The Shadow of the Wind
THE MODERN CLASSIC: OVER 20 MILLION COPIES SOLD
A Sunday Times bestseller and a Richard & Judy book club pick
‘The real deal: one gorgeous read’ Stephen King
‘This book will change your life. An instant classic’ Daily Telegraph
‘A book lover’s dream’ The Times
Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the ‘Cemetery of Lost Books’, a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out ‘The Shadow of the Wind’ by Julian Carax.
But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find.
Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from the book, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax’s work in order to burn them.
What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind…
‘Marvellous’ Sunday Times
‘A hymn of praise to all the joys of reading’ Independent
‘Gripping and instantly atmospheric’ Mail on Sunday
‘Irresistibly readable’ Guardian
‘Diabolically good’ Elle
A Sunday Times bestseller and a Richard & Judy book club pick
‘The real deal: one gorgeous read’ Stephen King
‘This book will change your life. An instant classic’ Daily Telegraph
‘A book lover’s dream’ The Times
Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the ‘Cemetery of Lost Books’, a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out ‘The Shadow of the Wind’ by Julian Carax.
But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find.
Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from the book, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax’s work in order to burn them.
What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind…
‘Marvellous’ Sunday Times
‘A hymn of praise to all the joys of reading’ Independent
‘Gripping and instantly atmospheric’ Mail on Sunday
‘Irresistibly readable’ Guardian
‘Diabolically good’ Elle
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Reviews
Part detective story, part boy's adventure, part romance, fantasy, and gothic horror, the intricate plot is urged on by extravagant foreshadowing and nail-nibbling tension. This is rich, lavish storytelling
A page-turning exploration of obsession in literature and love
A deeply satisfying, rich, full read
A book lover's dream
One of those rare novels that combine brilliant plotting with sublime writing
Part gothic mystery, past ribald comedy, part political thriller, part Borgesian parable, and all marvellous
Irresistibly readable...Walk down any street in Zafon's Barcelona and you'll glimpse the shades of the past and the secrets of the present
A hymn of praise to all the joys of reading
This gripping novel has the feel of a gothic ghost story complete with crumbling, ivy-covered mansions, gargoyles and dank prison cells...this is just the sort of literary mystery that would have found favour with Wilkie Collins
An astounding critical success. There's an intricate plot, a gothic atmosphere and an elusive quest, as well as murders, intrigue and star-crossed lovers
A magical tale
Diabolically good