The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Shadow of the Wind is set in post-war Barcelona. The story begins with young Daniel being taken  by his father to the cemetary of forgotten books, where he is allowed to select one book to keep but must promise that he will take care of it for the rest of his life. After falling in love with the book, Daniel decides to find others books written by the same author. He soon finds that no books exist, as they have all been destroyed by a mysterious figure that collects the books and burns them. Intrigued by this, Daniel sets out to discover the story of the mysterious author and just what may have happened to him.   The Shadow of the Wind is actually two stories in one. As Daniel learns more about the author, Julian Corax, he finds himself unraveling secrets that have been buried for thirty years.  A long, winding novel, The Shadow of the Wind is beautifully written and spellbinding. The translation from Spanish is superbly done. This book is written as a novel should be. It is an epic story told with words that will paint pictures in the reader's mind When you are ready to really dig deep into a story pick up this book, but read it slowly and carefully and savor it.  This book was clearly written to be read by those that have a true love of books.