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A review by laurieb755
The Time in Between by María Dueñas
4.0
My first book by Maria Dueñas (For those who read Spanish check out her personal site here) and I'm now curious about her other writing, of which there are several books.
This is an intriguing well-crafted story set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War and the period between the two World Wars when alliances were being formed and Spain might have gone either way. (Technically Spain remained neutral but in actuality Franco favored the Germans and set policies accordingly.)
This book could have easily been titled The Seamstress (turns out this was the title of one of the English language translations) as the story is narrated by Sira, a Spanish woman who began her working life assisting her mother in the sewing of clothes. Sira grew up not knowing her father, Gonzalo Alvarado, only to be introduced to him (at his request) by her mother when she was a young woman and he was certain that the Spanish authorities would arrest him or worse. By that point Sira and her mother had grown apart due to affairs of Sira’s heart - breaking off an engagement and taking up with another man, Ramiro. Not long after meeting her father, Sira took off for Morocco with Ramiro. Life changed dramatically for her when he absconded with Sira's possessions of value (her heart, and money and jewels that were gifted by her father).
Devastated by the turn of events and left in a state of poverty with no funds of her own, Sira finds herself somewhat rescued by the local police captain, though his assistance is predicated on Sira’s paying off the hotel debt incurred in Morocco as a result of Ramiro leaving her high and dry. With the assistance of Candeleria, a contact of the captain, Sira slowly makes her way back to solvency and eventually establishes herself as the premier seamstress in Morocco. Her clientele consists primarily of wealthy Germans and Spaniards living in Morocco. She develops a close friendship with Rosalinda Fox (here and here) and comes to know Rosalinda's lover Juan Luis Beigbeder.
As Spain falls into civil war Sira, who has been unaware of the seriousness of the situation in her home country, is offered an opportunity to bring her mother to Morocco through unusual channels. With Rosalinda's introduction to Marcus Logan, ostensibly a newspaper reporter who has contacts in Spain, Sira's mother is relocated to Morocco and and they begin to rebuild their life together. Eventually, though, Sira's life is upturned as an opportunity arises that Sira's mother encourages her to undertake, that of assisting the British in learning more about the comings and goings of the Germans. Thus begins Sira's entrée into the world of spying.
In typing this I am now wondering how much of Rosalinda's life permeated the fictional life of Sira. In any case, there is much more to this absorbing story of intrigue, romance, politics, war, personalities, spies and history. If you are interested in the time period, enjoy well-written historical fiction or a good spy story with a bit of suspense, I highly recommend jumping in to this absorbing tale.
This is an intriguing well-crafted story set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War and the period between the two World Wars when alliances were being formed and Spain might have gone either way. (Technically Spain remained neutral but in actuality Franco favored the Germans and set policies accordingly.)
This book could have easily been titled The Seamstress (turns out this was the title of one of the English language translations) as the story is narrated by Sira, a Spanish woman who began her working life assisting her mother in the sewing of clothes. Sira grew up not knowing her father, Gonzalo Alvarado, only to be introduced to him (at his request) by her mother when she was a young woman and he was certain that the Spanish authorities would arrest him or worse. By that point Sira and her mother had grown apart due to affairs of Sira’s heart - breaking off an engagement and taking up with another man, Ramiro. Not long after meeting her father, Sira took off for Morocco with Ramiro. Life changed dramatically for her when he absconded with Sira's possessions of value (her heart, and money and jewels that were gifted by her father).
Devastated by the turn of events and left in a state of poverty with no funds of her own, Sira finds herself somewhat rescued by the local police captain, though his assistance is predicated on Sira’s paying off the hotel debt incurred in Morocco as a result of Ramiro leaving her high and dry. With the assistance of Candeleria, a contact of the captain, Sira slowly makes her way back to solvency and eventually establishes herself as the premier seamstress in Morocco. Her clientele consists primarily of wealthy Germans and Spaniards living in Morocco. She develops a close friendship with Rosalinda Fox (here and here) and comes to know Rosalinda's lover Juan Luis Beigbeder.
As Spain falls into civil war Sira, who has been unaware of the seriousness of the situation in her home country, is offered an opportunity to bring her mother to Morocco through unusual channels. With Rosalinda's introduction to Marcus Logan, ostensibly a newspaper reporter who has contacts in Spain, Sira's mother is relocated to Morocco and and they begin to rebuild their life together. Eventually, though, Sira's life is upturned as an opportunity arises that Sira's mother encourages her to undertake, that of assisting the British in learning more about the comings and goings of the Germans. Thus begins Sira's entrée into the world of spying.
In typing this I am now wondering how much of Rosalinda's life permeated the fictional life of Sira. In any case, there is much more to this absorbing story of intrigue, romance, politics, war, personalities, spies and history. If you are interested in the time period, enjoy well-written historical fiction or a good spy story with a bit of suspense, I highly recommend jumping in to this absorbing tale.