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Rating: 
Summary: Why is not always the right question...
Review: A gripping tale, about a historically almost insignificant incident in the last days of the Spanish civil war (a leader of the Spanish falange, an ideologically right-wing movement adopted by Franco's nationalist as their ideology, flees into the woods during a mass execution of high-level prisoners. Although a soldier finds him, he does not report him and therefore allows him to conserve his life) and, more importantly, the reasons behind why it happened.I found the author's treatment of the story a good reflection of the topic's worth, and he skilfully extracts much from what could arguably have been covered in a newspaper article (largely by dedicating much of the book to the process by which he arrives at his reconstruction of those fateful days). Unfortunately, I could not shake off the feeling that a better wordsmith and more detached observer might have been able to render the work of a higher standard. Written from the author's perspective in researching the events, Cercas seems intent on casting himself in the role of the blase and flawed character that one would expect from a 50s hollywood movie. I found this often reflected negatively on his ability to truly humanize the other characters in the story (some received much kinder treatment than others, for sure). But overall, the book keeps a breezey pace and is a joy to read. I recommend to everyone, though I would underscore the author's insistence that it is a historical novel -- the line between fiction and fact can get blurry and I found myself doubting the truth of some of the author's retellings. But it did not detract from its overall quality, and it deserves a solid 4 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding nonfiction novel
Review: It's easy to see why this award-winning book -- which is selling like crazy in Spain -- has gone through eleven printings in just seven months. On the surface, it's a well-researched nonfiction story about an incident in 1939, during the final days of the Spanish Civil War, and the story of one of the men who sparked that catastrophic three-year conflict. It's also the tale of the book's creation, the journalist who wrote it, and the colorful people he met while trying to unearth the story that comprises the final two-thirds of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding nonfiction novel
Review: It's easy to see why this award-winning book -- which is selling like crazy in Spain -- has gone through eleven printings in just seven months. On the surface, it's a well-researched nonfiction story about an incident in 1939, during the final days of the Spanish Civil War, and the story of one of the men who sparked that catastrophic three-year conflict. It's also the tale of the book's creation, the journalist who wrote it, and the colorful people he met while trying to unearth the story that comprises the final two-thirds of the book.
Rating:
Summary: avoiding oblivion
Review: One of the best books I've read. The author's command over the narrtive techniques is amazing. He creates a story inside of another one; both of them could be real, historical events... or not. But it just does not matter, because the main aim of the book is to evoke emotions, and it sure does. Especially, it is a tribute to the old people who fought in the Spanish Civil War and are now living in the most absolute and unfair oblivion. I found it deeply moving, as well as the movie (by Spanish director David Trueba), and wonderfully written. In Spain it sold like crazy without any serious campaign behind it, all by itself. I higlly recomnend it.
Rating:
Summary: Un libro obligatorio
Review: Un libro inteligentemente escrito, original y sensible : yo digo que un libro perfecto que cuenta una historia no tan perfecta. Me cost? leer las ?ltimas paginas porque los ojos se me llenaron de l?grimas. Llor? por aquella guerra civil espa?ola que lamentablemente me recuerda el presente, las divisiones en Venezuela, lo absurdo y terrible que son las guerras. Un libro obligatorio por su contenido y para los amantes de la buena literatura, por su forma.
Rating:
Summary: Un libro obligatorio
Review: Un libro inteligentemente escrito, original y sensible : yo digo que un libro...perfecto que cuenta una historia no tan perfecta... Me costó leer las últimas páginas porque los ojos se me llenaron de lágrima. Lloré por aquella guerra civil española que lamentablemente me recuerda el presente, las divisiones en Venezuela, lo absurdo y terrible que son las guerras. Un libro obligatorio por su contenido y para los amantes de la buena literatura, por su forma.
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