A review by thealbapoems
La Colmena by Camilo José Cela

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

La Colmena. What to say about it? Maybe I should have done some research before deciding to read it, because it wasn’t what I expected. I don’t think I have ever read a book like this. It’s is a tapestry of characters that serve as an exploration of what it was like to live in Madrid after the Spanish civil war. The central space of the novel is Doña Rosa’s cafe, where the characters meet, or just co-exist, unaware of each other’s presence. But that is about it. Most of the times the characters mentioned don’t appear again, and their lives don’t really intersect. It is not a dense book, but it is hard to wrap your mind around it. Martin Marco is the closest thing to a main character and at the end

it is implied that he meets the tragic end that comes with this role

. The two most notable passages for me Elvirita’s nightmare, Martin’s night walk and encounter with the policeman, and the description of Filo crying. It was an interesting read, and I appreciate what was achieved, but I can’t say that I enjoyed it.