This is a dark and intricate story involving a mysterious rare book and its author. It takes place in post revolution 1950's Barcelona and is full of gothic images and interesting characters. The plot twists are many and the overall effect is gripping and sensual. It is certainly a different atmosphere from what we are used to in a modern novel. I loved it.

A boy (11) in post-war Barcelona receives a book and learns that all of the books by the author have been systematically destroyed. His search for an answer is riveting, and takes him through young adulthood. My 16 year old son couldn't put it down.A great choice for teen readers (15 and up)who are ready for something out of the box - mystery with a rich taste of romance.

Barcelona, 1945—A great world city lies shrouded in secrets after the war, and a boy mourning the loss of his mother finds solace in his love for an extraordinary book called The Shadow of the Wind, by an author named Julian Carax. When the boy searches for Carax’s other books, it begins to dawn on him, to his horror, that someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book the man has ever written. Soon the boy realizes that The Shadow of the Wind is as dangerous to own as it is impossible to forget, for the mystery of its author’s identity holds the key to an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love that someone will go to any lengths to keep secret.

If you thought the true gothic novel died with the nineteenth century, this will change your mind... This is one gorgeous read. (Stephen King) …rush right out to the nearest bookstore and pick up The Shadow of the Wind. (Michael Dirda, The Washington Post) Wondrous... masterful... The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature… (Entertainment Weekly, A, Editor’s Choice) ‘Gabriel García Márquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges’ for a sprawling magic show. (Richard Eder, The New York Times Book Review)

Carlos Ruiz Zafón lives in Barcelona with this wife.
Lucia Graves is the author and translator of many works and has overseen Spanish-language editions of the poetry of her father, Robert Graves.

Imprint: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Distributor: Penguin Group USA, Inc
Publication Date: 01-25-2005
Pages: 512
Measurements: 8.46in X 5.58in X 1.13in X 0.96lb