Winter in Madrid

Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


The sroty takes place after the civil war and during WW2 in Spain. The author must have done quite a research and I think he captures the atmosphere of Madrid at that period quite nicely.
This had a potential to be a really great novel.I mean there was a war, a traitor, a reluctant spy, an abused woman and a love triangle, but unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations.The story had potentials but I didn't like the way the author painted the characters.In my opinion he was far more concentrated in the historical events so the characters of the book elude him completely. I mean I can understand why Harry turns out to be so bitter after loosing the love of his life but why he was so pathetic and indifferent in the beginingof the novel I cannot tell.And how about Barbara why was she so traumatized because some kids were teasing her about her hair? As far as I am concerned the characters were very little described/analysed and somehow they do not feel complete.They are more fragments of a personality than a whole complete person which you can love or hate. I remained indifferent to them through out the whole book. The only character that intriguided me a little was Sandy the villain of the story but then again he was not portraited as he should have been.
Another thing that bothered me is that none of the love stories was believable and I really could not warm up to any of the 2 couples of the book. Simply you cannot understand why those people love its other. Its something sudden and inexplicable and maybe that is what love is but the author failed to described it a way that will make the reader feel part of the magic that is love and being in love. It's simple something that happens in order to continue the narrative of the story.It's really a pity because I do love a nice well portraited love story.
The book on the whole was not bad it was easily read and I quite enjoyable especially for describing Spain in such hard and controversial times, but it lacked really nice, interested, well portraited characters that will make you feel about them and become part of their story



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