The Shadow of the Wind

11stars out of 10. Of all the books in the series of "The Cemetery of Forgotten Books", this is the first and the best, which is saying alot. I will return to it again and again. Gothic, haunting, exquisite, a masterpiece.

A story within a story about the wonder and love of books and authors and the adventure they bring to us. Described as bewitching, enchanting, hilarious, and heartbreaking- one gorgeous read.

The story idea is so clever, with a museum of lost books and our main character (a boy) trying to find an author of one of those books. It follows his life as a boy in Barcelona growing to older age and how the lost author fits it. Barcelona becomes a character as well, as we see how it changes from one political situation to another. I did like the arc of the story, but I found it had just too many characters to keep track of. Overall a good story.

One of all time favorite books.

Finally! Superb writing. Compelling story. I LOVED THIS BOOK.