Reviews about the "Shadow of the Wind" Carlos Ruiz Safon will appeal to all fans of this Spanish writer. This is a science fiction novel that was written in 2001. Almost immediately, he became incredibly popular and loved by thousands of readers around the world. It has been translated into Russian. This article provides a summary of it, as well as the reviews that readers leave.
About the book
In reviews of the "Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Safon, many note how fascinating this work is. His events begin to unfold in 1945, when a father brings his son to a mysterious place located in the center of the Old Town. It is called the cemetery of forgotten books.
At this point, the main character, whose name is Daniel Semper, discovers a damned book. She immerses him in a network of intricate intrigues and secrets unfolding in the dark soul of the city itself.
The book "Shadow of the Wind" is an intellectual thriller, the events of which unfold in Barcelona, ​​where the author himself comes from. Throughout it you can trace the whole way from the splendor of modernism to the darkness of war. In fact, it is a mixture of a fairy tale with a historical novel and comedy of manners. Moreover, the tragic love story, which unfolds over a considerable time period, occupies an important place in the work.
“Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Safon is a qualitatively written novel in which the author reveals intrigues and conspiracies, removing them as if from a nesting doll. All this he succeeds incredibly masterfully. The intrigue lasts literally until the last pages of the novel.
Author
The author of the book "Shadow of the Wind" Carlos Ruiz Safon. He was born in Barcelona in 1964. Known not only as a popular Catalan writer, but also as a composer. After graduating from a Jesuit school, he decided to study computer science.
Studying in the first year, attracted the attention of a major advertising agency. As a result, he built a successful career, becoming the director of the creative department. Remained in this position until 1992.
After that, his literary career actually began. In 1993, he released a series of mystical novels, the main target audience of which was teenagers. These were the works “Lord of the Mist,” “Palace of Midnight,” and “Light of September,” which were eventually combined into the “Trilogy of the Mist.”
In 2001, his first novel was released, originally intended for an adult audience. It was the book "Shadow of the Wind." This work brought him great popularity, was translated into 30 languages ​​of the world. In total, it was published in more than 40 countries with a total circulation of over 10 million copies.
Saphon’s book “Shadow of the Wind” was followed by the novel “Game of the Angel”, which was published by the Barcelona publishing house immediately with a circulation of one million copies. His novel "The Prisoner of the Sky" became famous. It was written in 2011, immediately becoming the best-selling book in Latin America. In recent years, he wrote "Marina" and "Labyrinth of ghosts."
Summary
Speaking about Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s trilogy “Shadow of the Wind”, most readers note that this is a really high-quality literary work. The novel takes place in Barcelona in 1945. At the center of the story is the boy Daniel, who is 11 years old. He is the son of a second-hand book dealer who finds in the Forgotten Books Cemetery (a mysterious specific institution) a novel called "Shadow of the Wind", which was written by unknown author Julian Carax.
Daniel liked the book so much that he begins to try to find at least some information about its author. This is not an easy task, because practically nothing is known about the writer.
Looking for information about him, the protagonist of the novel falls in love with a blind girl named Klara, who at the same time is the daughter of a millionaire. This is the first true love in the life of Daniel, but later it turns out that it is not the only and not the strongest.
At the same time, a mysterious stranger appears on the streets of Barcelona, ​​who actually hunts for copies of that same Carax novel, destroying and burning them. Daniel has to find out his motives, why he is so hated by these books.
In telling a brief summary of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's Shadow of the Wind, an important circumstance should be noted. The fact is that the fate of Daniel actually repeats in the most mystical way the story of Carax, which unfolded in the 1920-1930s. In reviews of the book "Shadow of the Wind", readers admit that they are fascinated by this unique and invisible connection. The further the plot unfolds, the more incredible similarities are revealed.
The main character Daniel has to overcome many obstacles to save his friends, as well as the love of his life. The situation is complicated by the fact that the events of the novel develop under the Franco regime. Moreover, judging by the reviews of the book "Shadow of the Wind", the disadvantage of this work is that authoritarian oppression is not felt at all, although by all logic it should play a big role. The reader, even not being an expert on modern Spanish history, is surprised that Safon prefers to leave behind the scenes all kinds of social disasters, which, of course, occurred at that time. At the same time, the heroes of the novel are placed in a completely separate world. Due to this, the author manages to create some kind of magical atmosphere of what is happening. Interestingly, Safon manages not to focus on the vile elements of life, the physiology in his work is almost completely absent. He intentionally does not want to shock anyone, directing all the forces of his work to create a fascinating story.
In reviews of "Shadow of the Wind" readers admit that, at times, they are simply struck by a huge number of characters. With great difficulty, you have to wade through Spanish names that are unusual for a Russian, as a result, at some moments you simply get lost, not understanding what is happening, who is who.
The essence of the work
In the reviews of The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Safon, no deep metaphysical or philosophical ideas can be noticed. Those who are deeply familiar with all the work of this author acknowledge that his novel “The Game of the Angel” looks much better in this regard, although the ideas presented there do not appear in the most outstanding form.
In fact, "Shadow of the Wind" is a detective story. Therefore, those who do not favor such a genre, around the middle of the work, may begin to frankly miss. But if they still find the effort to continue reading, then they will encounter a dramatic and interesting ending. By a detective it is important to understand not a trivial investigation of a crime, but a polysyllabic design created by the author, in which there are a huge number of all kinds of secrets and mysteries.
In reviews of The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Safon, readers acknowledge that they are faced with a fascinating narrative, from which it is simply impossible to break away from a certain point. In such a situation, you have to urgently put off all other things in order to immerse yourself in the text, to find out how it will end. In reviews of the book "Shadow of the Wind," Safon is given the ability to capture the attention of the reader. You do not have to call the text truly intellectual. Rather, he is intelligent, but not without a certain charm, it is worth noting a strong and well-built composition.
If we talk about the nature of the characters, they do not differ sufficiently deeply elaborated, but they can really and sincerely fall in love, only by imagining what difficult tests fell on their lot.
Unique atmosphere
In reviews of Safon's Shadow of the Wind, readers are sure to pay attention to the outstanding atmosphere created by the writer. The events of this work unfold in Barcelona, ​​while the reader manages to really feel this city, to plunge into its atmosphere. Even without ever being in this city, it is possible to imbue his mood.
The writer makes an interesting decision, focusing on descriptions of obscure poetry in the descriptions. As a result, the image of Catalonia seems like a toy.
As a result, this novel turns out to be a kind of love story, even more than the novel "The Game of an Angel". All the issues addressed in this novel are presented in the context of exalted love, while metaphysics, as it were, descends to the earth. Moreover, this is a love story, which can be fully respected, since it is really well and deeply spelled out.
The novel provides food for the mind, but very poor. But readers get a huge amount of really strong and vivid emotions. The complex and famously twisted plot is impressive; with such a thorough work of the writer, one has to deal with material infrequently. The work is densely saturated with various events, so you can guarantee that it will not leave anyone indifferent.
Knowing the other works of Safon, one can expect mystical moods in this novel. But there is no obvious mysticism in it. But the original mystical atmosphere was created, plunging into which you read the whole work with enthusiasm. This is a truly amazing state when you feel the ghosts nearby, but looking back, you realize that they really are not.
In reviews of The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Safon, readers admit that after such an experience they will read other works of this author without hesitation. It is clearly visible that the writer does not stand still in his development, this is clear even from several of his books. He is experimenting with different styles and literary trends. Speaking of his work, it is just not necessary to reproach Safon with dullness and uniformity.
Characters
To understand the essence of the novel, let us dwell in more detail on its characters. At the center of the story is the main character, who is Daniel Semper. He is the son of a book seller working on Santa Anna Street.
In 1945, he becomes the owner of a unique copy of the mysterious writer’s novel, about which almost nothing can be learned. He tries to find him, even despite the fact that he has to face a huge danger and risk to his life. As a result, the fate of himself is most directly and closely connected with the biography of this writer and the book itself, which has become his favorite.
Among the main characters should also be highlighted Julian Carax. As a boy, he fell in love with Penelope Aldaya. When he grew up, he turned into a talented writer who became the author of a fascinating novel. Moreover, his fate was such that he was doomed to oblivion and destruction. According to the existing version, he was the son of a hatter when he grew up, spent some time in Paris until the Civil War broke out there.
In the novel by Julian Carax, around which the main events of the work unfold, the devil acts. it is derived under the pseudonym Lain Coober. He is transferred to reality from a fictional world, starting to actually pursue Daniel Semper.
Gustavo Barcelo is the owner of a bookshop on Ferran Street, which looks more like a mysterious and mysterious cave. He turns out to be the unspoken leader of the second-hand bookshop, personifying his elite. Barcelo was born in a small Spanish town, but at the same time claims to be a direct descendant of Lord Byron, is in close relationship with him. He is seriously interested in Daniel's book "Shadow of the Wind."
An important place in the narrative is occupied by a chatty poor man named Fermin Romero de Torres. He claims to have been captured in the basement of Montjuic for espionage during the Civil War. If you believe his words, he was related to high-class espionage and intelligence.
Among the main characters, it is also worth noting the senior police inspector Javier Fumero, who once was a mercenary once upon a time. After the Civil War, he turned into one of the main tormentors in the cellars of Montjuic.
Gothic romance
In reviews of The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Safon, readers acknowledge that this is a unique example of a truly high-quality Gothic novel. We rarely have to deal with such books in our time, since their time is considered to be completely past. These truly atmospheric things are now considered worth their weight in gold.
Modern authors have to look for their own approach to writing such works, going literally in search of the philosopher's stone. Safon does not need to look for anything. He already knows the magic recipe for creating such works.
Recipe from the author
Answering the question of how to write a worthy mystical novel, Safon takes the ancient city as a basis, begins to lovingly describe its streets, on which there was so much love and death. Then his recipe necessarily includes a secret that is hidden in the darkest corners of the city. It can be a mysterious cemetery, an abandoned mansion, which is notorious, gloomy parks that are illuminated by a bright moon at night are excellent. In these dark scenery, he then places several unspoiled and romantic souls who are ready to do a lot for love.
Mixing a detective story with mysticism and drama, Safon demonstrates how he is able to masterfully handle these components. At a certain point, it becomes obvious that it is drama that plays the main role, becoming a kind of solvent that absorbs everything else. In reviews of "Shadow of the Wind," readers admiringly admit that the book has enough components that you traditionally expect from a similar Gothic piece.
In Safon’s novel there is a place and tragedy that overcomes space and time, responding with a peculiar echo even after several decades. At the same time, she breaks into the lives of ordinary people, suddenly starting to play a decisive role in their fate.
Characters
Fans of Gothic texts admire the talent with which the author reveals the characters of the main characters, how he manages to come up with absolutely incredible characters. For example, the writer Julian, who hated his own works, the cheerful cheerleader and prankster Fermin, an honest and out of years smart guy Daniel. Finally, there is a place for the baby Mikel with the eyes of a sage, a murderer in the clothes of a servant of the Fumero law.
It is the depth of these images that makes the story so sincere and fascinating. In fact, Shadow of the Wind is a book in a book that is simply doomed to repeat its mistakes over and over again. A small volume, accidentally discovered by Daniel, suddenly enters his life, the characters of this many forgotten stories begin to have decisive significance for the protagonist.
Lust, passion, devotion and hatred break into ordinary human life, completely changing it. All that remains for the heroes themselves is to try to get out of the maelstrom of events with the least shock for themselves, making as few mistakes as possible.
The result is Fermin, who left in the past the horror of the torture chambers in the dungeons of Montjuic.
disadvantages
Objectively evaluating the work, we have to admit that there are enough shortcomings in it. The actions and actions of most of the main characters are calculated in advance, the detective intrigue as a result is too straightforward, while some of the incredible coincidences that occur with the characters do not receive at least any logical and intelligible explanation.
Redeeming all these disadvantages is only the crystal clear character that the writer manages to create. With the help of his main character, Daniel Safon himself gives a surprisingly accurate assessment of his work. In his opinion, this is a story about the cursed books and the man who wrote them. One of the characters leaves the pages of the novel to talk about lost friendship and betrayal, hatred, love and dreams that live in the shadow of the wind.
It is possible that it all gives away somewhat cheap pathetics and boulevard, but it still unrestrainedly pulls to get acquainted with this novel.