MixedThe GuardianZafón convincingly conjures two worlds here. The main setting is Daniel's Barcelona, grumbling its way through the postwar dictatorship. But gradually Daniel uncovers Julián's prewar world, where aristocracy and family honour are paramount ... This celebration of small triumphs in an unjust world is at the book's core ... To [Lucia Graves's] credit, the language and mood remain intricate and beguiling — there is no awkwardness in translation... In fact, everything about The Shadow of the Wind is smooth. The language purrs along, while the plot twists and unravels with languid grace... The medley of genres (mildly supernatural thriller, against-the-odds love story and period coming-of-age saga) never quite fuses into a satisfying whole ...atmospheric, beguiling and thoroughly readable, but ultimately lacks the magic its early chapters promise.
