With the passion of garcia marquez, the irony of dickens, and the necromancy of poe, carlos ruiz zafon spins a web of intrigue so thick that it ensnares the reader. When book publicists try to dress up their product in designer clothes, they. Almost to the point where we relinquish the control, and banish the warnings, only to get lost in the life and lies of others, losing our own worlds in the process. Shadow of the wind discussion questions mentor public library. The shadow of the wind is a novel that ive heard so many positive things about for several years. Buried in the back streets of barcelona lies the cemetery of lost books a mausoleum for outofprint works. Enthralled, daniel chooses an obscure novel, the shadow of the wind, a complex quest tale whose author, julian carax, reputedly fled spain at the outbreak of its civil war, and later died in paris.
The shadow of the wind topics for discussion carlos ruiz zafon this study guide consists of approximately 57 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the shadow of the wind. Use these discussion questions to help your students delve deeper into the book, its themes, and its context. The shadow of the wind book discussion and cinnamon. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions.
After reading for a week, weve gotten to some of the mystery and intrigue of the novel and some interesting points have arisen for discussion. Summer of 1945, barcelona, daniel sempere, a young boy of 10, is taken to the cemetery of forgotten books by his father, a secondhand book merchant. The shadow of the wind, his first novel for adults, was published in 2001 in spain and became an international bestseller, including stays at number 1 in both spain and germany. The shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon is a multilayered tale about a tenyearold boy named daniel sempere, who picks up a copy of a book by an author who seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. The shadow of the wind is a comingofage tale of a young boy who, through the magic of a single book, finds a purpose greater than himself and a hero in a man hes never met. The shadow of the wind the cemetery of forgotten book 1. But he soon realizes that this book is as dangerous to own as it is. The shadow of the wind has been translated into dozens of languages and is believed to be one of the bestselling books in the world, but after publication it took a year to. Carlos ruiz zafon will share excerpts of his novel. The book was translated into english in 2004 by lucia graves and sold over a million copies in the uk after already achieving success on mainland europe, topping the spanish bestseller lists for weeks. There was no special fanfare when spanish publisher, planeta, published carlos ruiz zafons fifth book but his first for adults the shadow of the wind, in 2002. Sep 25, 2019 celebrate banned books week by reading about daniel sempere as he unravels the mystery behind a book he has chosen from the cemetery of forgotten books to protect in shadow of the wind, by carlos ruiz zafon.
Recommending new books each month to spark lively conversation. Daniel says of the shadow of the wind, as it unfolded, the structure of the story began to remind me of one of those russian dolls that contain innumerable eversmaller dolls within p. The question and answer section for the shadow of the wind is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel ask your own question. When he is sixteen, daniel is threatened by a disfigured stranger who offers to buy the book off of daniel. His father takes him to the secret and mysterious cemetery of forgotten books, daniels choses a book called the shadow of the wind by julian carax and when he sets out to discover the authors other works, he makes a shocking discovery and here the story begins. Visit the libraries book club overview for more details about this series, and. The shadow of the wind paperback murder by the book. The shadow of the wind guide novel gobblers book club. My aim was to allow the reader to experience this world. Dec 27, 2010 the shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon first published. Summary barcelona, 1945 a great world city lies shrouded in secrets after the war, and a boy mourning the loss of his mother finds solace in his love for an extraordinary book called the shadow of the wind, by an author.
Jan 31, 2005 the shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon is a multilayered tale about a tenyearold boy named daniel sempere, who picks up a copy of a book by an author who seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. Daniel says of the shadow of the wind, as it unfolded, the structure of the story began to remind me of one of those russian dolls that contain innumerable eversmaller dolls within. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction. General book club questions for study and discussion. As a member or leader of a book club, you are likely to be reading books on a wide variety of topics, both fiction and nonfiction. The shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon books the. The shadow of the wind is very much a book about books, a story about stories, and the gripping hold they can take over our lives.
Lakeview book discussion of the shadow of the wind by. Daniel chooses a book called the shadow of the wind, by a mysterious author named julian carax. Zafons the shadow of the wind unfolds much the same way, with many characters contributing fragments of their own stories in the first person point of view. Not only a thriller book but this one is a very good history book as well. Ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The shadow of the wind is a great work of world literature for students to explore. Mar 18, 2020 topics showing 122 of 181 started by posts views last activity. The shadow of the wind is a best book club book for discussion, the story of an authors identity that holds the key to an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.
The shadow of the wind is a comingofage tale of a young boy who, through the magic of a single book. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points, if you have not read the book. Barcelona, 1945a great world city lies shrouded in secrets after the war, and a boy mourning the loss of his mother finds solace in his love for an extraordinary book called the shadow of the wind, by an author named julian carax. Discussion questions book club recommendationsdiscussion. The shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon goodreads. However, it took off, spending more than 60 weeks on the bestseller lists in spain, and has now been translated into 20 languages. If you are interested in the history then this book is going to be one of your favorites without any doubt. After reading the book, daniel looks for caraxs other books, but finds nothing. Apr 12, 2004 enthralled, daniel chooses an obscure novel, the shadow of the wind, a complex quest tale whose author, julian carax, reputedly fled spain at the outbreak of its civil war, and later died in paris.
Daniels father takes him to the cemetery of forgotten books to choose a book that he swears to protect. Inductees into the society are allowed to take one book, which they must protect for the rest of their lives. The shadow of the wind book discussion by ursula murphy february 9, 2010 after reading for a week, weve gotten to some of the mystery and intrigue of the novel and some interesting points have arisen for discussion. Riverhead free library will host the book discussion the shadow of the wind saturday, sept. A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the spanish civil war, and daniel, an antiquarian book dealers son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled the shadow of the wind, by one julian carax.
Daniel sempere, 10 yrs old, selects an obscure novel from the cemetery of forgotten books, not knowing that his selection of julian carax and. Gabriel garcia marquez meets umberto eco meets jorge luis borges for a sprawling magic show. Michael kerrigan is intrigued by carlos ruiz zafons intricate novel of 1940s barcelona, the shadow of the wind. My plan was to read this book again before the discussion to refresh my memory and to get a better perspective since the book was so good i read it rather fast just to see what happened next.
Daniel and his father live above a bookstore, and their lives revolve around the love of books. Dec 14, 2017 in one of my past book clubs, we literally only read books that included discussion questions at the end of the book because we wanted to be certain wed have a meaningful discussion. The shadow of the wind the cemetery of forgotten book 1 kindle edition by zafon, carlos ruiz, lucia graves. A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the spanish civil war, and daniel, an antiquarian book dealers son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a. The shadow of the wind uses elements of the mystery novel, the historical thriller, the grammar of film and image storytelling, metafiction, romance saga, gothic literature, the comedy of manners, and many other narrative devices to create a new genre that goes beyond the sum of its parts. The shadow of the wind penguin drop caps hardcover. Home shadow of the wind discussion guide libguides at.
No matter the genre, age, notoriety, or length of the book of the moment, book club questions can kickstart or enhance your group discussion. I read this last month for my in person book club and we talked about the thing with. Reading guide for shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon. This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion and a free quiz on the shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon. Daniel says of the shadow of the wind, as it unfolded, the structure of the story.
Join us around the fireplace for a discussion of the shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon. Topics about this book topics that mention this book. A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the spanish civil war, and daniel, an antiquarian book dealers son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled the shadow of the. The shadow of the wind cemetery of lost books series 1 carlos ruiz zafron, lucia graves trans. About the book the shadow of the wind is a comingofage tale of a young boy who, through the magic of a single book, finds a purpose greater than himself and a hero in a man hes never met.
Zafons the shadow of the wind unfolds much the same way, with many. Morning book discussion the shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon a literary mystery set in 1945 barcelona where david sempere finds a book that will change the course of his life and throw him into a labyrinth of intrigues and buried secrets in the heart of the city. Whether you are discussing characters and their actions, setting, theme, or images, having a guide to questions. Summer of 1945, barcelona, daniel sempere, a young boy of 10, is taken to the cemetery of forgotten books by his father, a. The shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon, translated by. T he shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon is a multilayered tale about a tenyearold boy named daniel sempere, who picks up a copy of a book by an author who seems to have disappeared off the face of the earththe shadow of the wind is a story within a story within a story.
The shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon reading guide. Aug 21, 2017 ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book. However, it took off, spending more than 60 weeks on the bestseller lists in spain, and has now been translated into 20. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the shadow of the wind the cemetery of forgotten book 1. My current book club group is much more casual, but perhaps too much so. Book club discussion questions shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon the shadow of the wind is a comingofage tale of a young boy who, through the magic of a single book, finds a purpose greater than himself and a hero in a man hes never met. In the cemetery of forgotten books the new york times. The book discussion will be paired with a showcase of banned books from the rare book collections. Morning book discussion the shadow of the wind by carlos.
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