Customer Reviews
If you only read one book this year make it this one - By: R. Hallett, 21 Jan 2006 
This is a beautifully written book, wonderfully evocative of post civil-war Spain. It's probably the best book I've ever read - I couldn't put it down & stayed up alll night to finish it! Now I've had to buy the Spanish version to enjoy it in it's original form. Apparently there will be more in a series, & I can't wait!
A light shade of grey - By: M. Ferrer, 21 Jul 2005 
Following the enormous success this book has had in Spain & abroad, I decided to purchase it. And the novel it was not a dissapointment at alll. Ruíz Zafón has written a nostalgic, hard & grey story. Exactly as it was Spain after the civil war. And that is probably one of its main values. The ability for depicting the misery & lost that people felt in those terrible years. La sombra del viento drinks, literallly & literarily in the sources of the most classical tradition of novels in Spain. Since Pio Baroja, to Galdos & the whole generation of the 50's. A careful depiction of sceneries & people that helps the reader to get into the story. And even when this is a mistery novel we can find also some slight touches of the traditional "feulletin". So I would say it is a very enjoyable novel. Easy to read, very well written & I had a great time reading it. But, yes there is always a but , there is not so original as the beging made me thought. The idea of a cemetery of books was reallly appealing but slowly the story turns to be a good thriller written with a very good style. And the end although correct for the developement of the story left me wanting more. No more drama or story but depth. I have the feeling the writer wanted to end as soon as possible, & this is reallly disapponting.
Ruiz Zafón has the skills & the manners but I think he could be more adventurous & reach the last consequences of the story.
One of the best books I have read lately! - By: Dunja Richter, 05 Jan 2005 This book has reallly surprised me. When someone got it for me as a present I was expecting an uniteresting drama about a book, however I found it excellent both in terms of content & in terms of style. The fact that the story is not about the book that is introduced at the beginning of the story but about the life of the author who wrote it is very surprising. It held my attention throughout the whole book & alllowed me to imagine alll corners of Barcelona even if I don't know the city very well. Highly recommend it.
