Winter in Madrid
In WINTER IN MADRID – as in DISSOLUTION and DARK FIRE – C.J. Sansom brilliantly conjures with delicate tipping points in history, using their complexities to throw his characters into morally fraught situations. The result is a gripping novel of spies, greed and betrayal.
Reviews
I was engrossed by every one of this historical thriller's 500 pages. It is a superb adventure and vibrant picture of Spain during and after the civil war... this novel is very highly recommended.
Now here’s a wonderful curiosity: a convincing and moving historical novel, which is also an exciting thriller … Sansom has a good eye for details that brings the time alive.
Complex political questions and divided loyalties pepper C.J.Sansom's third book ... His portrait of a chilly uncertain Forties Spain is impressive.
The history is always good and vividly recounted the characters solid and believable.
A compelling tale of game-playing, memories and the impact of impossible choices. If you like Sebastian Faulks and Carlos Ruiz Zafon, you'll love this.
...the novel, Sansom's third, is thoroughly researched, convincingly evocative and solidly entertaining.
War-torn Spain, the deadly forces of political intrigue and the passions of these enmeshed human victims are powerfully evoked and the narration is masterful.
The book is part romance and part crime thriller, and is distinguished, above all else, by its vivid evocation of the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath.
Sansom’s action-packed thriller is a classic tale of old loyalties pitched against new ideologies.
Sansom establishes that he is as much of a master of this era as of that of Henry VIII...As WINTER IN MADRID progresses, Sansom adroitly draws the disparate strands of his ambitious saga together. His non-pareil evocations of time and place anchor his characters with satisfying precision.
C.J. Sansom has a good ear for dialogue and the characterisation is excellent throughout.
...a convincing and moving historical novel, which is also an exciting thriller ... Sansom has a good eye for detail that brings the time alive.
The material and human reality of Madrid of 1940 is recreated in authentic and believable detail ... As a portrait of a traumatized city, wrapped in silence because speech was dangerous, WINTER IN MADRID is a remarkable achievement.
This is a compelling read, vividly capturing the atmosphere of constant fear, as religious fervor and political ambition are expressed in cruelty and corruption.
WINTER IN MADRID is a beguiling smorgasbord...indelibly stamped with Sansom’s own personality...Sansom has marked out this territory with just as much skill as in the Tudor and Cromwellian settings of the books that made his name.
Sansom weaves an extremely readable and credible story using historical fact and real people...a brilliant view of everyday life in the devastated city...an exceptionally good read.
As much as the period, the characters are skillfully bought to life.
His portrait of a chilly uncertain Forties Spain is impressive.
I enjoyed it a lot, learnt about events in Spain at the time and once again admired his skill at handling historical material.
Sansom triumphs as he unravels the tissue of lies and deceptions that lead to the blood-bath.
This is a gripping weave of fiction and history.
A vividly-told novel...
...atmospheric and impeccably researched...
A "real page-turner
The climax is tremendously exciting and skilfully played out, and the characters... are so convincing that it's tempting to cast the actors who will play them in the inevitable big-screen adaptation.
A haunting depiction of wartime Spain, from the highly acclaimed, award-winning author C.J. Sansom.
Sansom's splendid novel is not only similar in backdrop to FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS; it is also written in much the same plain and direct style (though Sansom's descriptive powers, particularly when introducing a change in setting or when portraying winter weather conditions, are quite remarkable). WINTER IN MADRID reveals the conflict for what it was - one of history's tragedies... It comes as no surprise to learn that Sansom's novel spent month after month on London's best-seller lists.
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