Wildcard Wednesday--The Shadow of the Wind

Finishing a really good book can always be a bittersweet experience. It is good to come to the end, but when the story is good, and you get involved in the character's lives, it is hard to say goodbye.

Today I finished the book we will be discussing on Friday in our book group, The Shadow of the Wind. The author is Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

The premise of the book is very original. It is set in Barcelona, Spain in 1945. The city is healing from the wounds of war, and Daniel, a book dealer's son finds a book called The Shadow of the Wind by an author named Julian Carax. But when he sets out to find the author's other works, he makes a shocking discovery; someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. Soon Daniel's seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona's darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

Yeah, yeah, I pretty much stole that from the back cover of the book. But it is a good synopsis.

It reminded me a little bit of the book "Les Miserable" by Victor Hugo. I think that is one of my favorite books of all time, because of all the twists and turns and subplots and the ways they all seem to eventually intertwine. That is how this book is on some level.

I also love the Spanish way of writing. There is a lot of dreams, and religious symbolism, and mysticism. Zafon also have a wonderful way of developing his characters in this book, especially the various male characters.

I am a very avid reader, but it has been a while since I read a book. Finishing this book was like finishing a banquet after being on a 40 day fast. It was delicious!!

I can't wait until the ladies in my book group come over on Friday, so we can discuss the book. They are to bring Spanish food, so it will be interesting to see what is on the menu on Friday.

Adios!!