The first half of The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon was great, the characterisation was good, the location of Barcelona quite splendid and the parallel stories of Daniel Sempere and Julian Carax, the mysterious author of the book he chooses from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, was pretty smart. Daniel's adolescent crush on the magical Clara is quite poignant, and we have a real villain in Inspector Fumero. But in Fermin Romero de Torres, we have one of the most enjoyable characters I have come across for a long time. He is such great company funny, witty, cleverer and brave, but always there is a sense of danger because of his past. There is a glow in the writing whenever he appears. Although it is a shame that at times the writing is too elaborate. The translation from the Spanish does not always ring true, which is a shame. The parallel stories then take on rather cute but unrealistic turns, Daniel and Julian both having boyhood friends and similar girlfriends in Penelope and Beatriz. This is history repeating itself taken too far. The second half of the novel becomes just a complicated detective story as Daniel seeks to uncover Julian's past. But what we get is a rush through some back stories as if the author had to cram in all the information somehow, and one particular device is almost diabolical in it's construction. Character gives way to a highly detailed plot that ultimately is a bore. So sad after such a wonderful introduction.
Ali Smith is not everyone's cup of tea. Her writing can be quite experimental and frustrating, but this is worth it for her clever and original use of words and language, her playful sense of fun and making the reader think for a change. It was only discussing her latest novel There but for the at last night's Book Club did I understand a couple of things I had missed. I had previously read and enjoyed Ali Smith's prizewinning The Accidental as well as Hotel World and the less impressive Girl meets boy. The author writes mainly in short stories that are interlinked, and so in her new book we have four. They all have a connection with Miles who locks himself in a bedroom during a dinner party. There is a lot in the book about memory. Anna didn't remember Miles very well, until gradually her meeting him on a trip to France at seventeen ( a quite wonderful description) all starts to come back. "Things we wished we could forget about forever, but no matter how hard we try, we cannot forget". How true. Mark's story includes a terrific conversation about the forthcoming dinner party with Miles who he has just met, and then a superb account of the dinner itself, especially some of the awful people there. The passage about elderly May seems to be from a completely different book, until towards it's conclusion where there is a hugely emotional revelation. Having been introduced to ten year old Brooke at an early stage, I was so looking forward to her story. But I found this to be the least convincing. She is far too intelligent and independent for her own good, but does manage to include some good jokes and puns. It is amazing that although written in the third person, we are right inside the mind of this precocious girl. An amazing and highly enjoyable book, and one I will read again.
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