, the discovery of a book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books sends Daniel on a lifelong journey. Not only is his a journey into the lifelong love of reading and imagination, but most importantly a journey to find out what happened to the author of the book he rescued that fateful and gloomy day. Daniel is awestruck by the book he finds, written by one mysterious Julian Carax, and as so often happens when we discover writing that speaks to our souls, he, of course, wants to read more by this man. He is shocked to disover that not only did Julian not write much, but what little he did write was met with very little commercial success,and even sadder, all of his books are being systematically hunted and destroyed.

Daniel then spends the next few years trying to find out more about Julian, and becomes inertwined with the book and with Julian in suprising and sometimes heartbreaking ways.

I fell in love with this book for many reasons. It is beautifully written, but without being showy. You know how sometimes you get the feeling that the author is more concerned with showing off his/her mastery of language than in actually creating a story? Zafon does an impeccable job of not only telling a very complicated story, but also of making you fall in love with the characters, and of transporting you to Spain in the 40's and 50's. He is brilliant in his use of imagery,and you practically see the story unfold before you as if on a movie screen. (Put in the hands of the right screenwriter and director, I think this book would make a fantastic movie).

If you are someone who has had a lifelong love affair with books, this story is for you.

If you are someone who enjoys reading about love and loss, this story is for you.

If you are sick of predictable romance or your every day run of the mill murder mystery, this book is for you.

I would highly recommend this story to anyone, young, old, rich or poor, and I look forward to comments from others who have read this book!