Saturday, June 17, 2006
book report: Shadow of the Wind
Shadow of the Wind
by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I had never heard of this book before my friend E* included it in a box of gifts she mailed me. E* has an unusual talent for selecting gifts for me despite the fact that we've only seen each other once in the past 10 years, and that I clearly do not hold up my end of the gift-giving exchange nearly as well! So when I discovered this novel in the box, I figured she knew what she was doing.
And wow, did she ever. I was rivted by the story - it opens with our narrator Daniel, a young boy at the time, awakening from a nightmare. His father, a bookseller, decides to comfort him by taking him to visit the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, where Daniel chooses an obscure novel by author Julian Carax to treasure as his own.
From there, the story quickly becomes more complex and convoluted. I thought at the beginning that it would be a novel of self-discovery, but it develops into more of a mystery and adventure than I expected. There are innumerable twists and turns. I had trouble putting it down, even at work. In fact, my coworkers at The Home teased me for holding the book with one hand and trying to eat my lunch with the other.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though Ruiz Zafon has any other books out, at least not in English. I would be happy to discover that I am wrong!
by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I had never heard of this book before my friend E* included it in a box of gifts she mailed me. E* has an unusual talent for selecting gifts for me despite the fact that we've only seen each other once in the past 10 years, and that I clearly do not hold up my end of the gift-giving exchange nearly as well! So when I discovered this novel in the box, I figured she knew what she was doing.
And wow, did she ever. I was rivted by the story - it opens with our narrator Daniel, a young boy at the time, awakening from a nightmare. His father, a bookseller, decides to comfort him by taking him to visit the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, where Daniel chooses an obscure novel by author Julian Carax to treasure as his own.
From there, the story quickly becomes more complex and convoluted. I thought at the beginning that it would be a novel of self-discovery, but it develops into more of a mystery and adventure than I expected. There are innumerable twists and turns. I had trouble putting it down, even at work. In fact, my coworkers at The Home teased me for holding the book with one hand and trying to eat my lunch with the other.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though Ruiz Zafon has any other books out, at least not in English. I would be happy to discover that I am wrong!
Labels: book reports, mysteries
