Elizabeth is visiting her parents in Málaga when the Spanish Civil War breaks out. All foreigners are told they must evacuate – the Nationalist soldiers are coming and no-one is safe. But Elizabeth’s ambition is to be a photo-journalist and she decides she will stay, despite her parents’ objections. Alone in the devastated city of Málaga, she begins to regret her hasty decision until she meets … meets two young men, Juan, an idealistic Spaniard and Alex, a pragmatic Englishman. Amongst the death and carnage she falls in love with Juan, but as they try to make their escape along the Carretera del Muerte, the highway of death, they become separated.
Not knowing if her lover is alive or dead she must choose between staying and risking death at the hands of the Nationalists or fleeing back to England with Alex.
‘Tragic, uplifting and beautiful, Spanish Lavender doesn’t shy away from the horrors of war, but neither does it concentrate on them. It is vital to remember that Spanish Lavender is a story of love. A riveting read.’
HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY REVIEW January 2014
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History of the Spanish Civil War from the perspective of a mismatched group of idealistic young people. I found the first section compelling.
The sudden shift two generations was confusing at first with no hint of connection. It took seceral chapters—almost giving up—before I began to see connections.
A beautiful story…. engaging reading…
Started with a history lesson; this is deep in history. Violent history of two people escaping the war; interesting. But when the second half of the story started it got very convoluted and had alot of golf description.
In 1937 the Spanish Civil War led to the evacuation of British expatriates from Malaga, Spain. One young woman, Elizabeth, decided to stay and take photos to document the war, hoping to become a journalist. The horror of the attacks, especially against women and children civilians, changed her. Elizabeth met Juan (a Spanish young man), and they became lovers but were separated. Then the book jumps to 2007 and Elizabeth’s granddaughter is trying to trace her past. In some ways this is almost two books. The reader moves from starving people being massacred on the road to Almeria to a middle-aged woman golfing and lunching on the Costa del Sol. Still the book is excellent and well worth reading.
This was one of my favorite books read this year. A masterful telling of love sandwiched in to the Spanish Civil War. I learned about a piece of it that is most obscure, not generally mentioned in history books. While not gory, the war stories seemed quite real, punctuated by the emotions of the characters. I still, however, would like to ask Alex one question: why?
I learned a lot about the Spanish Civil War with this novel. It brought to life the tragedy of that time period for the people of Malaga.
This novel explains and portrays the Spanish Civil War, the suffering that the Spanish endured and the endurance of the people
Liked it very much.
While a romance this is not sappy. The observations of the effects of the Spanish Civil war and a few of the polarized characters were instructive.
The details about the Spanish Civil War, a few years before WWII is a period in history that I had not read about before. I liked this book
I loved this coming of age story during the Spanish War which reminds us all of the trials and tribulations of the victims and their families. Wonderful characters!
This book consists of two parts. An English family is living happily in Spain but then the Civil War breaks out. Yes, one gets to read about the horrors of a war. Family goes back to England but a daughter stays behind. The second part deals with a later time when a young woman returns to Spain to find out the truth as to what happened in the past.
While I really enjoyed the first half of the book, I was surprised by the shift in mid-story to another time and characters. It took a while to figure out what was going on and why the change in the story line. Personally, I’d rather have followed the Juan and Elizabeth longer instead of dropping them like hot potatoes! Also, felt like the story ended rather abruptly with no real ending. Left me wanting more.
LOVED this story and these characters. Sad to see this book end.
This book has a wistful ending.
Based on historical events and very interesting.
I loved this story!
Learned so much about the civil war in Spain. I had no idea how tragic those times were.
I learned a lot I did not know about the S parish Civil War.
well written history of the little known Spanish civil war and the suffering war entails. I loved the way information was presented
A young English woman engages with the Spanish Civil war in 1937, while her family and most other expatriates flee. Elizabeth’s aim is to photograph the events and work her way into a career as a journalist. Her dream, like her camera, becomes smashed in the brutal war. With two young men, she flees a city which faces certain destruction, along a road subject to deadly attack from nearby ships. When her Spanish lover, Juan, is seriously injured and evacuated to a distant hospital in a port city, she and her English companion, Alex, follow the route of the ambulance on foot. By the time they reach the hospital Juan has disappeared, and the two travelers are persuaded that he is dead and has been buried. She is heartsick at leaving him behind, and does not know Juan has gone into in hiding for her safety. He feels the only way she will leave the dangers of Spain is if she thinks he is dead. Elizabeth does not realize that she is pregnant with Juan’s child. After Elizabeth and Alex make their way to England, they marry and have a family. They name their daughter Isabel, the Spanish version of Elizabeth and the name Juan called Elizabeth.
The story then hinges upon the search by Kate, the grandchild of Alex and Elizabeth, for the truth about Isabel’s heritage. Alex’s death leads to Kate’s suspicion, and then proof that that Isabel was Juan’s daughter. Kate’s search leads to her opening herself to a new family, and new relationship.
The punctuation likely reflects the English author. Commas are inserted where not expected, and not used in places where they would assist the American reader. The British word uses, especially in conversations, are charming. The book is well written. The war story is gruesome and harrowing, as was the war