Guernica
(I liked both covers for this book so I just HAD to include them!!)
Guernica
by Dave Boling
372 Pages
Literary Historical Fiction
Spanish Civil War
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
September 2009
This is the narrative of the Basque life through several generations. By starting out the novel showing the beauty and strength of the Basques it allows the reader to fall in love so that we care about the people when we dive into the historically accurate battle of Guernica. More than a battle it is a massacre, a test that Germany uses to figure out if these planes and weapons could cause total devastation. When the screams quiet and people crawl out into the light again they see the complete flattening of all they knew. And soon the one thing that they hate, the shooting in Guernica is what unites them. This common bond of humanity brings culture from the shattered buildings and the people out of their lonely homes.
I found this book to be incredibly historically accurate and loved that it filled in the human aspect of the whole conflict. I love history but more than history I love the social aspect of history (history's impact on humans) and I loved this book because it did just that, gave a face to the Basque nation and also a voice to their past. I have recently read several others on this time period and about this location which are amazing reads as well (links posted below). There is so much to learn from history, and so much that we just can't bear to repeat. Spain during the civil war was destroyed, and then the dictator Franco brought even more horrors to the people.
Guernica Painting by Picasso
Dave Boling is accurate, intricate and completely detailed in his re-telling of this devastating time. Having lived in Spain I could feel the hardship as I read his words. The characters he created were to die for, they were versatile, lifelike and entirely relatable.
This is a great book, it made me cry and laugh and realize that after the valley of pain we are able to feel joy better than we could before. I highly recommend that you pick this one up for any history lovers, or anyone who wants to read an amazingly hopeful and insightful book about this dark time in Spain. Yes, it gets my highest praise Stellar Five Chicken Book Award -enjoy!
Two other books I have reviewed about the Spanish Civil War and the Basque Nation:
The Return
Plants Don't Drink Coffee
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The Return
The Return
by Victoria Hislop
416 Pages
Historical Fiction
Spanish Civil War
October 2009
Harper Collins
Advanced Reader's Copy
Sonia's life is dull and passionless in the midst of what most would consider a dream. She is married to a dashing Englishman, has a great job, and lives in an exquisite apartment. No matter how much she tries though, she feels something is missing. Stumbling upon dance is the most important thing Sonia does for herself. There is no question that it immediately fills that longing inside her. When her childhood friend Maggie books a trip to Spain, the land of Flamenco for her birthday and buys a ticket for Sonia as well, she is in dreamland.
Sonia thinks she is going to Spain for herself, but what she doesn't know is that dance and Spain is in her blood- secrets her mom took with her to the grave will be laid bare. An unlikely stranger will tell her of a family history of life in the Spanish Civil War riddled with loss, love and tragedy. Up from the turmoil, come clapping hands and stomping feet to the elegant picking of a Spanish guitar. Flamenco is the heart and soul of survival for Sonia's mother could it be what saves her as well?
Goodness, The Return was amazing! I seem to be obsessed with Spanish Civil War books as of late and I am thrilled by the history of that time period. I can't believe I didn't know more about the history growing up, since it is pretty much my patria or homeland. Vicoria Hislop outdoes herself in this brilliantly penned historical fiction take on the events that shaped Spain into what it is today. A book filled with deep emotion, and love that stand the test of history, The Return will give the reader history in bite sized morsels, while best of all telling of the human will to live during that dark period.
The Return is a book that like the Flamenco dance evokes emotion, does not shy from expressing pain, and yet snaps its heels to a dramatic finish that will leave the reader open-mouthed (and wondering how long their mouth has been open for). I highly recommend this book, to everyone- which is why it will get my supa cool Stellar Five Chicken Book Award! It is perfect for the dancer, the historian, the lover of books or any person who wants to spend hours in a far away land hearing the perfectly clickety-clacking of well worn dance shoes in their thoughts while they read. Loved it.
Remaining TLC Tour Stops:
Wednesday, October 21st – Write Meg
Thursday, October 22nd – Literate Housewife
Monday, October 26th – Diary of an Eccentric
Tuesday, October 27th – Drey’s Library
Wednesday, October 28th – Book Chatter and Other Stuff
Plants Don’t Drink Coffee
Plants Don't Drink Coffee
by Unai Elorriaga (in original Basque)
Translated by Amaia Gabantxo
208 Pages
Fiction
Archipelago Books
July 2009
In Plants Don't Drink Coffee the reader follows the story of four very diverse yet intersecting people while enjoying a ride of lightheartedness and depth. Tomas a young boy with the desire above all else to be intelligent, is the star of this novel or maybe one of the stars. He is precocious and witty and incredibly funny to read. When reading his thoughts you can hear him saying these things in a pre-adolescent, high-pitched and non-stopping excited sort of way. There is a main story which unites all four people that is clever and has a mystery feel to it, or adventure.
This book for me was a complete success. Unai did everything right in his writing and the translation was incredible as well (by Amaia Gabantxo). It was one of those books where you feel the need to keep reading it through the chapter breaks, and every time you sit down you want to lap it up. Reading about the Basque culture was very interesting to me, as it is a people group that intrigues me in their strength and resourcefulness.
I took this with me on the plane on my trip to Spain and it was the perfect read to keep my attention all through the long hours of sleeplessness on the plane, and then to help me pass some of my jet lag mid-night reading sessions after we arrived. Plants Don't Drink Coffee never failed to impress me, I loved most the honesty of the voice, the transparency of failures, the clever voice of a child and the witty actions of everyone. It is one of the best books I have read this year. Loved it.
It is my honour to bestow upon Plants Don't Drink Coffee my 'can't cluck enough' chicken award!
Spain Through my Camera Lens
We are in Spain for the next bit, some of you have begged for pictures, others have done nothing short of threatening me....either way I feel the love, thanks! We have loved every day so far, and we are headed to Segovia to see the sights there, the castle there is impressive and the aqueduct is insanely cool. Stay tuned, I hope to have pictures up of that soon....depending on internet connection. Until then, enjoy a little tidbit of our journey in photos.
I will try to post pictures here again, but I will be uploading them all to my flickr album España.
If you want to see our pictures of Spain in your google (or selected) reader sign up for the RSS for the España flickr album.
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I adoringly HEART—>
