Read by Theme discussion

Carol wrote: "The description of the movie you watched in elementary school reminds me of the book The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon--at least the idea of the boundaries between reality and fantasy ..."

I've had this ebook on hold at my library for months and it just came available last week. I was going to read one of the other "Blue books" but you guys solved it for me. Since I've read my blue book for the month (and I may read another), I'll read this. And already what a show!

"... a sprawling round hall, a virtual basilica of shadows spiraling up under a high glass dome, its dimness pierced by shafts of light that stabbed from above. A labyrinth of passageways and crammed bookshelves rose from base to pinnacle like a beehive woven with tunnels, steps, platforms, and bridges that presaged an immense library of seemingly impossible geometry. I looked at my father, stunned. He smiled at me and winked. 'Welcome to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, Daniel.'" -Page 5.

Its a good thing I'm home sick today. I don't know if I'll be able to put this down. :)
P.S. One could count this as a blue book since it's Spanish edition does have a blue cover, but I'm feeling rebellious anyway and besides, I haven't learned Spanish yet.

Oh this seems like a good book!! In addition to the actual story that seems interesting, I love Barcelona so I think I might enjoy this one. It's on my to-read list now. =)

Definitely looking forward to your opinions!

I hadn't heard of that book before, but after reading the description (of the English edition - I don't know Spanish, either), I added it to my ever-growing to-read list. I look forward to hearing how you like it.

BEST BOOK EVER! Picked it up by chance but I absolutely loved it, and apparently it is part of a series.

Madeleine wrote: "BEST BOOK EVER! Picked it up by chance but I absolutely loved it, and apparently it is part of a series."

It's not a part of a series, but Zafon wrote two other books that are actually quite similiar to this one-The Angel's Game and Marina. I have read The shadow of the wind and The angel's game and the first one is my favorite! but all three of them are kind of similiar because of the characters and I think they are all set in Barcelona
I like him as a writer but I wish he would write a little bit more diverse stories...

oh, sorry, I had a wrong information, and I didn't know about the third book...
I found Marina the other day in a book store and it seems interesting, I should put it on my to-read list

well it's translated in crotian, so I do believe it's already translated in english! I don't know where you're from, here in europe he is very popular so he gets translated very quickly ;)

Actually, Marina hasn't been published in English yet, though there are quite a few translations for other European languages. (And I can't seem to find a date for when an English version might be available, so I guess it hasn't been licensed yet.)

My impression so far is a good one. One thing that keeps bothering me as I read ... he uses the word "shadow" OFTEN! I mean, things are in shadows, or are the color of shadows, or are shadowed ... the narrator has shadowy visions or thoughts ... people come out of shadows, etc. I wondered if, since this is a translation from the original Spanish, it's similar to the adage about multiple words for those with only one in English. So I looked it up and could only find two or three possible translations in the Spanish. My point? Overkill. Just saying. More to follow.

All finished. Here's what I thought:

It was a good book, but not phenomenal. I'm not sure what all the fuss was about. It started out reading like that of an author's first book - one that is a great storyteller, but still not a master of language or word combination. There was, in my opinion, too much use of the "shadow and smoke" motif and especially the actual word, "shadow." This story was good, with a few twists (one that I only saw coming at the last minute and really cracked a smile as I read) and lots of creativity. I think this is not the best Carlos Ruiz Zafron can deliver given the nature of the story's development. So I am looking forward to reading the next release by the author since it follows the same characters. I hope, as with some authors, that his story will remain as good or grow, and that the flow of the telling will take on a more fluid and mature art form.

All in all, a book worth my time and I enjoyed it.

I loved this book! Going to start The Prince of Mist soon hopefully.