Winter in Madrid

By: C. J. Sansom

Narrated by: Daniel Weyman

Length: 20 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

From the bestselling author of the Shardlake series, C. J. Sansom, comes Winter in Madrid, a standalone historical novel set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.

1940: The Spanish Civil War is over, and Madrid lies ruined, its people starving, while the Germans continue their relentless march through Europe. Britain now stands alone while General Franco considers whether to abandon neutrality and enter the war.

Into this uncertain world comes Harry Brett: a traumatized veteran of Dunkirk turned reluctant spy for the British Secret Service. Sent to gain the confidence of old school friend Sandy Forsyth, now a shady Madrid businessman, Harry finds himself involved in a dangerous game – and surrounded by memories.

Meanwhile Sandy's girlfriend, ex-Red Cross nurse Barbara Clare, is engaged on a secret mission of her own – to find her former lover Bernie Piper, a passionate Communist in the International Brigades, who vanished on the bloody battlefields of the Jarama.

In a vivid and haunting depiction of wartime Spain, Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom is an intimate and compelling tale which offers a remarkable sense of history unfolding, and the profound impact of impossible choices.

©2019 C. J. Sansom (P)2019 Macmillan Digital Audio

Great story of love and betrayal.

This is a story of love and betrayal set against the backdrop of a Spain wracked by Civil War, and the scramble of politicians to place Spain in the best position at the start of the second World War. The plot and characters drags you along like a twig in a flooded river! It is impossible to leave for too long as the characters are whole and rounded and the plot is heart wrenching. It is a great book and the reader was great as well.

Worthwhile

The story is a somber but gripping tale of Spain in the early days of WWII. The narrator is first rate and provides a flawless performance. Highly recommended.

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Great story of love and betrayal
My thoughts exactly!!
How lIttle i know of Spains recent history
A good example of why chutch and state separation is of utmost importance

Great adventure

Believable characters, a compelling story and insightful history, this one is really quite good. The reader is also very good. I read a review criticizing the characters as two-dimensional. I didn’t find this to be the case. For the genre, they are really well developed and I find their motives totally believable. Enjoy!

Excellent

The narrator did justice to this beautifully crafted and riveting story. One of the best I’ve listened to in several years.

Love Lost is an alternative title

I always wish for a happy ending. Love lost is so difficult. It was a terrible time all over the world, someone should be able to live with the one they love?

winter in Madrid

loved the characters & story line. Ending seemed rushed & sudden which left me feeling disappointed but excellent read.

Engaging but flawed

Good historical setting and sympathetic characters, but not always believable in terms of human behavior. I did enjoy it and learned more about some of Spain’s painful history. Good narration.

World War2/Post Sp Civil War Grim Tapestry

Both the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath and World War 2 have served our contemporary imaginations in novel form. Actually I would give CJ Sansom's story a 3.5 star rating instead of a four mostly on the account of some of how its virtues played out. It does a vivid job of portraying the bleak situation for Spain in the first year of World War 2, the upshot of the various extremist cruelties of the civil war and what came after. But in doing so the central action of the story itself, fraught with the weight of moving toward its resolution at a glacial pace, feels lethargic. And at the same time while moving through its paces so ponderously and refusing to bring the plot to a satisfyingly melodramatic and romantic resolution, honestly enough, also does not really bring home the kind of tragedy, albeit tragic events occur, that might provide catharsis. And the epilogue, then, does a wash to the whole in a way suggesting the author really did not know the way out of the problem he had created for himself with his characters. Nonetheless, it is well detailed, and worth a listen, the main characters sympathetic, albeit sympathetic enough to have also been given better closure. History 4; characterizaions 3.5, story 3.

"No bread but they can throw flour."

Three boys attended a public school together, all very different in character. Winter in Madrid follows each man as, later in Spain, their lives interact as the shadow of Hitler's war dominates Europe.
Well written, with the characters well defined and believable, the horrifying story of unkindness unfolds against the background of terror and poverty. There is a brief synopsis at the end of the novel of the actual history of Spain under Franco, when this work is set, where the contrasts of daily life were so evident.
Narration is by Daniel Weyman, his reading impeccable, pace perfect, instilled with just the right touch of emotion and providing individual voicings for all of the protagonists. it was a very fine performance, greatly adding to the enjoyment of the book.
Emotional and touching on various aspects of human nature, and set in Spain, post Civil War, this is a very fine historical novel, beautifully read. Recommended.