Status
Checked out
Due 13 May 2024
Description
In the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, reluctant British Secret Service spy Harry Brett investigates a shadowy Madrid businessman whose girlfriend would prevent a former lover from joining the communist cause.
User reviews
LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
Winter in Madrid is set during the beginning of WWII, after Franco has taken over Spain, punishing those who opposed him and siding with the Nazis, while keeping his war-ravaged country out of the war. Harry is an academic asked to go to Madrid posing as a translator in order to spy on an old
This was an enormously frustrating book for me. C.J. Sansom's writing is workmanlike; so that while it isn't bad, it also never achieves more than a steady, plodding pace. The setting is fantastic--there have been so many novels set in Western Europe during the Second World War, but few are set in Spain, and the events there are ripe ground for thousands of novels. There were serious concerns that Spain would join the war and tip the balance over to the Axis powers, while life in Spain was very difficult; years of bitter civil war and the subsequent dictatorship had left the economy in ruins. But if the time and place were well described, the characters were straight out of British central casting. In a world of shifting loyalties and shades of gray, Sansom has created his characters to be good or bad, with no surprises or nuances along the way. Despite the Spanish setting, the main characters are all British, each a stock character, straight from the box. This was less annoying than it might have been; after all, the reason they are so over-used is that they go over well. It's just a little tiresome in a book as long as Winter in Madrid to never be surprised by anything they do. Motivations are explained early and often and no one deviates from their anointed roles. I knew who would die in the daring escape long before they even knew there would be one. The plot was likewise predictable; I knew what the climactic scenes would be long before they were discussed. This is the kind of book that I would normally have set aside, but for the setting, which made it worthwhile, if not suspenseful. I'd like to roundly condemn it as a lazily written book that asks nothing of the reader, but, oh, the setting does much to redeem it.
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school friend. Sandy is a businessman, whose close dealings with the Falangists require a closer look. Harry finds his old friend and discovers that he's living with a woman who was the girlfriend of another old school friend -- one he traveled to Spain with before the Civil War and who returned to fight on the Republican side. He was declared missing, presumed dead, but now there is a hope that he has survived and is now in a prison camp. Spying and being spied upon, intrigue and daring escapes ensue. This was an enormously frustrating book for me. C.J. Sansom's writing is workmanlike; so that while it isn't bad, it also never achieves more than a steady, plodding pace. The setting is fantastic--there have been so many novels set in Western Europe during the Second World War, but few are set in Spain, and the events there are ripe ground for thousands of novels. There were serious concerns that Spain would join the war and tip the balance over to the Axis powers, while life in Spain was very difficult; years of bitter civil war and the subsequent dictatorship had left the economy in ruins. But if the time and place were well described, the characters were straight out of British central casting. In a world of shifting loyalties and shades of gray, Sansom has created his characters to be good or bad, with no surprises or nuances along the way. Despite the Spanish setting, the main characters are all British, each a stock character, straight from the box. This was less annoying than it might have been; after all, the reason they are so over-used is that they go over well. It's just a little tiresome in a book as long as Winter in Madrid to never be surprised by anything they do. Motivations are explained early and often and no one deviates from their anointed roles. I knew who would die in the daring escape long before they even knew there would be one. The plot was likewise predictable; I knew what the climactic scenes would be long before they were discussed. This is the kind of book that I would normally have set aside, but for the setting, which made it worthwhile, if not suspenseful. I'd like to roundly condemn it as a lazily written book that asks nothing of the reader, but, oh, the setting does much to redeem it.
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LibraryThing member readerbynight
I began reading Winter in Madrid with the idea of a mystery and found it difficult to follow in those terms. Once I started reading the book as a historical novel, it began to really take form. C.J. Sansom has done an excellent job of relating conditions in Spain through the 1930s and 40s.
The
Three boys at public school in England, through the wonders of coincidence in life, have all become entrenched in Spain in various capacities. Bernie, the Communist, friend of Harry’s; Harry, raised by his aunt and uncle - a Colonel; and Sandy, the discontent son of clergy and somewhat subversive by nature.
From the historical perspective, the book features post-monarchist Spain; first the Civil War which put Franco in power, followed by WWII and the concerns of whether Franco will ally himself with Hitler. Spain is devastated in the Civil War and the inroads being made by Stalin and by Hitler along Spain’s borders puts the country in extreme poverty, famine and desperation. This is the background into which Harry has arrived at the Spanish Embassy for training to spy on Sandy. Harry finds himself much more involved than he ever expected once he gets to Spain. Having been there in 1931 with Bernie, he is overwhelmed by the change. This becomes even more convoluted when he happens to meet up with a fellow Briton, Barbara, who he remembers as Bernie’s girlfriend on a trip Harry took to Spain in 1936 to find out if Bernie is alive, a trip taken on at the request of Bernie’s parents. Now, in 1940, it seems that they are all about to be drawn in together.
Written in three parts, Autumn, The Beginning of Winter, and Deep Cold, this could as easily be representing the degrees of involvement as describing the time of year and weather. Sansom weaves with great texture the stories of not just the three schoolmates or the two wars, but the several people who play well-defined roles in and out of the schoolmates’ lives. Vividly depicting the chaos, the strengths and weaknesses of the people, the determination to stay alive in the city of Madrid, and in the prison camps, this is what makes the book flow. Though at times jumping back into the time of the Civil War, then returning to the possibility of Spain joining Hitler’s war can be a bit unsettling at times, it does work out. The final part of the book becomes much faster moving with lots of action. Though there are some slower parts in the beginning while the background is being set, the rest of the book and the ending are well worth the read. Definitely recommended to war aficionados, Spanish mid-20th century history, romance and intrigue.
The
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Spanish Civil War has just ended and Hitler is preparing to move into Spain in WWII. A young man from Britain, survivor of the Dunkirk fiasco, finds himself heading to Spain as a spy. He is very uncomfortable with this assignment because the person he is to spy on was once his friend. Harry was chosen for two reasons, one, that he had already been active in the war and two, he had been a school- and room-mate of the person he is asked to spy on.Three boys at public school in England, through the wonders of coincidence in life, have all become entrenched in Spain in various capacities. Bernie, the Communist, friend of Harry’s; Harry, raised by his aunt and uncle - a Colonel; and Sandy, the discontent son of clergy and somewhat subversive by nature.
From the historical perspective, the book features post-monarchist Spain; first the Civil War which put Franco in power, followed by WWII and the concerns of whether Franco will ally himself with Hitler. Spain is devastated in the Civil War and the inroads being made by Stalin and by Hitler along Spain’s borders puts the country in extreme poverty, famine and desperation. This is the background into which Harry has arrived at the Spanish Embassy for training to spy on Sandy. Harry finds himself much more involved than he ever expected once he gets to Spain. Having been there in 1931 with Bernie, he is overwhelmed by the change. This becomes even more convoluted when he happens to meet up with a fellow Briton, Barbara, who he remembers as Bernie’s girlfriend on a trip Harry took to Spain in 1936 to find out if Bernie is alive, a trip taken on at the request of Bernie’s parents. Now, in 1940, it seems that they are all about to be drawn in together.
Written in three parts, Autumn, The Beginning of Winter, and Deep Cold, this could as easily be representing the degrees of involvement as describing the time of year and weather. Sansom weaves with great texture the stories of not just the three schoolmates or the two wars, but the several people who play well-defined roles in and out of the schoolmates’ lives. Vividly depicting the chaos, the strengths and weaknesses of the people, the determination to stay alive in the city of Madrid, and in the prison camps, this is what makes the book flow. Though at times jumping back into the time of the Civil War, then returning to the possibility of Spain joining Hitler’s war can be a bit unsettling at times, it does work out. The final part of the book becomes much faster moving with lots of action. Though there are some slower parts in the beginning while the background is being set, the rest of the book and the ending are well worth the read. Definitely recommended to war aficionados, Spanish mid-20th century history, romance and intrigue.
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LibraryThing member AdonisGuilfoyle
One of the most engrossing novels I have read this year, and a darkly fascinating insight into a twentieth century revolution, the Civil War in Spain.
Harry, Bernie and Sandy are childhood friends at an exclusive public school: the golden boy, the scholarship student from a working class
The plot is fast-paced and intricate, carrying the reader along with the same fragile hopes as experienced by the characters, all the while aware that nobody can be trusted. Harry, Bernie, Barbara, Sandy and Sofia are strong, enterprising and brave, living in Franco's Spain, but they are far from heroic. Scarred by the war, either directly like Bernie or through the lives of others, these are people acting out of desperation and humanity. In fact, one of the most intriguing characters is Sandy, who admits to being 'bad', but whose personality is shaded grey by how others view and remember him. I also took to Barbara and Sofia, ordinary women who have to be strong for those they love; in such extreme situations, it is easy to believe that we would all have the courage to do whatever is necessary.
The only letdown for me is the ending, which is far too pat after the layered narrative and steadily building tension of the bulk of the novel. Such a story requires a dramatic conclusion, but after such lengthy planning, the final stage was rushed and almost read like a Hollywood script. I object to epilogues for much the same reason - wondering 'Did everything work out for the best?' is sometimes better,and more fitting, than learning the fate of the characters in a chapter of forced dialogue.
All in all, though, a thoroughly gripping read.
Harry, Bernie and Sandy are childhood friends at an exclusive public school: the golden boy, the scholarship student from a working class
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background, and the rebel. Bernie and Harry travel to Spain in the early 1930s and witness the upheaval of a country in political turmoil, Bernie siding with the communist faction and Harry desperate to remain neutral. Only when Bernie is reported missing presumed dead after the Battle of Jarama in 1937 is Harry drawn deeper into a tangled web of espionage and deception, betraying old friends and risking his own life to do what he feels is right.The plot is fast-paced and intricate, carrying the reader along with the same fragile hopes as experienced by the characters, all the while aware that nobody can be trusted. Harry, Bernie, Barbara, Sandy and Sofia are strong, enterprising and brave, living in Franco's Spain, but they are far from heroic. Scarred by the war, either directly like Bernie or through the lives of others, these are people acting out of desperation and humanity. In fact, one of the most intriguing characters is Sandy, who admits to being 'bad', but whose personality is shaded grey by how others view and remember him. I also took to Barbara and Sofia, ordinary women who have to be strong for those they love; in such extreme situations, it is easy to believe that we would all have the courage to do whatever is necessary.
The only letdown for me is the ending, which is far too pat after the layered narrative and steadily building tension of the bulk of the novel. Such a story requires a dramatic conclusion, but after such lengthy planning, the final stage was rushed and almost read like a Hollywood script. I object to epilogues for much the same reason - wondering 'Did everything work out for the best?' is sometimes better,and more fitting, than learning the fate of the characters in a chapter of forced dialogue.
All in all, though, a thoroughly gripping read.
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LibraryThing member lookingforpenguins
It takes a darned good book to get a 5-star review out of me. I'd give this one 10 stars if it were an option.
In 1936 Spain, as World War II was gearing up, a military uprising led by General Franco sprang up against a leftist government and the Spanish Civil War began. Unable to obtain help from
And so it was that the Spanish people found themselves in the crossfire between two of the most undesireable factions fighting for control of their country: facists or communists.
The breadth of the destruction of Spain both during the Civil War and the years following the dictator Franco's rule over Spain cannot be overstated.
And this is the riveting time period that C.J. Sansom brings to life in his novel, Winter in Madrid.
Harry Brett finds himself at a bit of a loss whenout of the army on a medical discharge after the British retreat from the advancing Germans at Dunkirk. Recruited by British Intelligence, whose goal is to keep Spain from entering WWII on the side of the Axis powers, Harry heads off to Madrid to spy on an old school chum, Sandy Forsyth, who may or may not be supporting Franco's fascist regime.
But Sandy isn't Harry's only connection to Madrid. Bernie Piper, another old schoolmate who dropped out of school to join the International Brigades, died there fighting the fascists during the Civil War.
Except Bernie didn't die. And Sandy isn't who he appears to be.
This novel was nearly as perfect as a novel can be. From a historical perspective, Sansom's research is a wonder and more importantly, his ability to translate his research into a seamless story is nothing shortof amazing.
The Spanish Civil War was a politically convoluted mess. Yet Sansom never loses the reader. It is impossible not to feel incredibly illuminated about a period in history often glossed over.
The plot is perfectly paced, eventually reaching a conclusion that reflects the ambiguity of the time, and the characters are some of the most fully developed ever seen in a historical novel of this scope.
For any historical buff, A Reader's Respite is not just recommending Winter in Madrid to you, we're telling you that you MUST read this book.
If you're looking for an even more comprehensive education about Spain's Civil War and their role in WWII, couple this novel with Dave Boling's award-winning novel, Guernica.
In 1936 Spain, as World War II was gearing up, a military uprising led by General Franco sprang up against a leftist government and the Spanish Civil War began. Unable to obtain help from
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any other country, the leftist government turned to the Stalin who was all too happy to export his particular brand of "assistance." And so it was that the Spanish people found themselves in the crossfire between two of the most undesireable factions fighting for control of their country: facists or communists.
The breadth of the destruction of Spain both during the Civil War and the years following the dictator Franco's rule over Spain cannot be overstated.
And this is the riveting time period that C.J. Sansom brings to life in his novel, Winter in Madrid.
Harry Brett finds himself at a bit of a loss whenout of the army on a medical discharge after the British retreat from the advancing Germans at Dunkirk. Recruited by British Intelligence, whose goal is to keep Spain from entering WWII on the side of the Axis powers, Harry heads off to Madrid to spy on an old school chum, Sandy Forsyth, who may or may not be supporting Franco's fascist regime.
But Sandy isn't Harry's only connection to Madrid. Bernie Piper, another old schoolmate who dropped out of school to join the International Brigades, died there fighting the fascists during the Civil War.
Except Bernie didn't die. And Sandy isn't who he appears to be.
This novel was nearly as perfect as a novel can be. From a historical perspective, Sansom's research is a wonder and more importantly, his ability to translate his research into a seamless story is nothing shortof amazing.
The Spanish Civil War was a politically convoluted mess. Yet Sansom never loses the reader. It is impossible not to feel incredibly illuminated about a period in history often glossed over.
The plot is perfectly paced, eventually reaching a conclusion that reflects the ambiguity of the time, and the characters are some of the most fully developed ever seen in a historical novel of this scope.
For any historical buff, A Reader's Respite is not just recommending Winter in Madrid to you, we're telling you that you MUST read this book.
If you're looking for an even more comprehensive education about Spain's Civil War and their role in WWII, couple this novel with Dave Boling's award-winning novel, Guernica.
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LibraryThing member LynnB
I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the author's description of the setting...he conveys the atmosphere of post-civil war Spain so well that I could feel the damp and cold. His description of life in a prison camp was also excellent and evocative.
The plot....well, it all wraps up a
And the characters: they were flat, never once did anything that surprised me and (as someone below has said) "straight out of British casting". They were little more than a vehicle to allow the history of the period in Spain to be told.
The ending left me sad: it seems the sacrifices the characters made were all in vain; and the only people without blame were those who were politically neutral. Not an uplifting message...but the whole book was gloomy. Excellently gloomy in terms of setting. Mediocre at best in terms of characters and plot.
The plot....well, it all wraps up a
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little too neatly for my taste.And the characters: they were flat, never once did anything that surprised me and (as someone below has said) "straight out of British casting". They were little more than a vehicle to allow the history of the period in Spain to be told.
The ending left me sad: it seems the sacrifices the characters made were all in vain; and the only people without blame were those who were politically neutral. Not an uplifting message...but the whole book was gloomy. Excellently gloomy in terms of setting. Mediocre at best in terms of characters and plot.
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LibraryThing member suemucenieks
What a sucker - I fell for the "If you like that, you'll love this!" selling ploy on the front cover (where they are likening it to Shadow of the Wind). It was a mildly enjoyable read, but I didn't really care about any of the characters, and never really got a sense of Madrid. But it definitely
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felt cold! Show Less
LibraryThing member viking2917
Atmospheric, ultimately depressing novel of Englanders in the Spanish Civil War.
LibraryThing member Larou
Along with modernism came a certain loss in trust in the reliability of conventional narrative structures, and every major work of fiction from the twentieth century onwards has had to somehow come to terms with the insight that realism is just one literary trope among others and has no privileged
There is not a single trace of that in Winter In Madrid – it relies completely on a naive telling-it-the-way-it-was attitude, untinged even by the faintest hue of self-awareness or critique of a representational model of mimesis. Although I will have to admit that it is my own fault to be disappointed by this – C.J. Sansom is apparently otherwise known as author of a series of crime novels set in Tudor England, and I suppose it was only to be expected that a novel by him on the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War would be just as cosy as his mysteries. And once I got over the novel being rather less ambitious than I had hoped it would be, I even found it enjoyable – told from the alternating viewpoints of one British woman and two men, it takes places mainly in the winter of 1940 (but with frequent and occasionally somewhat erratic cut-backs delving into the background of the protagonists), a time when Hitler was victorious on the European continent and it seemed only a matter of time until Great Britain would either be defeated by the German bombings or have to come to some kind of peace with the fashists. Against that background, the question of whether Spain will join the war on the German side becomes essential, and a lot of the plot revolves around British intelligence operations to prevent just that.
The other half of the story is mainly that of three men who went to a public school together and the woman between two of them – that portion is not terribly original and even a bit trite in parts, but does its job in serving mainly to offset the characters’ varying relations with and reactions to the events during and immediately after the Spanish Civil War. “Serviceable” is also the word that describes best Sansom’s use of language which is thoroughly unspectacular, but still manages to convey the oppressive atmosphere and paint a bleak picture of Spain ruled by the Fashists. It is a very nuanced pictures, almost drained of colour and toned in various shades of grey – while he shows no sympathy whatever for either Falangists or Monarchists, he does not romanticise the Republicans either and never loses sight of the flaws of either side. In fact, he seems sometimes almost too balanced and while he often states the atrocities commited and the misery suffered during and after the Civil War among all parties involved, one never really feels them in the even, neutral tone of Sansom’s voice. On the other hand, this might very well have been a conscious decision and narrative strategy on the author’s part, to keep the tone of the novel as cold and drained of colour as the wintery scenery and frozen political atmosphere. In the same vein, there is no stark black and white in the depiction of characters either, but all are drawn in various shades of grey.
The novel takes its time setting things up, is spread out into a grand historical panorama, then gathers momentum at the same time as conflicts narrow down to the personal, and culminates in a finale that might be exaggerated to call action-packed but still has considerable tension. I have a bit of a gripe with Sansom rather predictably sacrificing the female foreigner in order for the British to survive, but he makes up for that by avoiding a “happy ever after” ending – something by far too rare these days even in literary fiction. It all has a quite cinematic feel to it, and I admit to some surprise that apparently it has not been made into a movie or at least a TV mini-series yet; it is very to imagine it while reading the book, with images in black and white or toned in bleached-out sepia .
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claim to truth. Historical novels (and indeed, the writing of history itself) have not remained unaffected by this either, and the works of the likes of Alfred Döblin and William Faulkner, Cormac McCarthy and Thomas Pynchon all are very far removed from the genre’s beginning in Walter Scott’s Waverly novels.There is not a single trace of that in Winter In Madrid – it relies completely on a naive telling-it-the-way-it-was attitude, untinged even by the faintest hue of self-awareness or critique of a representational model of mimesis. Although I will have to admit that it is my own fault to be disappointed by this – C.J. Sansom is apparently otherwise known as author of a series of crime novels set in Tudor England, and I suppose it was only to be expected that a novel by him on the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War would be just as cosy as his mysteries. And once I got over the novel being rather less ambitious than I had hoped it would be, I even found it enjoyable – told from the alternating viewpoints of one British woman and two men, it takes places mainly in the winter of 1940 (but with frequent and occasionally somewhat erratic cut-backs delving into the background of the protagonists), a time when Hitler was victorious on the European continent and it seemed only a matter of time until Great Britain would either be defeated by the German bombings or have to come to some kind of peace with the fashists. Against that background, the question of whether Spain will join the war on the German side becomes essential, and a lot of the plot revolves around British intelligence operations to prevent just that.
The other half of the story is mainly that of three men who went to a public school together and the woman between two of them – that portion is not terribly original and even a bit trite in parts, but does its job in serving mainly to offset the characters’ varying relations with and reactions to the events during and immediately after the Spanish Civil War. “Serviceable” is also the word that describes best Sansom’s use of language which is thoroughly unspectacular, but still manages to convey the oppressive atmosphere and paint a bleak picture of Spain ruled by the Fashists. It is a very nuanced pictures, almost drained of colour and toned in various shades of grey – while he shows no sympathy whatever for either Falangists or Monarchists, he does not romanticise the Republicans either and never loses sight of the flaws of either side. In fact, he seems sometimes almost too balanced and while he often states the atrocities commited and the misery suffered during and after the Civil War among all parties involved, one never really feels them in the even, neutral tone of Sansom’s voice. On the other hand, this might very well have been a conscious decision and narrative strategy on the author’s part, to keep the tone of the novel as cold and drained of colour as the wintery scenery and frozen political atmosphere. In the same vein, there is no stark black and white in the depiction of characters either, but all are drawn in various shades of grey.
The novel takes its time setting things up, is spread out into a grand historical panorama, then gathers momentum at the same time as conflicts narrow down to the personal, and culminates in a finale that might be exaggerated to call action-packed but still has considerable tension. I have a bit of a gripe with Sansom rather predictably sacrificing the female foreigner in order for the British to survive, but he makes up for that by avoiding a “happy ever after” ending – something by far too rare these days even in literary fiction. It all has a quite cinematic feel to it, and I admit to some surprise that apparently it has not been made into a movie or at least a TV mini-series yet; it is very to imagine it while reading the book, with images in black and white or toned in bleached-out sepia .
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LibraryThing member karensaville
I knew nothing about Spain in the war and felt that I learnt an enormous amount from reading this book. It is about Harry Brett a reluctant spy for the British Secret Service who is sent to Madrid to find his old schoolfriend Sandy Forsyth, now a shady business man and to regain his confidence.
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Meanwhile Sandy's girlfriend is on her own secret mission to find her former lover Bernie Piper who vanished on the battlefileds of the Jarama. An action-packed thriller that I really enjoyed. Show Less
LibraryThing member judithann
A very enjoyable book. I knew very little about war-time Spain (Civil war & WO II) and this book drew me into it. It's a spy story, but without the usual complots (well, there are one or two, at the end), with a bit of a love story, lots of suffering, good people, and bad people.
The atmosphere of
The atmosphere of
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the time is well-written, whether correct or not, but I could vision the clothes people wore, the town (Madrid) and the people quite easily. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sensory
I love it when I unexpectedly come across a book in which the author tells a story around events that actually happened and people who really existed. It makes me want to learn more about the events and how they shaped the lives of the people affected. This is one of those books.
During Spain’s
Several years later the old friend, Harry Brett, is wounded at Dunkirk and suffers post traumatic stress disorder. Recovering at home in England, he is contacted by the British Secret Service. They are interested in Harry because he can speak several languages and therefore can be put to use - ostensibly as a translator. In reality however, Harry is instructed to spy on another old school friend, Sandy Forsyth, who is busily scheming to take financial advantage of the political situation during World War Two.
Harry is surprised to discover that Barbara is still in Spain and has paired up with Sandy. As the story evolves the reader discovers that all three characters, Harry, Sandy and Barbara are concealing secrets from each other that when revealed, will irretrievably alter the course of their lives.
This book is written in a tone that evokes the era in which it takes place like none other that I’ve read in a long time. Written in period detail and expertly researched, it was easy to picture the cold streets of Madrid, the poverty and desperation of the people, the hopes and fears. I could feel the terror of the children as they were unceremoniously rounded up and delivered to church orphanages for ‘processing’ after their parents, who were deemed enemies of the state, disappeared forever. In fact the author dedicates the book “to the memory of the thousands of children of Republican parents who disappeared into the orphanages of Franco’s Spain”.
The politics in Spain during its civil war and the role it played during the Second World War is complicated to say the least. There is a short historical note at the end of the book explaining the political atmosphere during the years the story takes place. This was helpful in giving insight into some of the real people depicted in the book.
Having read Guernica by Dave Boling not long ago, my interest in what happened in Spain during these difficult years was piqued. As a result, I was very pleased to have the opportunity to read C.J. Sansom’s Winter in Madrid and I highly recommend it.
During Spain’s
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civil war Bernie Piper, a communist from Britain, joined the International Brigades and was sent to fight against the fascists. The last he was heard from was at the battle of Jarama in 1937. Bernie’s parents and his girlfriend, Barbara Clare, ask an old public school friend to help search for him. They come up empty.Several years later the old friend, Harry Brett, is wounded at Dunkirk and suffers post traumatic stress disorder. Recovering at home in England, he is contacted by the British Secret Service. They are interested in Harry because he can speak several languages and therefore can be put to use - ostensibly as a translator. In reality however, Harry is instructed to spy on another old school friend, Sandy Forsyth, who is busily scheming to take financial advantage of the political situation during World War Two.
Harry is surprised to discover that Barbara is still in Spain and has paired up with Sandy. As the story evolves the reader discovers that all three characters, Harry, Sandy and Barbara are concealing secrets from each other that when revealed, will irretrievably alter the course of their lives.
This book is written in a tone that evokes the era in which it takes place like none other that I’ve read in a long time. Written in period detail and expertly researched, it was easy to picture the cold streets of Madrid, the poverty and desperation of the people, the hopes and fears. I could feel the terror of the children as they were unceremoniously rounded up and delivered to church orphanages for ‘processing’ after their parents, who were deemed enemies of the state, disappeared forever. In fact the author dedicates the book “to the memory of the thousands of children of Republican parents who disappeared into the orphanages of Franco’s Spain”.
The politics in Spain during its civil war and the role it played during the Second World War is complicated to say the least. There is a short historical note at the end of the book explaining the political atmosphere during the years the story takes place. This was helpful in giving insight into some of the real people depicted in the book.
Having read Guernica by Dave Boling not long ago, my interest in what happened in Spain during these difficult years was piqued. As a result, I was very pleased to have the opportunity to read C.J. Sansom’s Winter in Madrid and I highly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member onimac
I liked this book very much, it had a very interesting plot and gave a great insight into Spain in the late 1930's. It did take me a while to get into it but then could'nt put it down.
LibraryThing member Condorena
This is a beautifully written comprehensive novel which tried to clarify Spanish history from the 1930's and 40's. I kept getting lost among the socialists, fascists, royalists, Monarchists, communists, Falangists, and republicans. Mixed in with these are the British, the Russians and the Germans
The struggle to survive these times was gargantuan, my struggle to finish this book was less so.
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all with a finger in this very complex pie.The struggle to survive these times was gargantuan, my struggle to finish this book was less so.
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LibraryThing member firebird013
The coming of the second world war has tended to overshadow this dark period in European history because what followed was so much worse. Sansom captures in a gripping and plausible tale the tension and brutality of this war where the Left and Right were able to practice before the big event that
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followed. Period and personalities are realistically evoked in a story that holds you from early pages until the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member mooknits
Unecessarily complicated on the political front I felt. Well written, but a little predictable. A good enough read, but not my favourite book in the world.
LibraryThing member LadyMuck
Entertaining spy/thriller set in WW2 Madrid. The author recreates the post Civil War atmosphere well and the story is gripping. Enjoyable.
LibraryThing member Cloud9
Could have done with being 100 pages shorter as although the plot is very good and has lots of threads the first half of the book is very slowly paced. There is nothing wrong with a slow paced book but Sansom does not have a writing style that lends itself to this. If you want to read a
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Mystery/thriller set in Spain Carlos Ruiz Zafon is a beautiful read. Show Less
LibraryThing member minxy_ukusa
this is such a good book, full of sadness and curiosity; just when you begin to hope for a happy ending all hopes are shot down.
LibraryThing member richardgarside
Very well written - great characterisation and settings with a good amount of little known history ( to me anyway).
I just felt that the conclusion was dealt with a little summarily, otherwise it is a 5 star read
I just felt that the conclusion was dealt with a little summarily, otherwise it is a 5 star read
LibraryThing member alexlubertozzi
I really enjoyed reading this book for the most part, set in Franco’s Spain (mostly Madrid) just after his fascist forces prevailed in the Civil War. But the ending goes so wrong in so many different ways, it spoiled what had been a gripping story filled with interesting, sympathetic characters
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in a compelling setting. Worth reading for the historical details about Spain during and just after the Civil War; but be prepared for the story to go spectacularly off the rails and the characters to behave in implausible and unrealistic ways in the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member acarritt
This is an exciting novel set in 1940s Madrid. It paints a stark picture of life in Madrid in the 1940s, the horrific Francoist labour camps and the the British Government's efforts to keep Spain out of the second World War. I really enjoyed this book which focusses on one of the lesser known
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periods of Spanish history (much less popular that the civil war for example) and found the plot gripping and the characters engaging. Show Less
LibraryThing member ang709
I thought this was well written. I was especially impressed that there was just the right amount of period detail. I didn't know much about the Spanish Civil War, but the author provided enough information for me to follow the story and yet not feel like I was reading a history book.
I found the
I thought Harry, with his shell-shock and conflicted loyalties, was a sympathetic character.
By way of criticism: I didn't believe Barbara would ever have gotten involved with Sandy. And while Sandy is established as a vengeful person, endangering his life to get revenge struck me as over the top.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It certainly succeeded in transporting me to another time and place.
I found the
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book suspenseful. There was one plot development late in the book that I guessed fairly early on, but rather than detract from my reading experience, it made me more anxious to see how everything would turn out.I thought Harry, with his shell-shock and conflicted loyalties, was a sympathetic character.
By way of criticism: I didn't believe Barbara would ever have gotten involved with Sandy. And while Sandy is established as a vengeful person, endangering his life to get revenge struck me as over the top.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It certainly succeeded in transporting me to another time and place.
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LibraryThing member herschelian
Set in Madrid during the late autumn and winter of 1940, when, in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, a post-Dunkirk Britain is desperately trying to keep Franco from joining Nazi Germany and the Axis nations. The three main protagonists are men who were all at the same English public school
This one of the best books I have read this year.
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together several years previously. For different reasons of personal history they have all ended up in Spain and their lives become linked together again by a series of events. Sansom has written a book which is a classic spy thriller with echos of Graham Greene and John le Carre, and also a poignant romantic tale of missed opportunities, and the compromises people make in emotional relationships. All this is bound together with a very impressive dollop of history, which has whet my appetite for more reading about this period. Before reading A Winter in Madrid my knowlege of the Spanish Civil War, Anglo-Spanish relations during WW2 and the role of the Catholic Church in the Franco regime was scanty to non-existant. This one of the best books I have read this year.
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LibraryThing member john257hopper
I didn't enjoy this novel as much as either the author's Shardlake series, or his alternate historical fiction novel, Dominion. The descriptions of oppression and poverty in Franco's Spain are vividly drawn, and one gets a very clear picture of a society riven by stark political and religious
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divides and chilling refusals to compromise. However, I found the jumping around of the action in the first half of the novel between 1940, 1931 and 1936 quite confusing, and throughout much of the book, the narrative drive was lacking, only the attempt to free Bernie from the labour camp coming across as exciting and dramatic. The Spanish characters were well drawn, while most of the British ones seemed a bit cliched. Ultimately, I found this a somewhat unsatisfying read, but one that could probably have been made tighter and more dramatic without a huge amount of change. Show Less
LibraryThing member erica471
Wow! I loved it. I don't know how to classify this book. I've heard spy thriller..no. But, just fiction I think. It really gives you a sense of living in Madrid during the time of Franco. The characters were so completely drawn you really, really felt like you knew them. I'm not sure I would
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recommend this book to everyone. It is a bit slower, until the last few chapters. Really loved it. Show Less