bhaishu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
leightonlawliet's review against another edition
This was a recommendation from a friend and try as I might I just cannot seem to enjoy it as a story nor find myself liking any of the characters.
tashba's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
savannahprice's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
drowningfaithh's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars for Shadow of the Wind
My goodness, where to start? I love this so much, I feel like I have so much to say, yet at the same time, I am rendered speechless.
The novel was captivating with its beautiful prose and haunting quality. The first few chapters hooked me instantly. I thoroughly enjoyed the rampant themes presented in this book—power of literature, desire and abuse of power, the duality of man and the inherent evil living within, love and obsession, and masculinity. Most especially, I appreciate the parallels between Daniel and Julián. In a way, it was telling us that history has a habit of repeating itself. It’s the choices we make to change the course of events. The back and forth between the present and the past to show the motives of the characters’ actions were also a delight to unravel.
One thing I was put off of was how poorly the women of the story were treated. They were expendable and often overly sexualized as if all they were was accessories to the story and the men. Given that the book is written in Daniel’s point of view, his inner thoughts about the women he encounters were out in the open for us to see. There’s no other way to say it, but he was horny at times. I mean, he wanted to kiss a 40 something woman. Really. Meanwhile, Fermín was... always horny. I like his character and the friendship he developed with Daniel, but when he opens his mouth about women, it’s often offensive and I would like for him to shut up.
Overall, I loved the book, and the end was heartwarming and fitting. It is definitely worth the read!
My goodness, where to start? I love this so much, I feel like I have so much to say, yet at the same time, I am rendered speechless.
The novel was captivating with its beautiful prose and haunting quality. The first few chapters hooked me instantly. I thoroughly enjoyed the rampant themes presented in this book—power of literature, desire and abuse of power, the duality of man and the inherent evil living within, love and obsession, and masculinity. Most especially, I appreciate the parallels between Daniel and Julián. In a way, it was telling us that history has a habit of repeating itself. It’s the choices we make to change the course of events. The back and forth between the present and the past to show the motives of the characters’ actions were also a delight to unravel.
One thing I was put off of was how poorly the women of the story were treated. They were expendable and often overly sexualized as if all they were was accessories to the story and the men. Given that the book is written in Daniel’s point of view, his inner thoughts about the women he encounters were out in the open for us to see. There’s no other way to say it, but he was horny at times. I mean, he wanted to kiss a 40 something woman. Really. Meanwhile, Fermín was... always horny. I like his character and the friendship he developed with Daniel, but when he opens his mouth about women, it’s often offensive and I would like for him to shut up.
Overall, I loved the book, and the end was heartwarming and fitting. It is definitely worth the read!
kevincarbone's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
silvia1610's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
viveknshah's review against another edition
4.0
Hooter: A bookstore owner's boy tries to unravel the mystery behind a rare book he finds and even more mysterious author who wrote it.
This is a beautifully written book filled with melodrama we often associate with the classics - I totally see a Phantom of the opera-esque Broadway show on this plot line. A library of forgotten books where the boy stumbles onto a book whose author has an even more mysterious past. Each character has a storied past as the boy gets to know more whilst he deals with his adolescence and puberty. The book has a gripping format with the romance of the bygone Spanish era sprinkled all over - the aristocratic age. There is a bit of Oliver Twist, Phantom of the Opera, Count of Monte Cristo that you feel a sense of. But weighed down by it's own beauty , I feel the ending goes down a predictable path as the author tries to tie up all the loose ends without wanting to rush through.
The book tugs at a bibliophile . Here are a sprinkling of quotes :
“In the shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner. Every book you see here has been somebody’s best friend."
“Books are mirrors - you only see in them what you already have inside you.”
"the art of reading is slowly dying, it's an intimate ritual, a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.”
Zafon even translated has shown mastery of prose and this book makes you love it just for being a bibliophile apart from being a historical fiction mystery drama.
This is a beautifully written book filled with melodrama we often associate with the classics - I totally see a Phantom of the opera-esque Broadway show on this plot line. A library of forgotten books where the boy stumbles onto a book whose author has an even more mysterious past. Each character has a storied past as the boy gets to know more whilst he deals with his adolescence and puberty. The book has a gripping format with the romance of the bygone Spanish era sprinkled all over - the aristocratic age. There is a bit of Oliver Twist, Phantom of the Opera, Count of Monte Cristo that you feel a sense of. But weighed down by it's own beauty , I feel the ending goes down a predictable path as the author tries to tie up all the loose ends without wanting to rush through.
The book tugs at a bibliophile . Here are a sprinkling of quotes :
“In the shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner. Every book you see here has been somebody’s best friend."
“Books are mirrors - you only see in them what you already have inside you.”
"the art of reading is slowly dying, it's an intimate ritual, a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.”
Zafon even translated has shown mastery of prose and this book makes you love it just for being a bibliophile apart from being a historical fiction mystery drama.
maitecamp14's review against another edition
3.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.4 / 5
i’ve got to say that this may be the biggest disappointment in a novel so far this year for me. since i started it, i knew this was a big book and one that people really love, so my expectations were super high.
while i didn’t hate this, i really didn’t loved it either. for me, it’s just one of those books you read and then you’re like “okay, it’s done, let’s move on”. i only felt attached to this book once while reading so yeah, i wasn’t that interested in the plot.
although, i have to say the writing was absolutely amazing, so beautiful that sometimes i found myself getting lost in it. zafon’s writing reminds me a lot of garcia marquez, i felt like this was as if he had a kid.
that being said, the book’s not perfect, there are some flaws to the plot that got me confused and wondering about. but i’m glad i read this in spanish, it was very unique.
i’ve got to say that this may be the biggest disappointment in a novel so far this year for me. since i started it, i knew this was a big book and one that people really love, so my expectations were super high.
while i didn’t hate this, i really didn’t loved it either. for me, it’s just one of those books you read and then you’re like “okay, it’s done, let’s move on”. i only felt attached to this book once while reading so yeah, i wasn’t that interested in the plot.
although, i have to say the writing was absolutely amazing, so beautiful that sometimes i found myself getting lost in it. zafon’s writing reminds me a lot of garcia marquez, i felt like this was as if he had a kid.
that being said, the book’s not perfect, there are some flaws to the plot that got me confused and wondering about. but i’m glad i read this in spanish, it was very unique.