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The Watcher in the Shadows 9781444001655 Books

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The Watcher in the Shadows 9781444001655 Books

I've read just about everything CRZ has had translated into English. Although 'Watcher in the Shadows' has just come out, it's actually one of his earlier works. Once I realized this, I was not surprised by the similarities between this book and 'Prince of Mist.' 'Prince' was his first. Unless you're a hard core CRZ fan, you might choose to pick one of the two. Both seem far-fetched at times, but I think I enjoyed 'Watcher' slightly more that 'Prince.'

'Watcher' is a a good mystery, dark and suspenseful. It's an easy read and will provide enjoyment for a quick weekend. It is geared toward a teen audience and will not provide the challenge/complexity of 'Shadows' or 'Angels.'


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The Watcher in the Shadows 9781444001655 Books Reviews

I think if I was under 20, say, this would be a most beloved book. It feeds the yearning and dreaming of youth,and carries the shadow of truth and harsh reality of evils that await even the most innocent among us. Like all great love stories, it has a sad undertone. The passion of jealousy and hatred is so powerful here. Of course it is all about all of us.the setting is just prior to WWII . The comparison is evident and compelling.
All of his books touch me deeply. His ability to bring the reader into a better understanding of the dark side of life, the struggle to survive, how to love again, and move forward with more knowledge and strength.
if you've read Zafon's other books, you will find the contents, if not the setting, familiar. This time the story is set in France, and it tells the experiences of an impoverished widow and her two children who have to move from Paris to take a mysterious job in the coastal region. Her boss turns out to be a master craftsman-automaton maker, and there is - we expect no less of Zafon - a cruel, ruthless evil entity that escapes from its bottled-up state and wreaks havoc. What delicious shivers for us all.
I found this book to be a good read. Zafon in the introduction says it is meant for the adolescent reader, and indeed it tells a story of adolescent love in a new neighborhood. Yet I would recommend it only for late-adolescents who like to scare the hell out of themselves.
Having read other books by CRZ, I recognize that he is a master story-teller. This is a book of layers; with stories within stories all of which come together to create a horrific and fantastic Faustian tale of the dangers of sacrificing longing for love.

CRZ considers this to be a story he would have liked to read as a child, although I do not feel it is a book for children and could be quite terrifying to younger children. Young Adult audiences at least are able to separate fiction from reality, and comprehend metaphor and allusion.

The characters are engaging if only moderately developed, but overall thoroughly likable.
This is the third book in a trilogy that Carlos Ruiz Zafon wrote for young adult readers at the beginning of his career. The background of the story revolves around an orphaned child who barely survives life on city streets until he is approached by an evil doppelganger who promises to improve his life for a price.

Many years pass and the story picks up when the orphan is a wealthy elderly recluse living in a coastal village near Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France. He lives in a mansion attached to a gigantic workshop where he made his fortune designing toys. His wife is isolated in a wing of their home and is never seen except by her husband and a young housekeeper. When she disappears one night on her way home, the toy maker steps up his efforts to foil the doppelgänger whom he secretly fears to be the evil behind the his wife's sad condition and that of the housekeeper.

Enter a recently widowed mother from out of town who has been hired to be the new housekeeper. The relocation is hard on her teenage daughter and young son. The daughter fortunately bonds rather quickly with a boy from the village who is an excellent sailor. He spends hours showing her around the area from his boat. (He also is a ward of the housekeeper's family). The girl's new friendship and his mother's long hours at the mansion leave the young son to fend for himself in this new environment. Thus the story rapidly spins deeper into a tale of horror.

My reservation about the book is that the mood is very dark, and the narration moves at breakneck speed; maybe the author didn't want to bore young readers, but as an adult I found the story overly complicated and dreary.
One the things that Carlos Ruiz Zafron does best as an author is create authentic characters. Despite the somewhat flimsy structure upon which the story is hung, he gives his people true and beautiful voices. They are people I grow to care about and empathize with. It is enough for me. The relationships between the widowed Mother and her children, the young lovers, the enigmatic benefactor/tortured soul are rich and powerful. His dialogue is pitch perfect and is always a delight to read. The plot is somewhat insubstantial, but I didn't mind as I got to keep company with some very compelling people. Don't dismiss this novel. It's a quick read and while it might leave you wanting for more robust fare, you will be satisfied with the delicious memories of souls created by a master.
I am a huge fan of this author. He never disappoints even though he tends to choose themes of fantasy and darkness which are not really my thing. Yet by combining fantasy with reality his stories never go into the realms of make believe, anchored as they are with real people in real places. The Watcher in the Shadows is a complete workout for one's imagination that will appeal to children as well as adults. What I loved was CRZ's "Dear Reader" at the start, in which he tells us how much these kinds of stories meant to him as a child, whereas nowadays children spend their "dreamlives" texting, and surfing the net to inter react with "virtual friends". "How young is young ?" he asks. "It depends. It's up to you". Well at 63 I am delighted that I meet that criteria and can enjoy his writing.
I've read just about everything CRZ has had translated into English. Although 'Watcher in the Shadows' has just come out, it's actually one of his earlier works. Once I realized this, I was not surprised by the similarities between this book and 'Prince of Mist.' 'Prince' was his first. Unless you're a hard core CRZ fan, you might choose to pick one of the two. Both seem far-fetched at times, but I think I enjoyed 'Watcher' slightly more that 'Prince.'

'Watcher' is a a good mystery, dark and suspenseful. It's an easy read and will provide enjoyment for a quick weekend. It is geared toward a teen audience and will not provide the challenge/complexity of 'Shadows' or 'Angels.'