Review: Guernica

Guernica, by Dave Boling







The Down and Dirty


On April 26, 1937, the German Condor Legion bombed the bejeesus out of a small Basque town in Spain called Guernica.
Hitler had "loaned" his deadly Luftwaffe to the soon-to-be facist dictator Franco who was battling for control during the devastating Spanish Civil War. No one knows for certain how many civilians died that day. Guernica had no air defenses and it was market day in the center of town. What is known is that the majority of the town was completely destroyed and a new age of attacking civilian targets was ushered in.


Dave Boling's debut novel Guernica is an intensely personal examination of the destruction of a town. Rather than take on the entire political spectrum that led to the bombing of Guernica, Boling examines the lives of two families who are Guernica. Like families the world over, they live, they love, and in this case, they suffer losses unimaginable in the Western world today.

Picasso's great mural: Guernica

The Lit Crit

This is a character driven novel and Boling fills the novel with complex, rich characters, making the reader a part of the community. You feel as if you have known these characters all of your life...their joys are your joys, their pain is your pain.

You should be aware that the passage relating the actual bombing is, perhaps, one of the most intense scenes on paper. Be prepared for tears, anger and excruiciating anguish. The jarring transition from character-centric to stark destruction masterfully mirrors the transformation of Guernica from a sleepy, peaceful town to a raging inferno.

Don't look for a happy ending here. Thankfully, however, neither does Boling offer up a gratuitous sob-fest. He sees it through to the end and you can expect a healthy dose of realism. Anything less would have cheapened the novel.


Our Recommendation

Highly, highly recommended. This novel is one that will stay on your permanent shelves (right next to a box of Kleenex) to be read and re-read. There is a good reason this book won the 2009 Pacific Northwest Book Award for Fiction.

If you would like to learn more about the broader political situation of the Spanish Civil War and Spain's role during World War II, pair this novel with C.J. Sansom's novel, Winter in Madrid (review here). Both novels would make the perfect gift for your favorite history buff.

The Metro recently interviewed the author -- one of the best interviews I've ever read and worth checking out.





Title: Guernica
Author: Dave Boling
ISBN-13: 978-1596915633
384 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury, USA
Date: September 2, 2008


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Review: Winter in Madrid

Winter in Madrid, by C.J. Sansom

The Down and Dirty

Settle in with a nice cup of coffee and allow A Reader’s Respite to tell you about a book.

A fabulous book. Really and truly.

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 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.

The Lit Crit

Not much to say here, as 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 short of 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.

The Recommendation

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, a review of which you can read here tomorrow.

Title: Winter in Madrid
Author: C.J. Sansom
ISBN-13: 978-0143115137
544 pages
Publisher: Penguin
Date: January 27, 2009 (pbk.)


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