The Shadow of the Wind

the shadow of the wind is a novel by Carlos Ruiz a faun that takes place in Barcelona Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War during which military leader Francisco Franco and his fascists defeated the Republicans of the former Democratic regime leaving Franco to establish a dictatorship that continued to persecute former loyalists and ruthlessly commit countless atrocities the shadow of the win is divided into two stories one of which takes place from the perspective of a young adolescent the other experienced by a witness of past events raised by widowed father ten-year-old Daniel sim Pierre comes of age to select the book from the cemetery of Forgotten books a huge library of forgotten titles according to tradition the first time someone visits this place he must choose a book and adopt it making sure it will never disappear that it will always stay alive Daniel chooses a book called the shadow of the wind by julián Carax and is immediately absorbed into the incredible writing fascinated with julián Carax the author Daniel searches for more of his works only to realize his copy of the shadow of the wind is one of the few remaining in existence for decades someone has been seeking as many of Julian crocks as books as possible to burn them all not exactly the most subtle kid Daniel soon lets people know that the shadow of the wind is in his possession many of whom are interested in purchasing the rare copy one night Daniel was approached by the person responsible for the systematic destruction of cracks his work someone who calls himself lying Cobert a faceless man whose name is derived from the devilish character and cracks as the shadow of the wind Cobert is described to have eyes like glass beads a rasping wounded voice no nose lips or eyelids and a face that is nothing but a mask of black scarred skin consumed by fire Julian cracks himself described Co Barrett as the Prince of Darkness who is this man and why is he so determined to eradicate Julian cracks from existence if he's using the name of Cox's character Co where it offers to buy the book off of Daniel but Daniel refuses and runs off believing Julian corrects his memory must be preserved over the years Daniel experiences many of the things that young adolescents come across in their teen years he has a crush on a pretty girl he makes friends with a boy called Tomas and he starts to work alongside his father in the book shop all the while Daniel searches for answers pertaining to Julian cracks his life wanting to understand more about why such a great writer failed to sell a little more than a few hundred copies of his books so Daniel has grown up along the way he takes in a beggar named for mean Romero at Taurus a former government intelligence agent with flute-like instincts who worked for the Republicans during the Civil War I was later in prison and tortured by the infamous inspector Francisco Javier fumarole for me is a kind man described to have a young swell and pencil mustache like that of a movie star readers consider him pretty hilarious since he teaches Daniel about the birds and bees and had a seduced woman but for me is also a very damaged person with deep marks that showed on his wrists and ankles his trunk and back at one point he locks himself in his own room swearing that he would slit his own throat for mean attempts to repay Daniels kindness by working in the family bookshop and soon becomes Daniel's best friend and closest confidant aiding him in his quest for Julian correct through numerous visits to places where Julian had visited Daniel comes across a photograph of Julian and a mystery woman named Penelope aldia who promised him in a letter that she loved him from the very first day and that she still loves him all the while Daniel reunites with his friend Tomas his sister bia aguilar who he immediately falls for ba is betrothed to another but seeing Daniel causes her to betray the wishes of her father an affluent man who has built a new empire atop the ruins of the formerly wealthy odious Daniel loves BIA each and every detail of her enticing and exquisitely clad anatomy as they secretly meet he goes home with a painful desire and indescribable restlessness to see her again unfortunately don aguilar and Tomas soon find out about B's relationship with an unnamed boy and Tomas tells Daniel that Papa Aguilar has sworn he'll find out and he'll break his legs and his face as soon as he knows who it is for me just listen struggling not to laugh soaking in dramatic irony Daniel confesses to Tomas damaging the friendship as Tomas becomes kohli serious and distant warning him don't hurt my sister Mara while pairing amiable at first is an incredibly sketchy dude he Prowse about generally putting the fear of God into everyone who he considers a threat to Franco's regime one such example was when few Moreau but realizes one of Daniels neighbors for being gay and parades him through the jail cells believing such requires a lesson humor on four main cross paths multiple times with Fermi often becoming the victim and female the bully it's interesting to see parallels and they're two characters both of them with similar appearances and backgrounds and service to the respective sides during the war however Fierro gives off a nasty vibe of faithlessness the type of person who always plays on a winning team giving up anything to be on top for Mina's genuinely a loyal and nice guy qualities that result in his becoming Pharaoh's punching bag every seeming truth that comes out of females mouth is ironically BS over several months Daniel maintains his clandestine relationship with BIA while also meeting several of Julien's former acquaintances including a woman named Maria Montfort who initially lies about her knowledge of Julian's death Maria appears mysterious and not exactly forthcoming most likely due to a troubled past associated with julián Carax with daniel imagining her sitting alone her eyes poisoned with tears Danny appeals pity for her and wants to believe what she's saying is the truth but for me instead talk some sense into him stating that Daniels shown a nice pair of boobs and he thinks he seen st. Teresa telling him to just leave her to me oh good old for me believes that at my age the flow of blood to the brain has precedence over that which flows to the loins inappropriate maybe true Hey yep upon a second confrontation with Maria much later Daniel asked for me to follow an area and ensuing struggle with the sudden appearance of Inspector femural leaves Maria murdered and for meand framed as her killer Daniel and his father are placed under surveillance while femural viciously assails Daniel asking information on for means whereabouts and his search for Julian coax may be few Moreau is Lyon Co Barrett meanwhile Papa Aguilar has confined BIA in her room forbidding her to leave the house so Daniel is unable to communicate with her whatsoever he grows increasingly apprehensive but Tomas cuts in out Daniel attends Maria Montfort's funeral which leads him to manuscript she wrote titled remembrance of the lost DTM the life of Julian coax and her enduring love for him as Daniel reads the novel ships in areas perspective unraveling the mystery of the past julián Carax was born to anthony fortuny and sophie Couric's anthony was known as the hatter and was not a loving father often abusing his wife especially due to allegations that Julian was not his biological son but the son of a man Sophie had an affair with the Hatter treated Sophie as an unfaithful servant leading to an estranged relationship of master and servant he did not consider his son a trooper to knee due to his parentage and his bookishness outwardly showing contempt for the boy but despite this at the bottom of his heart and he did love his wife and son Anthony intended for a son to grow up to inherit his business but his fate would have it the head of the wealthy and famed aldea household Don Ricardo came in one day to buy a hat Julian impressed Don Ricardo was waiting charisma eventually interesting him enough to offer a scholarship to one the finest schools in the country Saint Gabriel's when Julian left Anthony the Hatter felt an empty sadness in seeing his son leave Don Ricardo was very generous treating Julian as a son he always wanted and invited him to his house to meet his son Jorge there Julian saw Penelope all died for the first time who had become the love of his life aka the woman in the letter anyways in school Julian Jorge forms of close to group of friends which included three other people from Nanda ramadasa cooks son Mikhail Molina the son of a wealthy arms manufacturer and Francisco Xavier funeral fee Moreau was always the outcast of the group raised by mother who pride herself in her son's association with powerful people such as the el Dyess her obsession with attaining celebrity status came to a melting point when she forced the Amero to attend a party wearing a cheesy sailor costume that caused him to come the laughingstock of the celebration these events shaped Romero as a man and he eventually grew up to become the erratic violent and driven by rage as Julian grew up a student courter Penelope Jorge's sister and secret and romance blossomed between the two right under the nose of Don Ricardo does this sound like a character previously mentioned Julian continued to do as much as possible to impress Don Ricardo to remain close to his daughter saying he would pursue a career in banking however it turns out that at the party which just happened to be the most humiliating moment of his life he Mero saw Penelope and Julian together making out a few Meryl loved Penelope from afar which he claimed had been a pure love a true of like the one you saw in movies her always hoping to form a relationship with her when the time came what a tragedy Fumero hated julian darwin carter's preferred sun and always the favorite child able to get people such as Miguel and Fernando to love and follow him in the faces mockery after his incident at the party he pulled out and she aimed a rifle right Julian who barely managed to escape alive as McHale tackled him sending Fumero to prison very soon was a Daniel situation Penelope and Julian came to adore each other clandestine meetings taking place and eventually to a point where they promised to elope after Julian plan with mikela for the two to escape to Paris to start a new life he made love with Penelope for the first time where they rubbed body parts passionately but its fate with habit Don Ricardo caught the two in bed infuriated Don Ricardo locked Penelope in her room and physically beat her or expelling Julian from San Gabriels and causing him to be drafted into the military Julian with mikkel help ran to Paris not knowing what had become of his paramour it is revealed that the rumors of Julian's parentage were in fact true that sophie cox had had an affair with don ricardo and don ricardo was in fact Julian's biological father making Julian and Penelope half siblings mmm yeah which is some Game of Thrones Oedipus Rex novel messed up Don Ricardo's entire world went up in flames as he considered Julian as the heir to his legacy for Jorge was weak reserved and lacking his father's steadfast spirit while Julian had the soul of a poet ashamed of such a scandalous ignorance as well as his misplaced faith and benevolence towards Julian Don Ricardo became emotionally broken and his empire fell as his businesses failed Penelope was revealed to carry Julian's child a child born of incest neither than survived for Penelope gave birth to the child isolated behind the locked doors of her bedroom screaming for her parents to show mercy disturbingly Penelope was found dead in the bed of blood her son is still warned unbeknownst to Penelope's faith Julian waited in Paris setting up shop as an author inspired by many of his experiences as a child soon however he received the false letter from or hate that bunnelby had given up on him which Penelope had attempted to clear up with the letter that Daniel had found the ideas moved to Argentina and Jorge became increasingly resentful towards Julian starting as an author and his hand in the purse marching of his family name and sister the ADEA fortune was quickly dissipating with Don Ricardo's deteriorating health and in his final moments he entreated Jorge in his last resort to take revenge and kill the man responsible his former friend Jorge in his rage to hurt Julian for taking his father away from him had always wished to live up to his father's expectations swearing to take the fight to Julian as he returns to Barcelona years later in clear case a moral and physical ruin unexpectedly upon his return to Spain encounters and allies with Fumero who has risen empowered through the military ranks he marrows reputation outlasted his rank he was talked about a great deal by the people in fear of his terrorizing tactics including throwing his own commanding officer off a building to seize power after all these years the only man who had managed to escape Romero's wrath was Julian and he Mero simply waited for his chess pieces to properly line for the right moment for revenge meanwhile Maria Montfort came into the picture working as a secretary under one of Julian cracks publishing firms one of her business trips to Paris to arrange a meeting with Julian she instantly fell for his charm and talents but he never reciprocated her feelings Maria loved Julian nonetheless for those two weeks she spent with him were the only time in her life when she felt for once that she was herself it was a shame for Mikael Molina who soon fell in love with Maria Mikell a considerably over the worst of the years growing weak and frail and he squandered his family inheritance in an attempt to skate his family legacy attempting to use this money his family had made through war profiteering to support public buildings as well as Julian's work remaining ever so loyal to his childhood friend his last breath Mikell loved Maria who carried away and guilt over friends owning him knew him more as her only friend than someone she could love nevertheless she married him in the belief that it was them two versus the rest of the world eventually with nothing to lose Julian decide to marry his landlord Irene Maher sue who believed in his writing and mint is a curious featured through an uncle marriage with a woman 25 years older than him hey the price of getting rich is indeed very high word travels fast Jorge's enraged by Julien's Easter forget about a sister and attain a superfluous man of wealth while his families have been taken well FEMA Road apply fully feels the fire by twisting the facts that Julian was to marry a princess from a fairy tale the stark contrast between reality and fear a sponge story reveals the lack of any sense of morality he's going to go to to cleanse his own past even pitting his two best childhood friends against each other Romero gives Jorge a gun advising him the challenge Julian to a duel by triggering him just enough with half the truth the Penelope was still waiting for him dying of loneliness little did Jorge know Humera rigged the gun to blow up in his hand just so that Julian would murder his former friend in cold blood Julian is forced to flee even Paris is a wanted murderer deciding to return to Barcelona where steam arrow was waiting for him Julian returned to his father as a fugitive who what they regret and joy at reuniting with his son singing Anthony is such a broken man is really heartbreaking because even though he was a cruel father and husband he did love his family deep down now in accurate emption he's going to risk his life to cover up for his son Julian meets up with Miguel who tells him what's been going on in Barcelona since he was gone Miquel doesn't know what to happen to Penelope though as they're talking Romero's men barge in and attempt to arrest Julian only for McHale to quickly grab Julian's identification papers and gun telling Julian to run mckellen armed police fired each other resulting in Miguel's death McHale lived to protect his friend and he did so until his last breath if Americans inter verified Julian's body even though he knowses McKelvey Mero gives the okay saying that without a proper ID any dough is now no one someone who can be killed and forgotten Julian amenorrhea meet up and visit the old odd a mansion in search of Penelope only to find her grave alongside Julian's dead son's shocked mournful furious and Hollow Julian realizes the blood on his hands Mikell Penelope Jorge Julian was angry at the world but most of all he was angry at himself he hate himself for his absence for if he had stayed he may have prevented loss of his family he hated himself for effectively killing his two childhood friends he leaves the house a new man lion Kolbert devilish character of his novel as he literally viewed himself as the harbinger of death he sets out to burn all the copies of his books going from city to city tearing his legacy to the ground during one of the burnings the fire grows out of control and Julian is left scarred as a grotesque shell of his former self covered in Burns and blood Maria chooses to stay by Julian side years go by add a new job she comes across a boss who attempts to make inappropriate sexual advances towards her when she rebuff him he reports her to an now old a few Morrow who comes in to publicly shame her as a dyke a lesbian ostracizing her from society Julian reacts by murdering Sam Artie even though Julian saw this his payback for Sam Artie's cruelty Julian has now deteriorated to a point seemingly beyond redemption he literally commits cold-blooded murder as Don Ricardo had once saw in him the soul of a murderer Julian goes into hiding and Maria occasionally visits him Anthony asked about his son's whereabouts but Julie never comes to visit him ashamed Anne thieved eyes not living to see the end of the war longing to reunite with his family time passes with most of Julian's books pretty much all burned with the exception of one which belongs to Daniel sent beer Julie initially just wants the book but with Daniels was Jackson he grows interested seeing part of his romanticism and his young boy Julian watches over Daniel from the shadows which may sound a bit creepy Neri instead however sees this as a start to Julian's path to redemption for Daniel appears to have so many striking similarities with Julian when he was young she grows aware that Fumero continues his reign of terror knowing she is next on his hit list Marie reveals that she wrote this manuscript in the event of her death so that Daniel could know the truth and learn from Julian's mistakes Maria's manuscript comes to the close in present I'm inspired Daniel returns Tomas demanding to see his sister not wishing to abandon her in their time of need as Julian had with Penelope Tomas beats the crap out of Daniel telling her that her and she escaped the house to look for him for me and briefly comes out of hiding to rescue him and cares for his injuries Daniel least for me to find BIA in the old I'll die a mansion their old meeting place where he knows he will also find lying Colbert or Julian however he in averted lead leads Fumero to the mansion as well where if Romero is determined to kill Julian once and for all Julian F humoral clash only for Daniel to jump in the way when femural holds unarmed Julian at gunpoint Daniel was shot and Fumero turns to shoot BIA Julian reacts furiously killing Romero to protect BIA at last putting end to this tyrant julián asides to leave to return to hiding in the shadows before doing so he tells Daniel in the hospital to live for him hoping he will not make the same mistakes he once had Daniel and B are married but Daniel never manages to reconcile with Tomas his former friend true to his word Daniel often business near his grave to commemorate her love and loyalty as years go by team arrow is gradually forgotten his plaque covered by a big soda machine for Mina's acquitted of his charges Barcelona is at peace and Danny eventually receives a package containing a book written in a pseudonym which he instantly recognizes as Julian Cox and the opening pages he finds a preface dedicated to him and his wife - for rescuing him from the monster that was lying covert Daniel anbiya have a son whom they named Julian Daniel takes ten year old Julian to the cemetery forgotten books when he comes of age passing down his own legacy to the next generation the novel closes as father and son walking to the quiet streets of Barcelona their steps lost forever in the shadow of the wind thanks for watching the shatter the win is really a fascinating tale of love betrayal mystery revenge and other elements related to the human psyche it takes place in a time that is often forgotten but Carlos Theresa fallin ensures that the sacrifices made during that time period are revered to this day

Channel: Brendon Chou

Views: 15,878

Rating: 4.8647342 out of 5

Keywords: the shadow of the wind, carlos ruiz zafon, mystery, spanish civil war, literature

Id: 2t1zOQmLWMA

Length: 20min 40sec (1240 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 06 2016