Review: The Shadow of the Wind

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
My rating: 4.5 stars

This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
--

What a whirlwind. This is probably one of the most elaborate reads of my life and it makes for one very beautiful book. I dove into Daniel Sempere and Julian Carax's stories not knowing what to expect from the plot or of the story line; the blurb didn't give away much. I didn't expect to be swept away completely. It is a very slow read--that I can comment on hence, the imperfect rating--but don't let that dissuade you. It's a long journey, and the unhurried pace Zafón set up for the me, the reader, allowed me to relish and soak in the flavours he established: the bitterness of longing and loneliness bled through each page, and that melancholy from all the intertwined characters gave a warm sweetness that spreads over your palate. It pulls you into a different layer of yearning that can only be drawn through masterful empathetic character writing. Wonderfully dark and delicious.

For a while, it also brought me back to my nights in Paris a few years ago (read about it here). It reminded me of the mystery, chill, and the gothic vibe that perpetually cloaks the City of Love even in these modern years. On the other hand, I may not be able to explore Barcelona now because of the pandemic, but it feels like I've lived vicariously already through Zafón's novel. It instilled in me, however, a renewed longing to see Barcelona and the rest of the world, and live my own mystery and adventure in a strange and foreign city.

They were right. This is the ultimate love letter to literature.
--
A few of my favorite quotes from The Shadow of the Wind:

"Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you."

"Making money isn't hard in itself. What's hard is to earn it doing something worth devoting one's life to."

"You women listen more to your heart and less to the nonsense. That's why you live longer."

"What is really killing him is loneliness. Memories are worse than bullets."

"Time goes faster, the more hollow it is."

"There are no coincidences. We are puppets of our subconscious desires."


View all my reviews

A Kiss of Paris

I hauled my heavy luggage out of Ourcq station, and up the Metro stairs. It was starting to rain. Fat drops pelting against my glasses with increasing intensity. I was bone-tired and unprepared. The 18-hour flight made my vision blurry, and all the sugar I've ingested made me fidgety. I looked towards Borgy already struggling with multiple bags. A soft-eyed gentleman making his way up the Metro offered me a hand with carrying my luggage, but I politely refused, not wanting to cause any trouble for anyone. I dashed across the pavement dragging my damp bags. The brown awning of Le Concorde gave us temporary shelter. We looked out at the empty avenue. Hardly any cars passed the street. Only a few people were around, a handful in parkas and coats bent over and, like us, running to the direction of restaurants' awnings, trying to escape the rain. Belatedly, I realized that this dreary day is the first real look I'm getting at Paris.