Amid the shadows of war, one family faces an impossible choice that will change their lives forever. From bestseller Mario Escobar comes a 20th-century historical novel of sacrifice and resilience inspired by Spain’s famed Children of Morelia and the true events that shaped their lives. Madrid, 1934. Though the Spanish Civil War has not yet begun, the streets of Madrid have become dangerous for … become dangerous for thirteen-year-old Marco Alcalde and his two younger sisters. Marco’s parents align themselves against the new fascist regime, unaware that their choice will endanger the entire family–nor do they predict the violence that is to come.
In a desperate bid for safety, the Alcaldes join many other Spanish families in making an impossible choice to send their unaccompanied children across the ocean to the city of Morelia, Mexico–a place they’ve never seen or imagined, but whose government promises their children protection. Young Marco promises to look after his sisters in Mexico until their family can be reunited in Spain, but a harrowing journey ensues.
As the growing children work to care for themselves and each other, they feel their sense of home, family, and identity slipping further and further away. As their memories of Spain fade, they begin to wonder if they will ever see their parents again or the glittering streets of the home they once loved.
Based upon the true stories of the Children of Morelia, Mario Escobar’s Remember Me–now available for the first time in English–paints a poignant portrait of an immigrant family’s sacrificial love and endurance, detailing just how far we go for those we love.
“Luminous and beautifully researched, Remember Me is a study of displacement, belonging, compassion, and forged family amid a heart- wrenching escape from the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War. Fans of Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Chanel Cleeton, and Lisa Wingate will be mesmerized.”–Rachel McMillan, author of The London Restoration
- Perfect for book clubs: Includes discussion questions, research notes from the author, and a historical timeline
- Based on real historical events: Full-length, 90,000-word historical novel based on the true stories of the Children of Morelia
- Researched and written by a subject-matter expert: Mario Escobar has a master’s degree in modern history and lives in Madrid
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This beautiful well written, well researched novel takes place before, during and after the Spanish Civil in the years 1934 – 1941. I enjoy historical fiction and especially enjoy it if I learn something new. I knew very little about the Spanish Civil war before reading this book and learned about how the war split up Spain in this brother to brother conflict and the aftermath of this bloody war.
Marco, Isabel and Ana Alcalde live in Madrid with their parents, The war hasn’t started yet but people have taken sides and Madrid is no longer safe. Once the war and the bombing start, Madrid became very dangerous and their mother decided to send them to Mexico when the Mexican government promised protection to the imperiled children of Spain. The three children are put on a ship with approximately 500 other children and sent across the ocean to live in a town called Morelie. When they first arrive, they are treated to parades and a lot of love from the citizens. However, the living conditions and treatment they were subjected to was horrendous. Along with living in a new land where they couldn’t speak the language or know the customs, and the terrible treatment, the worst part for the children was missing their loving parents and not being able to hear from them for months. Marco was 13 and promised his parents that he would protect his younger sisters but as time went on, it became more difficult to do but they got through their days and weeks with thoughts of returning to Spain and their parents.
This was a beautiful book about family, tragedy, love, separation and the wish for a better future. This powerful book is about a time in history that is often unknown. We need to learn from our history to make sure that it isn’t repeated in our future.
It took a while to get into this book. I had put it down a couple of times but this time I decided to get through it. I am glad I did. Don’t get me wrong it was not my favorite read but I fell in love with Marco, the little boy who had so much hope. The first part of the book I felt like it was preaching about the Spanish Civil War. After I got through that it was a better read. Marco, a 13 year old who was sent to Mexico by his Father and Mother with his 2 sisters, Isabel and Ana. He was told to always protect them and to remember his parents. There were quite a few hardships Marco and his sisters had to endure but they were always there for each other and young Marco took his mother’s words very seriously and protected his sisters. It amazed me that he had the knowledge to get to places and find food and shelter. Sometimes the circumstances were very grim but Marco had the drive and the hope to get through those horrible times. His hope was to be reunited with his Father and Mother and be a family again.
Thanks to #netgalley, #thomasnelson and @marioescobar.oficial for a copy of this book.
Full of rich and vibrant descriptions, the hauntingly beautiful prose weaves a story not easy to forget. I like that this story centers around a historical event that I do not have much background knowledge, the Spanish Civil War. It tells of the brutality of war from the viewpoint of its most vulnerable victims, the children. Mario Escobar brings a unique voice, as a new-to-me author, that tells a compelling story that will stay with me forever.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
What a good account of one family’s history of their lives trying to stay together and safe during the Spanish Civil War . The great determination of getting together after separation and traveling the world in 1937. It was information new to me as to how the rest of the World was so engaged in a war and Spain seemed to be out there fighting by themselves.
Favorite Quotes:
That day I understood that people can be right and still lose; that courage is not enough to defeat evil; and that the strength of weapons destroys the soul of humanity.
He would remain an idealist who longed for the triumph of the proletariat revolution, but something broke apart in his soul that hot July day. He could not have named the sadness any more than I could have right then, but it was without a doubt the grief of a broken heart that discovers there is no ideology on earth worth killing for.
I saw her get into the car and wave, I tried to lock that moment away in my brain forever. I didn’t want the memory to disappear into some corner of my heart. I was terrified. Fear is the worst feeling in the world. It rules like a tyrant, takes advantage of us, and turns us into wretched beings.
It’s impossible to ignore the pain of an open wound, and loneliness is one of the deepest gashes in the soul.
People stared at us with a mixture of compassion and relief. Humans are always happy when misfortune passes by their door and knocks at the neighbor’s house instead.
Feeling lonely showed us that, without our family, we were little more than cut flowers whose beauty and fragrance fades.
Life is like a flash of light between nostalgias.
My Review:
I struggled with this emotive and heartrending story. While it was informative and well written the emotional tone was intense and heavy with anguish and tragedy. Combine that with the described abuse, neglect, senseless brutality, and unfathomable atrocities the powerless children and citizens suffered; and it is easily understood why I frequently needed to put my Kindle down and seek out something more pleasant before my heart ruptured.
I confess to being completely ignorant of this period of history as well as of the history of Spain in general. Although I do have a keen memory of seeing a picture of the ruthless dictator Franco while dressed in his resplendent uniform in my 5th grade elementary school textbook and wondering if he was part owner of the canned pasta company that made my Spaghettios. Apparently, history has never been my forte!
Amongst the heinous scenarios of corruption and unobstructed abuse at the hands of the religious figures and institutions set up for their care were gripping storylines that led to profoundly deep and insightful observations, inner musings, and revelations as experienced through the eyes of a young adolescent in untenable circumstances. These passages were written with thoughtful prose that was so poignant it was almost lyrical and caused me to read them several times while stealing my breath and burning my eyes and throat. Mario Escobar broke my heart – he has mad skills.
I had no idea that all of this happened. I do not know much about the Spanish Civil War, and this was a very well written read, about the children who were shipped across an ocean by parents and families in the belief they would be safe, cared for and start a new life in a new country until the war ended, or they could get passage themselves. This story follows three sibling on their journey to Mexico, from Spain and all of the tumultuous situations they encounter in their new life.
Marco, the son and the eldest has been put in charge of taking care of his sisters and keeping their family together no matter what. The first stop is to their grandparents out in the country, but that soon is no longer safe and after hearing about the Mexican government offering aid and protection to children in the midst of war, the Alcalde’s decide that is what will be best. The war should be over soon, and they will then all be a family again.
The three children; Marco, Isabel and Ana after a treacherous journey, and almost not making it in time, finally board the Mexique with hundreds of other children who are bound for safety. This is hardest decision a mother has ever made, but feels in her heart it is the best right now. A long journey of sea sickness, hitting the edge of a hurricane, hardly any food, cleanliness or anyone who seems to care, they finally find themselves in their new temporary country.
The promises that were made soon show that they are not being held up by those in charge. People are angry that all of these children have come and taken up residence and some of them are nothing but a hinderance and do wreak havoc on the city, as well as push against the religion and beliefs here. They want life to be normal like it was back in Spain. Marco feels he has to do something but with no job or income, what is supposed to do?
The three band together in hopes that the war will end soon, and their parents will come and get them and all will be reunited and a happy family again. Word from across the ocean, is that the war is not getting any better, lots of people have been killed or put in camps and the Nazi’s are gaining power across Europe as well. No one wants to admin that it sounds like the war is far from over, meanwhile another is brewing.
Marco finally makes decision after having been stuck in Mexico for many more months longer than anticipated and decides they will go back to Spain. Find their parents and all reunite. There is nothing in Mexico for them and he does not feel they can wait much longer. The three journey back across the ocean and find that home, no longer feels or looks like home and that maybe this was not the right decision to make.
I really enjoyed reading this novel and will look to seek out other stories about the Spanish Civil War. I cannot imagine having dealt with this, to then have WWII break out and more havoc and bombing and camps were once again being utilized through out Europe. Thank you to the author, Mario Escobar for the free book, and Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the tour invite. This is one for those who enjoy reading war novels, but are burnt out on the WWII reads.
Thank you NetGalley & Thomas Nelson for gifting me a copy of this book. These opinions are my own.
4/5 Stars
“…I understood that suffering is our only lifelong, faithful friend. At every moment it reminds us we’re mortal and that around every corner we could lose all our happiness and long to curse the day we were born.”
This is the first book I’ve read about the Spanish Civil War. I’m going to be honest, I went into this knowing nothing about this time period in Spain’s history. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about The Spanish Civil War, the Children of Morelia, and Spain’s impact at the start of WWII. This was such a terrible time for Spanish citizens and I enjoyed that the story was written from the perspective of a child. The writing was well done (especially when you realize it’s been translated from Spanish), with enjoyable characters and heart wrenching realities that Spanish citizens faced both during and after the Civil War.
I wish there was a bit min more of the wars backstory given. The beginning of this book starts off with Madrid already in the middle of the civil war. Since I had no prior knowledge of this war, it was a bit confusing trying to puzzle out who was who, how it started, etc. This forced me to do my own research to help fully grasp what was going on (which I didn’t really mind). There were also a couple small moments that I questioned Mario’s decisions and wondered how realistic his decisions were.
I’m so glad that I picked this book up, I’d definitely like to learn more about this period of Spanish history.
I received an ARC of this excellent historical novel from Netgalley, author Mario Escobar, translator Gretchen Abernathy, and publisher Thomas Nelson. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. Remember Me is an outstanding look into the civil war of Spain from November 1934, and the story of the Children of Morelia, the Spanish children in exile in Mexico from May of 1937 through the end of 1940 when the decision was made to return the children to Spain. We focus on the three Alcalde siblings, Marco (16), Isabel, and Ana
The author tells us that the Spanish Civil War was a river of tears and blood. All civil wars are bad – brother against brother, but the Spanish Civil War was tragic to a degree impossible to fully understand. The conflicts between the rebels and the Republican government and It’s loyal citizens began in 1934 and by the time of the coup in July 1936 the citizens of the country were already hungry, afraid, and without much hope. By 1937 thousands of Spanish children had been dispursed into European countries, from Russia to England, Belgium, and France, and some to Argentina and Chile in South America. But Europe was now very unstable, and Mexican President Cardenas and his wife Amalia Solorzano made provisions to handle up to 500 Spanish children in the small town of Morelia, Mexico.
By the summer of 1937, many Spanish families had decided to send their children across the sea to safety in Mexico at this invitation of the Mexican government. 470 children were sent by train to Bordeaux, France, and then by ship across the turbulent Atlantic to Vera Cruz, and then to a boarding school set up to continue the education of those Spanish children, along with a few Morelia Mexican children.
It was many months after the children’s arrival in Mexico before the parents of those in exile were given their location and address to write them. And of course, mail at that time took months to travel from Madrid to Mexico. Communication between the family members was sporadic and months went by between letters. In September 1939 Poland was invaded by Germany, and World War II was declared and grew to include most of Europe and Asia. Family members’ children in Mexico were just hanging on, uncertain of their future, afraid for their families back home. When can they go home? Is there home and family left to return to?
First remember this book is historical friction but based on true facts happening at that time. After you finish the book take the time to read the notes at the end which gives you the actual facts and the literary liberties taken.
Reading the book I realize how little I knew about the Spanish revolution. The book was well written and is easy to read even with it been a difficult subject. Looking in from the outside it is easy to second guess or determine certain actions shouldn’t have been taken but then we don’t know how we actual would proceed if put into that position. The story shows us love, hate, betrayal, desperation and many more at a time that we were very close to the start of World War II. Nothing could have been harder for a parent then to send their kids to a faraway foreign country. Not knowing if they ever will see them back.
REMEMBER ME by Mario Escobar is a fantastic historical fiction read I thoroughly enjoyed! This was definitely a heartbreaking read for me but I really enjoyed the historical fiction background of the children of Morelia.
I learned so much about the time period during the Spanish Civil War. It was so heartbreaking whenever I read about children having to give up their childhood to survive, to take on so much responsibility for the family and hardships. Escobar’s writing really immersed me into the story and that time period. The well researched story in a time period not so well known or well written about in the historical fiction books I happen to read lately. I could only imagine what the parents must be going through to send their children to another country. The displacement of children and families due to the fascist repression was such an atrocity to learn about. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to learn about this through this amazing book.
I highly recommend this to read more about the Spanish Civil War, the children of Morelia and the struggles of the refugees at that time. Fantastic read!!
Loyalty is the shortest path between two hearts
I have read other books by Mario Escobar, and his writing never disappoints. Remember Me is as rich in history and events as all his other books. I was caught up in the book from page one and it held me captive until the end.
I have never read a book about the Spanish Civil War before and knew nothing of the horrible human atrocities that happened to the Republicans during the fascist regime of Franco. The most horrific were those against the innocent children of the Republicans set to prisons and concentration camps.
The story is about a family named Alcalde. The parents managed to send their three children to Mexico before they were imprisoned. The Story starts right when the war starts, a large part is set in Mexico where the Alcalde children were sent to escape the violence in Spain at a school set up for the Spanish exiled children and the last part is when the children return to Spain to find their parents.
The story was interesting well written , researched and based on real events although the characters were fictional, they were representative of those living during that period in history. The events and the descriptions of such as well as the descriptions of the different countries was very descriptive.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it.
Thanks to Mario Escobar, Thomas Nelson Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars
I just spent most of yesterday and this morning reading Remember Me by Mario Escobar. I have read a few books about the Spanish Civil War in the 1930’s but had never heard the story of the 500 children sent to Mexico known as the Morelia children. Imagine as a parent putting your children on an ocean liner in the mid 1930’s. On the trip, Marco, age, 13 and his two younger sisters Isabel and Ana make this journey. Their parents opposed Franco and sent the children for their safety. Separation, sea sickness, and a hurricane are part of their journey. Escobar did a lot of research as evidenced at the end of the book, and wrote a fictional account of this family based on stories of many orphans on the trip. These kids are exposed to many horrible situations before the trip, during their time in Mexico, and when they return to Spain. They also met with the kindness of many strangers. I learned so much about this moment in history, and I really appreciate Escobar’s attention to detail Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have never read a book about the Spanish War. This story is heartbreaking about 3 children who are exiled from Spain to Mexico without parents. The parents remain in Spain to continue to fight for the republic. I can’t even begin to imagine something like this which makes it a difficult read. It is absolutely heartbreaking.
As much as I loved the author’s first two historical fiction novels, this one was just too hard to get into. I was looking forward to learning more about the Spanish Civil War. However, I felt like it was too difficult getting invested in the characters and the story. I don’t feel like the main characters, the Alcalde children, are well developed.
The book is full of the atrocities that the people suffered during the Spanish Civil War. But it felt like it was just a rehashing of the facts. And those were horrendous…from the detailed tortures and the sexual abuse.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishers for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
An excellent researched book about the Spanish Civl War of the late 1930s. It follows the lives of the Alcande family, who are active in the revolutionary movement. They are targeted by the authorities, and the father decides to send Marco and his two younger sisters to Morelia Mexico for their safety! They are separated from their families and in conditions they had never envisioned.
Although they were supposed to return home after the war, many never did.
Although fictional characters, they were well developed and demonstrated the resilience of the young children. Marco fought continually to protect his sisters, despite his youth, fulling the promise made to his father.
This was a very disturbing, dark time in Spain, with graphic descriptions of the bloodshed. I found reading it to be difficult at times, and needed to put it down. But the talent of author Mario Escobar is apparent throughout.
I thank the author, #NetGalley and #HarperCollins for the ARC. All opinions are my own. If you are a fan of historical fiction, this is a must!
Remember Me by Mario Escobar is an excellent historical fiction that is based on factual events that occurred during the time period before, during, and after the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.
This story brings to light just a glimpse of the horrific events that enveloped the people of Spain, even those that did not even choose to play a part: the women and children and not just the citizens that were a part of the Republicans, had to go through was very heartbreaking and sobering. The separation of the children from their parents in hopes for a safer life overseas and in Mexico, which then not always happened, was also very difficult to read.
Such volatility and instability seemed to be far reaching during this time, and while I knew a lot about other countries’ events during the 1930s leading up to the all-encompassing WWII, I knew less about the Spanish Civil War and the effects that it had on its people, the migrant children, and their outcomes after immigrating to Mexico was a complete blank slate to me. I learned so much while reading this novel.
I especially appreciated the Author’s Note at the end of the book under the titled Clarifications from History to see what was true, what was adjusted to fit into the narrative, and a timeline of significant events during the period of the Second Spanish Republic and some of the political events that ensnared Mexico at this point in time.
A great historical fiction, in my view, is a book that I can relate to, characters that are realistic, factual events that I can then research and learn from, and a story that can resonate with me long after I finish the last page. This book truly did hit all of those marks. I have read several previous books from this author, and I knew from previous reads that this would also be an excellent novel. My predictions did not disappoint.
This book hits on so many fundamental elements: political instability, family, tragedy, love, loss, separation, uncertainty, and hope for a better future.
An excellent and unforgettable read. 5/5 stars
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.