The Shadow of the Wind

'This is one gorgeous read.' Stephen King

It is 1945 and Barcelona is enduring the long aftermath of civil war when Daniel Sempere's bookseller father decides his son is old enough to visit the secret Cemetery of Forgotten Books. There Daniel must 'adopt' a single book, promising to care for it and keep it alive always. His choice falls on The Shadow of the Wind.

Bewitched, he embarks on an epic quest to find the truth about Julian Carax, the book's mysterious author. Soon Daniel is consumed by strange discoveries about love and obsession, art and life, and how they become entangled within the shadow world of books.

The Shadow of the Wind is a mesmerising love story and literary thriller, which twists and turns and enthralls with its cast of vengeful souls, threatening spectres and innocent hearts.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon was born in Barcelona in 1964 and attended university there. He worked as a screenwriter in Los Angeles for ten years before the publication of his fifth book, The Shadow of the Wind, in 2001. It has been translated into over 40 languages and was a finalist for the Premio Fernando Lara. Ruiz Zafon is now a full-time novelist and regular contributor to the newspapers El Pais, La Vanguardia and El Mundo. He lives in Barcelona.

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'Atmospheric, beguiling and thoroughly readable.' Observer

'A popular masterpiece, an instant classic.' Daily Telegraph

'Utterly unputdownable.' Australian

'Wondrous...intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero.' Who Weekly

'An intoxicating and thoroughly irresistible mix of romance, mystery, gothic horror and melodrama.' Vogue

'I'd like to say more about this superbly entertaining book but don't dare to hint any more about its plot twists. Suffice it to say...anyone who enjoys novels that are scary, erotic, touching, tragic and thrilling should rush right out to the nearest bookstore and pick up The Shadow of the Wind. Really, you should.' Washington Post