Hello Anne,
I just signed up on this online reading community and I would like to find the discussion on The Shadow of the Wind. All I've found were a few posts from August and your post from today - Sept 9th. Are we going to start the discussion soon and if so what date.
Thanks for your help.
New to this,
Nece

quote:

Originally posted by Nytetyger:
Hello again!

There were so many interested readers for this book in Mid-July; are we all done reading and reay to talk a bit about it? Please post so I know-- it would be really funny if we were all waiting for one another, no?

--Anne

Hi, I'm new to this book discussion group. How does this work? Should we have the book completely read by a specific date? I have read it before and look forward to readign it again so I can discuss SOTW with others. Thanks!

This book is in my Top 5 Favorites list! My book club takes turn choosing books to discuss. I was very certain about my next choice until I read the book flap of SOTW when it first came out. I instantly changed my mind and bought everyone a copy! Lucia Graves,the translator, should get as much credit as Zafon for making this story so wonderful. Yes, so many genres were covered. Detail was illustrated beautifully in the lyrical use of language. The story is complicated, but moves quickly so you can't get bogged down. I have learned to trust the author when a story starts to feel confusing. Just keep reading and it will make sense. I am very lucky to have a great discussion group at my local library. The librarian who runs it is very receptive to suggestions and I look forward to discussing this book thoroughly next week! I had planned on re-reading it, and now look forward to enjoying the opinions & thoughts of others. I'm about 3/4's of the way through now, and am surprised at how much I've forgotten. It doesn't have the thrill of mystery as it did on my first reading, but this is such a full story, with so much going on, that I am enjoying it just as much. It is also the first book I recommend when anyone asks me for a suggestion. I've given it to everyone in my family. Another sign of how popular this book is is that it is never on the shelves of the used bookstores. I think everyone is keeping their copy!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: receptive reader,

Spanish is a very flowery language, especially in literature, hence the descriptive style of the book. French is similar also. I did enjoy the flow of the words. In an active discussion, I see more distinctly the spiraling of the plots as Zafon wove the individual stories together. The complexity of this book makes it great for a re-read. It also keeps the reader busy keeping track, and, I've only spoken with one person who figured out the dilema of Julian & Penelope! Lisamarie, your posting from 8/25 is wonderful, thank you! Daniel definitely lead Julian out of the shadows. Maybe he couldn't have what he desired, but his life gained meaning again when Daniel claimed SOTW as his book. In return, Julien's quest brought Daniel's mother's image back to him. When Daniel recovered from his 'first death' his life moved forward and he completed the story by recreating the tradition with a child who knew his mother. The spiraling ended there.

I agree with Kel that the transation is incredible. I find Russian literature difficult to read since it seems dry due to the tranlating. I found the humor and wit in the writing utterly captivating.

I'd like to ask everyone to submit their most interesting or admired quote from the book. I will have to submit mine in a couple days, since I left my copy of SOTW at work, but I know exactly where it lies!

I pictured this book almost as a grown-up fairy tale. I've never been to Barcelona, but I pictured the city as very quaint with brick streets and tiny shops and restaurants. The characters seems realistic, yet larger than life. I also found the middle a little slow, but the book enchanted me from the beginning so that I was driven to finish, and was rewarded by doing so.

Cayla

My favorite quote from SOTW is the first sentence of the second chapter: "That Sunday, clouds spilled down from the sky and swamped the streets with a hot mist that made the thermometers on the walls perspire." I only wish I could write like that!

Cayla

Most interesting & admired quotes: In the same paragraph of your quote, Cayla : "The Ateneo was - and remains - one of the many places in Barcelona where the nineteenth century has not yet been served its eviction notice." Also, Julian said "...so long as we are being remembered, we remain alive." That about sums up the story!
And, here is my next question : Sempere tells Daniel every book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books has been somebody's best friend. What book would be yours? I would choose Ahab's Wife, by Sena Jeter Naslund. Una is the soul of the story.
rr

I loved this book! Zafon is a wordsmith - he nails a character or sets a scene so well. Some lines I particularly enjoyed:

“It was hard to tell whether he was asleep or awake because he breathed like most people snore”

“The door was secured with a padlock that had seen at least a decade of undisturbed service”

And, this line of Fermin’s: “Look, Daniel. Destiny is usually around the corner. Like a thief, like a hooker, or a lottery vendor: its three most common personifications. But what destiny does not do is home visits. You have to go for it."

"Years of teaching had left him with that firm and didactic tone of someone used to being heard, but not certain of being listened to."

Wonderful characters – Fermin was my favorite!

I liked our narrator, Daniel, too. I alternately felt foreboding and hope for him throughout the novel. I liked the concept of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books too.

Anyone else think this would make a great movie!?!? His descriptions are wonderful – I could really picture the scenes while I read the book.

Did anyone else notice all of the literary references – Fermin mentions the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and a few pages later he is knocking over a set of novels by Ibanez (the author of Four Horsemen). Another reference to Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and later, a cat named Kurtz. There was at least one more but I can’t recall it right now.

A couple of his metaphors made me wince but overall I greatly enjoyed reading this novel and look forward to reading more of this author.

Hello Everyone!

I'm sorry I have not been as active in this discussion. I had not realized everyone was still interested in having it, and had let the members who were really enjoying talking about the language and flow continue without my stepping in and asking if anyone wanted to use the discussion questions.

I am happy to repost the reader's guide and offere my thoughts on any of teh questoins if you all would like to do a typical book discussion on what we're read.

Karin, I found the Shadow Of The Wind thread. This was my first discussion on this site.

Hi Mar!

Found it too! LOL!
I think I will start a new thread in a couple of weeks to avoid spoilers. It seems nobody answered the questions or kind of. Did you think it was a good discussion? The questions are helpful. I did find them on the internet too. I think I'm going to mix them with my own. Also a discussion date or ending date like September 21 would be helpful I think or some kind of schedule. What do you think?

Karin

Title: The Shadow of the Wind
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Genre: Novel
Written: 2001 (Eng. 2004)
Length: 487 pages
Original in: Spanish
Availability: The Shadow of the Wind - US
The Shadow of the Wind - UK
The Shadow of the Wind - Canada
L'Ombre du vent - France
Der Schatten des Windes - Deutschland

* Spanish title: La Sombra del Viento
* Translated by Lucia Graves

In our Hispanic Books group, Jill and I read the autobiography of Lucia Graves, daughter of Robert Graves (author of I, Claudius). I am interested in reading her translation of La Sombra del Viento.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Zorro,

It was such a brief discussion, but I always like hearing what others have to say. I'll follow you when you start the new thread.
Zorro, thanks for the details about Lucia Graves. I loved I, Claudius and Claudius The God!

quote:

Originally posted by kvb1:
Hi Mar!

Found it too! LOL!
I think I will start a new thread in a couple of weeks to avoid spoilers. It seems nobody answered the questions or kind of. Did you think it was a good discussion? The questions are helpful. I did find them on the internet too. I think I'm going to mix them with my own. Also a discussion date or ending date like September 21 would be helpful I think or some kind of schedule. What do you think?

Karin

De Schaduw van de Wind - Dutch/Nederlands

Translated by Nelleke Geel

543 pages

quote:

Originally posted by Zorro:
Title: The Shadow of the Wind
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Genre: Novel
Written: 2001 (Eng. 2004)
Length: 487 pages
Original in: Spanish
Availability: The Shadow of the Wind - US
The Shadow of the Wind - UK
The Shadow of the Wind - Canada
L'Ombre du vent - France
Der Schatten des Windes - Deutschland

* Spanish title: La Sombra del Viento
* Translated by Lucia Graves

In our Hispanic Books group, Jill and I read the autobiography of Lucia Graves, daughter of Robert Graves (author of I, Claudius). I am interested in reading her translation of La Sombra del Viento.

Ok!

quote:

Originally posted by receptive reader:
It was such a brief discussion, but I always like hearing what others have to say. I'll follow you when you start the new thread.
Zorro, thanks for the details about Lucia Graves. I loved I, Claudius and Claudius The God!

quote:

Originally posted by kvb1:
Hi Mar!

Found it too! LOL!
I think I will start a new thread in a couple of weeks to avoid spoilers. It seems nobody answered the questions or kind of. Did you think it was a good discussion? The questions are helpful. I did find them on the internet too. I think I'm going to mix them with my own. Also a discussion date or ending date like September 21 would be helpful I think or some kind of schedule. What do you think?

Karin