Monday, August 20, 2012

pageturner: the shadow of the wind

Picked up at my local op shop on $2 novel day was The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
Translated from Spanish to English, the mystery/romance/coming of age novel wouldn't be something I would ordinarily pick up. But, boy. Am I glad I did.

This book was written for readers. Those of us who grew up with our nose in a book and our favourite characters as best friends. I had marked a few pages, with the most glorious language, but in the end, this part of the book says it all:

Bea says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.

The story follows Daniel, the young son of a bookstore owner who discovers a book by a mysterious author. Set against a backdrop of Barcelona's civil war, Daniel's quest to uncover the truth about the author and the disappearance of his novels is a really engaging tale. The language is so rich, it took me a while to sink into. Like strong, dark chocolate, I could only manage a few small nibbles at a time for the first half of the book. I read the second half in one sleepless night. As I turned the final page, sometime around 2.45am, I let out an audible exhale. Loved it.

Are you reading something that makes you feel like a great reader now?

1 comment:

  1. That quote is fab - will share it with my oldest who lives with her nose in a book!!
    I will keep this in mind for my Christmas book order (my husband always includes books in my stocking)

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