Un amanecer de 1945, un muchacho es conducido por su padre a un misterioso lugar oculto en el corazón de la ciudad vieja: el Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados. Allí, Daniel Sempere encuentra un libro maldito que cambia el rumbo de su vida y le arrastra a un laberinto de intrigas y secretos enterrados en el alma oscura de la ciudad. La Sombra del Viento es un misterio literario ambientado en la Barcelona de la primera mitad del siglo xx, desde los últimos esplendores del Modernismo hasta las tinieblas de la posguerra.
Aunando las técnicas del relato de intriga y suspense, la novela histórica y la comedia de costumbres, La Sombra del Viento es sobre todo una trágica historia de amor cuyo eco se proyecta a través del tiempo. Con gran fuerza narrativa, el autor entrelaza tramas y enigmas a modo de muñecas rusas en un inolvidable relato sobre los …
Un amanecer de 1945, un muchacho es conducido por su padre a un misterioso lugar oculto en el corazón de la ciudad vieja: el Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados. Allí, Daniel Sempere encuentra un libro maldito que cambia el rumbo de su vida y le arrastra a un laberinto de intrigas y secretos enterrados en el alma oscura de la ciudad. La Sombra del Viento es un misterio literario ambientado en la Barcelona de la primera mitad del siglo xx, desde los últimos esplendores del Modernismo hasta las tinieblas de la posguerra.
Aunando las técnicas del relato de intriga y suspense, la novela histórica y la comedia de costumbres, La Sombra del Viento es sobre todo una trágica historia de amor cuyo eco se proyecta a través del tiempo. Con gran fuerza narrativa, el autor entrelaza tramas y enigmas a modo de muñecas rusas en un inolvidable relato sobre los secretos del corazón y el embrujo de los libros cuya intriga se mantiene hasta la última página.
Todavía recuerdo aquel amanecer en que mi padre me llevó por primera vez a visitar El Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados
Uno de esos libros que van despacio, pero están escritos con un trazo inolvidable. Marcados quedarán por siempre muchos de estos personajes en mi memoria.
Es una historia auténtica, y creo que apta para cualquier amante de la literatura.
Si tenéis la oportunidad, el audiolibro de Jordi Boixaderas será un acompañante magnífico en vuestros diarios viajes al trabajo.
This book almost lost me at times when its melodramatic soap opera feel was at peak levels, but characters like Fermin Romero de Torres helped keep things satisfying. Fermin forever :).
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD Normally I give books that others have reviewed well but are clearly not the right kind of book for me at least three stars because they at least accomplish what they set out to do, even if I question the point of doing it. The book, however…. I can’t. First, I don’t know what it wants to do. Second, it feels like trauma/misery porn, mostly not in a way that’s useful. Third, the unrelenting sexism goes way beyond acknowledging a period specific reality. I don’t know why it’s so constant. There is no good reason for it. Add to the the absolutely terrible pacing and general lack of purpose to things like parallels between characters, I’m not sure the book even deserves two stars by my usual rating system. There are moments where the writing is good enough to justify the extra star, though. I can’t imagine …
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD Normally I give books that others have reviewed well but are clearly not the right kind of book for me at least three stars because they at least accomplish what they set out to do, even if I question the point of doing it. The book, however…. I can’t. First, I don’t know what it wants to do. Second, it feels like trauma/misery porn, mostly not in a way that’s useful. Third, the unrelenting sexism goes way beyond acknowledging a period specific reality. I don’t know why it’s so constant. There is no good reason for it. Add to the the absolutely terrible pacing and general lack of purpose to things like parallels between characters, I’m not sure the book even deserves two stars by my usual rating system. There are moments where the writing is good enough to justify the extra star, though. I can’t imagine recommending it to anyone.
Un auténtico novelón. Una historia muy bien trabajada y me ha emocionado mucho. Me quedo con esta reflexión que he extraído de este libro: "Todo amor prohibido, si perserveras y luchas por él, es felicidad eterna."
This novel has "dozens" of twists, turns, mysteries, and intrigues. The characters are hateful, endearing, mysterious, caring and...
I was shocked, horrified and engrossed by the story. This is truly a masterful tale. It is not a tale for the feint of heart, but it is one to thoughtfully explore. Enjoy.
4/5: This book was a page turner for me. It's a combination of mystery and love story in a very well written language. I really appreciated the setting: The book plays in Barcelona of the 50's which is described with great detail, so that the reader has always a picture of it before its inner eye while following the protagonist through the city. Another aspect that really catched my attention was about spains civil war and its political impact. After reading the book I had the same feeling when looking a good fantasy movie. While you are in it you love it, but when you think about it you discover many coincidences that make the story not authentic. But I don't think that matters too much, because while reading I never felt like that. Instead i always wanted to continue reading. Therefore, a 4/5 seems like a good rating for …
4/5: This book was a page turner for me. It's a combination of mystery and love story in a very well written language. I really appreciated the setting: The book plays in Barcelona of the 50's which is described with great detail, so that the reader has always a picture of it before its inner eye while following the protagonist through the city. Another aspect that really catched my attention was about spains civil war and its political impact. After reading the book I had the same feeling when looking a good fantasy movie. While you are in it you love it, but when you think about it you discover many coincidences that make the story not authentic. But I don't think that matters too much, because while reading I never felt like that. Instead i always wanted to continue reading. Therefore, a 4/5 seems like a good rating for me :)
Review of 'Der Schatten des Windes' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Ohne jemals in Barcelona gewesen zu sein, waren die Orte in Der Schatten des Windes gut vorstellbar beschrieben. Besonders hat es mir natürlich der Buchladen angetan.
Ein paar lose Fäden haben sich mir noch nicht erschlossen, vermutlich sollte ich das Buch irgendwann ein zweites, drittes Mal lesen, um tiefer in die Verstrickungen einzutauchen.
Da historische Romane nicht wirklich eines meiner bevorzugten Genres sind, ganz im Gegenteil, habe ich nicht zu viel erwartet, bin aber doch positiv überrascht.
This novel was recently chosen by my book club, and while I read it in 2014, I remembered very little and decided to re-read it. I soon remembered what made it so forgettable: It’s an entertaining, plot-driven whodunnit that would probably make a good movie, but it doesn’t have the lasting “oomph” of great literature. The last 10% or so descends Into a tough-to-believe gothic romance, with levels of melodrama that quickly become tiresome. I raced through it, eager to get to the next twist in the plot or resolution of a story-within-a-story, but as soon as it was finished, I mostly forgot it again.
FIRST READ:
I feel like if I had read this book when I was 20, it would have been one of my lifelong favorites. But as an adult, I find the page-turner of a mystery to be overshadowed by the lack of realism …
SECOND READ:
This novel was recently chosen by my book club, and while I read it in 2014, I remembered very little and decided to re-read it. I soon remembered what made it so forgettable: It’s an entertaining, plot-driven whodunnit that would probably make a good movie, but it doesn’t have the lasting “oomph” of great literature. The last 10% or so descends Into a tough-to-believe gothic romance, with levels of melodrama that quickly become tiresome. I raced through it, eager to get to the next twist in the plot or resolution of a story-within-a-story, but as soon as it was finished, I mostly forgot it again.
FIRST READ:
I feel like if I had read this book when I was 20, it would have been one of my lifelong favorites. But as an adult, I find the page-turner of a mystery to be overshadowed by the lack of realism in the characters. Everyone in this book is driven by a single aspect of his or her personality or history, which never loses its power over him or her, even though the story spans decades. That's just not how humans work! But if you accept the elements of fantasy and just focus on enjoying the story, it's an entertaining read, although I think it might work better as a movie rather than a book. It also prompted me to learn more about the Spanish Civil War, which provides an interesting backdrop.
Al final ha acabado gustandome, la historia esta bien y es bastante entretenida. Aunque tengo que reconocer que me ha costado un poco engancharme al principio. Lo que mas me gusta es que es de esos libros que no puedes dejar de leer hasta que lo acabas.
