A sweeping epic saga about the Spanish Civil War -- the Spanish DR ZHIVAGO. In the small town of Torrelodones on the outskirts of Madrid, a funeral is taking place. Julio Carri n Gonz lez, a man of tremendous wealth and influence in Madrid, has come home to be buried. But as the family stand by the graveside, his son Alvaro notices the arrival of a stranger -- a young and attractive woman. No one appears to know who she is, or why she is there. Alvaro's questions only deepen when the family inherits an enormous amount of money that is a surprise even to them. In his father's study Alvaro discovers an old folder with letters sent to his father in Russia between 1941 and 1943, faded photos of people he never met and a locked grey metal box. The woman is Raquel Fern ndez Perea, the daughter of Spaniards who fled during the Civil War. One episode in her past has marked her for ever -- the only time she saw her grandfather cry. Her fate, and that of the family, now hangs on the secrets of Julio's past. From the provincial heartlands of Spain to the battlefields of Russia, THE FROZEN HEART is a mesmerising journey through a war that tore families apart, pitted fathers against sons, brothers against brothers, wives against husbands. Against such a past, where do faith and loyalty lie?
If you thought (like I used to) that Almudena Grandes can produce nothing better than the boring, badly written pornography of "Las Edades de Lulu" or the repetitive and convoluted tale of female self-abasement of "Malena es un nombre de tango," you will be pleasantly surprised by this novel. There are two stories that are intertwined in this 1300-pages-long delight of a novel. One takes place today, while the other one is set during the Spanish Civil War and in the years right after it. Almudena Grandes has obviously done an incredible amount of research for this novel. There are several plots and subplots in "Corazon helado," but they are all pertinent to the story and extremely enjoyable to read. By the end of the novel, there are some parts that get a little bit redundant. Grandes is yet to master the art of letting her characters express their feelings without endless reiterations. Still, the story is fascinating, the language is beautiful, and the history of the real events behind the novel is heart-breaking. It will take you a while to get through this long novel but I don't think you'll be sorry. It will make the Civil War come alive in front of your eyes.
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