I think that those of us who finished "The Shadow of the Wind" really liked it. It was a mystery with no big suprises, and a made for movie ending....one that many of us were disappointed in. An climax we've seen so many times on the screen doesn't belong in a novel driven by the charaters' clear love of books. Perhaps the disappointment was due to the fact that the lives of Julian and Daniel paralleled one another so closely. The latter's happily-ever-after ending seemed anti-climactic after Julian's prolonged suffering.
Many of the male characters were intriguing, but the women were ultimately cardboard cut-outs. They seemed simply targets of Daniel's teen-aged hormones, mother-figures, or simply vehicles to progress the plot.
So, with these complaints, why did we keep reading? Because there was a mystery? a romance? some really wonderful writing? I'd love to see your comments posted to this page.
What will we read next? Since we're going to need a run-off, let's plan on finishing the first round by Friday, 5pm and the second Monday at 5pm. The nominees, in no particular order are:
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
http://www.amazon.com/Plainsong-Kent-Haruf/dp/0375705856/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-3211001-0607323?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179427925&sr=8-2
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer
http://www.amazon.com/Drinking-Coffee-Elsewhere-ZZ-Packer/dp/1841955566/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-3211001-0607323?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179427965&sr=1-1
Remainder by Tom McCarthy
http://www.amazon.com/Remainder-Tom-Mccarthy/dp/0307278352/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-3211001-0607323?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179427994&sr=1-1
Good News: A Novel by Edward Abbey
http://www.amazon.com/Good-News-Novel-Edward-Abbey/dp/0452265657/ref=pd_bbs_3/102-3211001-0607323?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179428022&sr=1-3
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
http://www.amazon.com/Prodigal-Summer-Novel-Barbara-Kingsolver/dp/0060959037/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-3211001-0607323?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179428059&sr=1-1
Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Dreams-Barbara-Kingsolver/dp/1568496923/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-3211001-0607323?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179428104&sr=1-1
Hullabalo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/102-3211001-0607323?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=guava+orchard&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/102-3211001-0607323?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=guava+orchard&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/102-3211001-0607323?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=guava+orchard&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go
