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frenandjen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
wortwahl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Incest, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and War
schwabbelliese's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What I did have issue with was the overall pacing of the book. It is, to put it simply, just weird. The time span inbetween events is often hard to follow and fully comprehend. And I just feel like that is super unnecessary.
The novel was definitly drawn out too long for a plot that wasn't really that complicated.
The female characters were rather out of touch and of little depht or impotance. Mostly just existing so the male charcters could fawn over them for reasons that if existent at all, aren't illustrated very well. And even tough it seems obvouis that Zafón uses a specific image of or attitude towards women to embed his story even deeper in it's historical setting, he still could have put more effort in.
Graphic: Violence, Police brutality, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Hate crime, Incest, Misogyny, and Excrement
Minor: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Antisemitism, Mass/school shootings, Lesbophobia, and War
bluejay21's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
bestnarryever's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
And once again, a book everyone loves that I hate
This was one of the worst reading experiences I've ever had (note: emphasis on "EXPERIENCE", because it reflects only my experience and not the quality of the book)
Yes, I'm that annoyed and revolted comment among several 5 stars and why didn't I like it? Because books have different effects on people!
“Why didn't you DNF it then?" Honestly, because I wanted to know if I'm crazy for being the only person I know who couldn't stand to read this book. I only finished it because I found an audiobook on Scribd.
I do have to admit that the book’s elements are well connected and that Zafon's writing is beautiful (but not stunning), but that was only worth a 2-star pity rating. The book isn't bad, but it's definitely not for me.
Starting at the core of the problem: the book lean towards a genre I don’t like - mystery. I can't stand it when the author purposefully hides something during the entire book to reveal it only at the end, and in the case of “The Shadow of the Wind”, this book is a big nothing in between, and throws all the information you wanted to know at the end, when everything could have been told to you at 20%.
“But the book also brings atmosphere and historical fiction." Okay. However, the beautiful writing came mostly in moments of total digression, with some irrelevant information or even talking about characters that we never saw again. I also hated the “journey” structure of going here and there asking people things. It was STALLING. Also, the historical fiction elements - which is one of my favorite genres - got lost with so much shallow characters. I would say 25% of the characters are relevant. I was extremely disappointed that a character like Nuria, super intriguing, is just a spokesperson, and Daniel's father looks like a mannequin who only questions the boy. Oh, and Daniel is also shallow, no one can convince me otherwise. To finish it off, one of the characters we know best is rotten when it comes to personality, he is racist and sexist - despite it being a characteristic of the time, he trivialized the comments to a point of changing the focal point of my reading into that in a book that is not even about these prejudices. Some scenes are even heavier than heavy scenes in historical fiction books about prejudice I've read.
I end the review by saying: yes, read it. I know that I can't stand mystery, I just didn't expect to be so disappointed, considering that I liked the first 10%. Also: my opinion is not the absolute truth, so here's one more reason for you to read and draw your own conclusions. But for me, it sucked.
Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, and Death of parent
distilledreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
cryptogay's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
The themes are very similar to that of Marina, and in many ways this feels like a retelling of that same story. A deep, ghostly, otherworldly mystery is the centerpiece, a young man who falls in love easily dedicates himself to trying to unravel it. The women are pale, beautiful, and largely absent. A kindly and broken hearted father figure is present, but rarely spoken to. It all takes place in an older, more secretive, more ruinous version of Barcelona. The protagonist is reflecting on and writing down the experiences of his youth many years later. It becomes somewhat easy to predict aspects of the mystery, if you've read Zafón before.
But, his writing is a pleasure to read, his skill in crafting suspense and mystery keeps you reading, and much of the horror is genuinely chilling. The story is intricately crafted, but somehow seems to have sprung up naturally. The humanity of other people is a strong focus. Its an interesting book, and one I cannot help but feel an affection towards.
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy
Moderate: Miscarriage, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
texassizedreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Child death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Abortion, Murder, and Pregnancy