The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron

The year is 1945, and Barcelona is till ridden with wounds from the war. Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer's son is learning to find his passion in life. He is haunted by the fact that he can no longer remember his mother's face, but his father brings him into a world that will haunt his life for years to come. Daniel is amazed by the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and is drawn to one book in particular, The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. Daniel finds himself engulfed in this book for days and when he finally resurfaces he wanted to learn more about the author Carax and why no one ever has read this book. Soon he will find out that the reason only an enlightened few have read these words is because a mysterious man with no face is setting fire to every last one of them. The only copy of The Shadow of the Wind is in Daniels hand. Daniel finds himself opening a dark and horrific secret in Barcelona's past that will tear Daniels world apart. In his search for love he will find murder and madness but most of all he will find his love was forever doomed.

I loved this book from the moment Daniel stepped inside the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. The only way I could disccribe this book was a melodrama filled with murder and doomed love that you see in movies. It tears your heart to pieces but you find yourself watching it over and over again. About halfway through the book I took a few days of a break, which I needed. Sometimes I find myself feeding off the emoitons of a book and if I get too caught up in the emotions I lose interest. I also took a break because I was terrified of what the ending would be. I wanted a happy ending not an everyone dies and is lonely ending. After my break I was able to experience the second half of the book with a clearer head. Carlos Ruiz Zafon captured me from the beginning and this is a book has everything in it. Humor, Love, Murder, and a happy ending. With all of those things combined it is a perfect book for me. I am very glad someone recommended this book to me.