Shadow Of The Wind By Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Summer Reading Response
This summer I read “The Shadow of the Wind” written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, a spanish author, which tells the story of Daniel Sempere and his journey to undercover one of the most literary mysteries in all of Barcelona. The tale begins just after the Spanish Civil War, with Daniel’s father transporting him to the Cemetery of Forgotten books, where he is to pick one book and swear to protect it forever. Daniel chooses The Shadow of the Wind and instantly falls in love with it. When he researches the author, Julian Carax, he discovers that his location has been unknown for years, all his literature has been destroyed and he might possess the last existing copy. With the help of Fermin, the homeless tortured soldier, Daniel begins investigating Julian in order to gain a better understanding of his personal life and why he has disappeared. Through his investigation Daniels learns all about Julian’s life, his childhood, his romances and affairs, and the reason why he stopped writing. By the end, Daniel discovers that Julian has not died, he names his child after the writer which shaped his entire life, Julian dedicates a book to Daniel, and Daniel takes his son to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books where he can start his own adventure.
The main characters in The Shadow of the Wind are Daniel Sempere, Fermin Romero de Torres, and
Don Gustavo had realized how rare this book is, even within the Cemetery of Lost Books, and had offered Daniel a large sum of money for the book. Daniel decided to not sell the book, keeping the promise he’d shared with his father (vowing to protect the book forever). Daniel then falls in love with the book, launching his investigation for Julian and uncovering the mysteries behind the infamous Barcelona-based