Carlos Ruiz Zafón has done justice to the characters and storyline. The Shadow of the Wind is a gripping tale of mystery, loss, revenge, struggle and love.
The Spanish version (titled La sombra del viento) was written in 2001. This English version was translated from Spanish by Lucia Graves in 2004.
The story of The Shadow of the Wind revolves around Daniel Sempere, but along the way, the plot reveals the life stories of many other characters as well. Characters feel like living and breathing souls from the past.
In my opinion, the ending would have been better if Daniel had died, but the way the author has put every piece of the puzzle in place shows his mastery over his art.
The characters of Fermin Romero de Torres and Julian Carax are fascinating because they compel you to read more to find out about their real story.
The setting in Barcelona, which is healing from the Spanish Civil War in 1945, is quite captivating as well.
The Cemetery of Forgotten book series
The Shadow of the Wind is part of a book series called The Cemetery of Forgotten. This book series is an intriguing tale that keeps the reader engrossed to find out what happens next in the plot.
The other three books in the series are not as well-written; nonetheless, once you read The Shadow of the Wind, you cannot just stop there – you feel the urge to read the other three books as well.
While the order of reading this book series does not matter, I enjoyed reading them in the order of their publishing. So, if you are wondering in which order to read The Cemetery of Forgotten books, here is what I recommend:
- The shadow of the wind
- The Angel’s Game
- Prisoner of Heaven
- The Labyrinth of Spirits
Reading in this order will help you create a connected narrative of all the characters. It will also help you understand how different characters end up being the way they are in the story.
Beyond any doubt, The Shadow of the Wind is the crowning story of the whole series.
