Standing in front of it is like watching a film, complete with a soundtrack. No mean feat, considering shes married to a man who has made it his business to uncover cracking news stories about the great and good doing. Victoria hislop uses fiction to tell us about the horrifying reality of an era of spanish history that, until very recently, even the spanish have collectively preferred to forget pacto del olvido. Is victoria hislop successful in melding fact and fiction together. In 1937, 28yearold martha gellhorn travels alone to madrid to report on the atrocities of the spanish civil war and becomes drawn to the stories of ordinary people caught in the devastating conflict. The story of the ramirez family is beautifully woven together in order to explore the fates of four children divided by political, social and emotional loyalties. As with her previous novel, the island, victoria hislop surrounds the story with a tale of modern womanhood in search of identity. Life is good for the ramirez brood until the spanish civil war erupts. Oct, 2009 the author of the beloved international bestseller the island, victoria hislop now transports the reader to granada, spain, in a time of historic turmoil. To date weve been entranced by such settings as a leper colony in the postwar greek islands the island and the spanish civil war in the return. The return by victoria hislop book con jamon spain. A concise history of the spanish civil war paul preston fontana. Captivating and deeply moving, victoria hislops second novel is as inspiring as her.
Published in 2011 it was shortlisted for a british book award. Before we came to spain i knew little about the civil war. Victoria was the newcomer of the year at the galaxy british book awards 2007. Sonia cameron knows nothing of the citys shocking past.
Victoria hislop s first novel, the island, was an international bestseller. Tales of granada in the return by victoria hislop the. This was followed by the return, set during the spanish civil war, and then the thread, which tells the turbulent tale of thessaloniki and its people across the 20 th century. Victoria hislop studied english literature at oxford university and afterwards worked in book publishing, pr and journalism.
As she evokes their distinct atmosphere, she brings vividly to life a host of unforgettable characters, from a lonesome priest to battling brothers, and from an unwanted stranger to a groom troubled by music and memory. Guerra civil espanola was a civil war in spain fought from 1936 to 1939. The spanish civil war has been much covered but victoria hislops research certainly comes. Mar 08, 20 enter victoria hislop, who makes that turbulent period in spanish history accessible to all through her charming and touching novel. She studied english at st hildas college, oxford and worked in publishing and as a journalist. Even after the spanish civil war of 19361939, its hard to believe that sunny spain was under a dictatorship from 1939 to 1975. Buy the return by victoria hislop from waterstones today. This is a super look at spain that fascinatingly uses the impact of the spanish civil war of the 1930s that killed a half million people in three years on yet unique aspects of the culture survive such as a love of dance and the risk of bullfighting. It was about spinaloga, the island housing a leper colony off crete. This time the background for thwarted passion and the slow revelation of dark family secrets is the spanish civil war, a humanitarian disaster rather beyond hislops gcselevel analysis. The return by victoria hislop the book of tomorrow. She may have scored one outer in her last shot, but it appears that she might as well be stepping back on to the centre of the stage of a revue with the thread, a moving tale which incorporates an assortment of patterns and literary devices to be found in abundance across the scales of.
During her time as a journalist, she wrote on education and travel for national newspapers and magazines. The island sold over a million copies in the uk and has been translated into 24 languages. The trip proves an odyssey of discovery for sonia, who over a morning cup of coffee is mesmerized by an elderly cafe owners stories of the spanish civil war. Aims to open the eyes and tug the heartstrings independent an atmospheric, vibrant and moving tale of pain and passion at the heart of wartorn spain from victoria. The return offers welcome evidence that womens fiction is getting more ambitious, marching into the realm of big events.
Apr 16, 2009 i knew very little about the spanish civil war prior to reading this book. Born in bromley, kent now part of london, she was raised in tonbridge, kent, and attended tonbridge grammar school. Personally i found the subjectmatter of her first, the island, far more intriguing, probably because i knew little about it. Having studied the spanish civil war at university when you study a language you normally learn about the history, culture and literature. The return by victoria hislop diary of an eccentric. For her second novel, the return she tackles another difficult subject. Victoria hislop certainly knows how to keep a secret. Buy victoria hislop ebooks to read online or download in pdf or epub on your pc, tablet or mobile device. May 01, 2009 this time the background for thwarted passion and the slow revelation of dark family secrets is the spanish civil war, a humanitarian disaster rather beyond hislop s gcselevel analysis. Victoria hislop read english at oxford, and worked in publishing, pr and as a journalist before becoming a novelist. Victoria hislop spins the emotional tale of one family and the horrors the war caused to them, and other families, whist at the same time giving the reader a history. I knew very little about the spanish civil war prior to reading this book. Do you find their story a good way of conveying the history of the civil war. Victoria hislop is the internationally bestselling author of the island and the return.
Victoria hislop spins the emotional tale of one family and the horrors the war caused to them, and other families, whist at the same time giving the reader a history lesson on the causes, effects and outcomes of the civil war. The return by victoria hislop october 21, 2009 december 3, 2010 meg when sonia, a middleaged british woman struggling to find space within her own marriage, travels to spain for her friends birthday, stories of granadas vivid past are awakened and her innate love of dancing is encouraged and ignited. The return is a colorful and spellbinding saga of a family inspired by music. The return by victoria hislop was high on the list as its set in granada, spain. This is a super look at spain that fascinatingly uses the impact of the spanish civil war of the 1930s that killed a half million people in three years on yet unique aspects of the culture survive such as. Republicans loyal to the leftleaning second spanish republic, in alliance with anarchists, of the communist and syndicalist variety, fought against a revolt by the nationalists, an alliance of falangists, monarchists, conservatives and catholics, led by a military group among whom. The return ticks so many of these boxes as it tells the story of the ramirez family in granada during the spanish civil war. The author of the beloved international bestseller the island, victoria hislop now transports the reader to granada, spain, in a time of historic turmoil. British author victoria hislop has concentrated her talent on the exploration of the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. The return is a colorful and spellbinding saga of a family. Before picking up the return, i didnt know much about the spanish civil war, and hislop does a good job using the story of the ramirez family.
The return is an historical novel set between present and past, north and south as the books protagonists. Jul 15, 2014 hislop has written two further books, one of which, the return 2008 is set in granada during the spanish civil war. Its the adventure shes been looking for and her chance to prove herself a worthy journalist in a field dominated by men. Victoria hislops latest novel is a story about love, war, loyalty, politics and, to an extent, destiny.
The return is a beautiful novel of the spanish civil war, infused with dance and relationships, the sound of castanets and guitar contrasted with gunfire and screams. A tale of passion, pain and pride in wartorn spain, written with a dualtime element. Given the spanish emphasis of my current reading, i should try it but somehow i dont think i will. How does the history of the ramirez family represent the spanish civil war more generally. Victoria talks to jackie mcglone about the return keeping secrets, and researching her third novel victoria hislop certainly knows how to keep a secret. Victoria hislops retelling of the spanish civil war in the return made me want to read more history books about the period. In 10 powerful stories, victoria hislop takes us through the streets of athens and into the treelined squares of greek villages. The spanish civil war has been much covered but victoria hislops research certainly comes through in this detailed drama. Now victoria hislops new offering, belying its dreamy sepiatinted cover.
May, 20 victoria hislop uses fiction to tell us about the horrifying reality of an era of spanish history that, until very recently, even the spanish have collectively preferred to forget pacto del olvido. Hislop has written two further books, one of which, the return 2008 is set in granada during the spanish civil war. Aims to open the eyes and tug the heartstrings independent an atmospheric, vibrant and moving tale of pain and passion at the heart of war torn spain from victoria hislop, the millioncopy bestselling author of the island. That same sunshine that attracts so many of us to andalucia also drew victoria hislop to granada in search of a story of love, passion and tragedy as she researched spains civil war. Inspired by a visit to spinalonga, the abandoned greek leprosy colony, victoria wrote the island in 2005 and was named. Victoria hislops latest novel the return is just out in paperback and is topping the bestseller charts. Enter victoria hislop, who makes that turbulent period in spanish history accessible to all through her charming and touching novel. Tales of granada in the return by victoria hislop the well. Next came the return, a combination of flamenco dancing and the horrors of the spanish civil war. I was so very disappointed by this book as i really enjoy books set in other countries, particularly if they have a historical element and i can learn about something i knew nothing of before. Now for this, victorias fifth novel, she returns to a. The return is an historical novel set between present and past, north and south as the books protagonists play out personal dilemmas revolving around spain. But in a quiet cafe, a chance conversation and an intriguing collection of old photographs draw her into the extraordinary tale of spains devastating civil war.