The Cemetery of Forgotten Books

Source: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51naG-FeFpL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg 

Excerpt:

"The man called Isaac nodded and invited us in. A blue-tinted gloom obscured the sinuous contours of a marble staircase and a gallery of frescoes peopled with angels and fabulous creatures. We followed our host through a palatial corridor and arrived at a sprawling round hall, a virtual basilica of shadows spiraling up and under a high glass dome, its dimness pierced by shafts of light that stabbed from above. A labyrinth of passageways and crammed bookshelves rose from base to pinnacle like a beehive woven with tunnels, steps, platforms, and bridges that presaged an immense library of seemingly impossible geometry. I looked at my father, stunned. He smiled and winked. 

'Welcome to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, Daniel.' " (Zafon, 5). 

Summary: The Shadow of the Wind written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is set in Barcelona, 1945. Daniel, whose father owns a bookshop, chooses his first book "The Shadow of the Wind" by Julian Carax from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. From there, a mystery begins in which a very peculiar looking man begins to follow Daniel everywhere in order to obtain the book. Along the way, Daniel discovers that someone is systematically destroying all the books written by Julian Carax and that the book that Daniel holds might as well be one of the last ones left.  

Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Pages: 487

My Thoughts: 

Carlos Ruiz Zafon has a very unique writing style that really draws you into the book. You get a very vivid image of each scene within the book and although I cannot make any personal connections with the characters, the author does a really good job with building a relationship between the readers and characters to the point where you feel like they can be your second family. The eerie atmosphere the author builds is a perfect read this fall season with Halloween right around the corner especially if you want a good book to curl up in a blanket with a warm cup of cider to. 

What we can imagine would be the Cemetery of Forgotten Books

Pros:

This book has won many awards and has been a rave for many with really great ratings and reviews on Goodreads and other acclaimed reading forums. Anyone who loves reading a book that provides very detailed descriptions of a situation or scene will love The Shadow of The Wind, the writing style in which Carlos Ruiz Zafon writes the point of view of the young boy Daniel really makes his character seem like the average boy just trying to climb out of a sticky situation that seems to be spiraling out of his control.   

Characters: Every Character is essential in the novel; however, they are all very different from each other. There is no one character that I identify with but I identify with an aspect of each one. The main character Daniel, is a young boy who is going through that teen phase where he wants to be independent and free from his dad restrictions yet he still looks out for him and goes out of his way to reduce his father's stress of work whenever he can, which I can completely relate to along with many teens my age. Daniel's father is a calm and collected man who is normally considered the peacekeeper of the novel, a character whom everyone in the town has a lot of respect for. Fermin Romero de Torres comes from a very painful military background, he is very intelligent and seems to know about everything and he especially knows how to get around town when buying books for the store at shockingly low prices.  

  

Cons: 

Characters: Daniel often bashed out at his Father even though his Father was looking out for Daniel's best interests. A particular scene that shocked me was when Daniel's father bought Daniel a birthday cake that he could barely afford but because Daniel was so angry at his own stupidity, he lashed out on his father and never even ate the cake or thanked his father for buying it for him. Fermin Romero de Torres is another character whose actions I disliked, he seemed to get carried away too often and he was very stubborn in his ways especially in decision making situations that he didn't even really have a say in. Both these characters at times showed selfishness which is what I really disliked. 

Topics: Earlier I talked about the birthday cake scene between Daniel and his Father and that made me really sad because it really disappoints me when people take their parents for granted, I always tend to be overwhelmed with homework, work, and extracurriculars to be able to spend time with my parents besides meal time, and so when I get a day off to relax I make sure to take full advantage of it to spend time with my family. 

Setting:

What others have to say about the book!

Micheal Dirda, The Washington Post: 

"Anyone who enjoys novels that are scary, erotic, touching, tragic, and thrilling should rush right out to the nearest bookstore and pick up The Shadow of the Wind. Really you should."

Entertainment Weekly, Editor's Choice:

"Wondrous...masterful...The Shadow of The Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature, intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero."