Well, no. The book didn't continue to as good as it started - but it is still a really nice book that I would recommend anyone to read. It has a lot of great characters among which I especially like the character of Nuria.
The Shadow of the Wind contains many stories that reflect each other. Zafon says in an interview that he is writing a "sort of narrative kaleidoscope of Victorian sagas, intrigue, romance, comedy, mystery, and "newly" fashioned old-fashioned good storytelling" which is a good description of his writing style. What strikes me the most is the plentifulness - of character, stories and details. There is a a lot of playfulness and Zafron really has a vivid imagination.
Zafon also seems to really likes Barcelona and his description of its square and streets creates a becomes like a character and has an important role in the book. He does this in a really nice way and you really get the feeling that you would like to wander down the narrow streets of the Barri Gotic quarter.
Throughout the book I still had the feeling that for all its complexities, oddities, stories-within-stories etc, it was still missing something. When I read that Zafon has written books for young adults I thought that it made sense and realized what it was that I missed - substance. The beginning of the book that I liked so much which described the mystery and the sanctuary that the experience of reading is (at its best) is something that do not have any age limits in neither directions (old - young). However, in the end the sum of all the eloquent storytelling, all the parallel narratives, all the characters and textures kind stays just that - textures, which is great, but maybe left a little want of substance. Well, the book is very much a really great book for young adults.
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