May 2010 Book of the Month.

The Shadow of the Wind is one of those rare books that continues to deeply affect you long after it is read.  This second masterpiece is connected but stands apart.  A twisting and mysterious tale of love, despair, compulsion and the supernatural that spins you along with it until you don’t want it to end.  Read every word, savour it, for books this good are rare and precious things.

Comparison: Glen David Gold (Sunnyside), Alex Bell (The Ninth Circle), Markus Zusak (Book Thief).

Synopsis

In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man - David Martin - makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books, and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city's underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner. Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Then David receives the offer of a lifetime: he is to write a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realises that there is a connection between this haunting book and the shadows that surround his home...

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About the Author

Carlos Ruiz Zafón was born in Barcelona and grew up under the shadow of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia cathedral, just a block away from the family home. For a few years he lived in Los Angeles, working as a screenwriter, and has published four novels for young-adults before escaping everything to write THE SHADOW OF THE WIND, a novel that has become an international literary phenomenon in over 20 countries. His work has been translated into 17 languages. Now back in Barcelona, he is presently at work on a new novel. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation