the shadow of the wind, by carlos ruiz zafon – my two cents

this book was fun …

for me, it felt like a i will try to wait a moment before comparing it to other stuff

set in barcelona, from the mid 40s to the early 60s, it follows the story of a young boy and a special book. 

i could say more, but then, you could go somewhere else and read the book jacket blurb. 

what is special about this book?  it does a wonderful job of blending dusty, you-can-almost-taste it reality with sweeping fantasy.  you also see the heart of normal everyday people in barcelona, and the fascist control they try to live through.  modern spain has a dark past, and it isn`t so long ago. 

its the tale of a boy becoming a man.  and the character reads true to his age.  as a teen, he is a lovestruck annoying little shit.  like many teens.    nobody ever feels like a cardboard cutout (i am looking at YOU matthew reilly). 

you care about the characters.  or at least, i did. 

i didn`t feel that the author pulled off everything they wanted to do.  there were some weak points in the narrative.  but i love ambitious but flawed works much much more than polished works that don`t aim to be much. 

and last, i liked the book so much, i bought a copy in japanese as well (so my girlfriend can read it too).

Advertisements