‘The Spanish Girl’ by Jules Hayes is a historical novel that highlights some fascinating periods of history. Ones which I don’t really know anything about, that alone grabbed me right away.
Set mainly in Spain and over two periods, the Spanish Civil War and just after Franco’s death in 1976, both times being times of rebellion and conflict. Isabella has always wondered about her mother and when she meets someone who knows more about her, she is over the moon to be able to discover her mother’s history and everything she did.
The story slips back to 1937 and we learn of Sofia and Jack, how they met in extraordinary circumstances. We also learn of the devastating and dramatic impact of the people who were fighting for their rights and their beliefs. It made me very aware of the impact of war and how differences of opinion can cause total devastation in some ways and the actual cost in human lives. There are some brutal truths in the story that brought this home to me.
I have previously read Jules Hayes work and all I can say is, this author knows how to draw you in, she can create a story so powerful that you are unable to just read, you become a part of that story too. As we learn of Sofia you can see where Isabella’s very driven character and her fearless approach to discovering the facts about her mother are inherited from.
A story about families and the search for the truth and identity. Jules Hayes has blended the personal with the political and arrived at a compelling and poignant story that highlights a dark period of Spanish history that has been researched so well, with believable characters that are vibrant against the backdrops of the time periods involved.
Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources and
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 