The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Luis Zafon
WHAT A READ! And, may I add, what mastery of the english language! I would give anything just to be able to write like that. This book is filled with wondrous phrases, punctuated with imperious images of the city of Barcelona, adorned with mystery, laced with romance, brimming with affection, love, yet poisoned by death and tragedy. I've never been so impressed by a book's qualities, and how I'd regret it if I hadn't chanced upon this delightful gem in one corner of the library!
The author's mastery lies in his expressive language, which is showcased in his descriptions. Yet the novel is not overly cluttered with obtrusive and redundant phrases, but rather, the writer has managed to intertwine many potentially confusing aspects of the story and weave a delicate portrait of the city at the same time. The diction used is not repetitive, but creative and succinct. I can't believe I've fallen for the brilliance of the novel!
A reef of clouds and lightning raced across the skies from the sea. I looked up and saw the storm spilling like rivers of blackened blood from between the clouds, blotting out the moon and covering the roofs and facades of the city in darkness. The night became opaque, impenetrable, as the rain folded the city in its shroud.
That year, autumn blanketed Barcelona with fallen leaves that rippled through the streets like silvery scales.
It was a magnificent day; the skies were electric blue, and a crystal breeze carried the cool scent of autumn and the sea.
A cold, slashing breeze swept the streets, scattering strips of mist in its path. The steely sun snatched copper reflections from the roofs and belfries of the Gothic Quarter.
We walked through the streets of a Barcelona trapped beneath ashen skies as dawn poured over Rambla de Santa Monica in a wreath of liquid copper.
Dusk fell almost surreptitiously, with a cold breeze and a mantle of purple light that slid between the gaps in the streets. The leaves on the orange trees in the cloister shimmered with tears of silver, and the sound of the fountain wove its way through the arches.
A veil of dark red clouds bled across the sky, punctured by splinters of light the colour of fallen leaves.
She was draped in a diaphanous (so thin as to transmit light) turquoise-blue cotton dress.
palatial (bookshop) - suitable for, or like a palace, impressive
ephemeral (the ephemeral joys of childhood) - fugacious, transcient, short-lived
coterie - an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
decrepitude - a state of deterioration due to old age or long use, dilapidation
verbosity - an expressive style that uses excessive words
inscrutable - of an obscure nature
oratory - speech, address
proffered - offered
boudoir - a lady's bedroom or private sitting room
lugubrious (abode) - sorrowful, mournful
baroque (fantasy) - having elaborate symmetrical ornamentation
salubrious (nature) - healthy
salacious (echo) - lustful, prurient, lewd
serenade - a musical composition in several movements; has no fixed form
flatulence - pompously embellished language
foppish (attire) - affecting extreme elegance in dress and manner
monocle - eyeglass
denouement - resolution, outcome