Guernica
Dave Boling
Guernica
In 1935, Miguel Navarro finds himself in conflict with the Spanish Civil Guard, so he flees the Basque fishing village of Lekeitio to make a new start in Guernica, the centre of Basque culture and tradition. In the midst of this isolated bastion of democratic values, Miguel finds more than a new life - he finds someone to live for. Miren Ansotegui is the charismatic and graceful dancer who he meets there, and the two discover a love they believe nothing can destroy...
3.8 out of 5 based on 2 reviews
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Omniscore:
|
| Classification |
Fiction |
| Genre |
Historical Fiction, General Fiction |
| Format |
Hardback |
| Pages |
384 |
| RRP |
£12.99 |
| Date of Publication |
February 2009 |
| ISBN |
978-0330460651 |
| Publisher |
Picador |
| |
In 1935, Miguel Navarro finds himself in conflict with the Spanish Civil Guard, so he flees the Basque fishing village of Lekeitio to make a new start in Guernica, the centre of Basque culture and tradition. In the midst of this isolated bastion of democratic values, Miguel finds more than a new life - he finds someone to live for. Miren Ansotegui is the charismatic and graceful dancer who he meets there, and the two discover a love they believe nothing can destroy...
Reviews
The Washington Post
Frances Itani
“Overall, the novel is about loss, but also about loss's counterpoints, love and endurance. The description of the bombing of Guernica is so moving, detailed and sad that it becomes almost unbearable. By this point in the story, we're so familiar with the families of the town that we are pulled to the depths of their tragedy and pain. Boling is remarkably able to depict this, grimly and without sentimentality.”
21/12/2008
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The Independent
James Urquhart
“Guernica has little of the political menace of other novels sympathetic to Basque suffering, although Justo's wider family's response to the slaughter gives greater depth to most of Boling's shattered characters. His narrative never quite shrugs off the sentimentality of its pastoral first half, but it rewards persistence with flashes of heroism, and a resilient optimism.”
03/03/2009
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