The Time In Between

A Novel

By: Maria Duenas

Narrated by: Zilah Mendoza

Length: 21 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The thrilling, internationally bestselling novel about a haute couture seamstress who becomes an undercover spy for the British Secret Service during World War II.

A #1 bestseller in Spain with more than 1.5 million copies sold, The Time In Between has taken readers by storm with its unforgettable tale of adventure, tragedy, love, and war. Readers will fall in love with MarÍa DueÑas’s dazzlingly inspiring heroine, Sira Quiroga.

©2011 Maria Duenas (P)2011 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"A wonderful novel, in the old and good tradition, with intrigue, love, mystery and tender, audacious and clean-cut characters." (Mario Vargas Llosa, recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature)

How can a novel be both cruel and tender, dark and luminous all at the same time, and keep the reader glued to its pages with a complex, captivating narrative? MarÍa DueÑas's novel manages to make this possible with a tale that is destined to become a literary classic." (Javier Sierra, bestselling author of The Secret Supper and The Lady in Blue)

"The Time in Between is a magnificent novel that flawlessly brings together history and intrigue. Sira Quiroga – the seamtress – won’t be easily forgotten.” (Juan GÓmez-Jurado, author of The Moses Expedition)

Great Story Horrible Narration

Any additional comments?

This was a very interesting story ruined by poor narration and horrible editing.

Mediocre performance ruins a great story

A terrific story, beautifully written filled with historical facts woven into a vividly created landscape. Unfortunately, the narration was weak often making it difficult to tell what character was talking. I still enjoyed the story and would recommend reading it.

great story

So so narration. If you're reading a story about WWII, you should know that the Axis is not "access" Obviously a Spanish speaker but a still - do your homework. Strange cadence that detracted from drama and suspense; otherwise, a well-written, entertaining tale

Bestseller in Spain ruined by awful narration

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The book is fantastic and I picked it up while in Spain a couple of years ago. I was excited to see it in English as well and decided to give it a listen during my commute to work. However, the narrator's mispronunciations and awkward/flat reading is so distracting that I am considering returning it. (I've only been listening for 3 days.)

Any additional comments?

As a side note, I speak Spanish fluently and more specifically I speak Castillian Spanish (from Spain). I can verify that the narrator mispronounces and misuses the "theta" (the "th" sound typical of speakers from Spain) nearly every time she uses it. It is especially annoying given that the main character's name begins with "S" and the narrator constantly pronounces her name "Thira" instead of "Sira". The "theta" is never used with an "s" and only occurs when the letter "c" or "z" appear in a certain position within a word. The narrator ends up sounding like she has a severe lisp.

Please help me!

Please someone tell the reader of this book that in Spain, the "s" does not sound like a "z". Only the "c" sometimes and, of course, the "z". It is driving me crazy. Her name is Sira, not "Zira". This might seem trivial but she does it every time she reads words containing the letter "s". As you can imagine, this is very often. Right now, even though I am enjoying the story, I do not know if I can continue to listen. I wish I had bought the book instead!

Wonderful experience!

This was a selection for our book club. I greatly enjoyed it! The story line was intricate and enjoyable. Listening to it brought the international flair to life.

Great story! Narration was only negative.

Loved discovering a WW2 story told from a new geographical location (first one I've read based in Madrid/Africa). The narrator really was a struggle for me to stick with. Lots of pauses in the middle of sentences and strange pronunciations.

Wonderful

Wonderful character, a great story and a largely forgotten (at least by Americans) slice of history. A real jewel.

The type of story you want to go on and on…

I’m not much for WWII period pieces, but this has changed my mind. The story builds on a way that keeps you guessing, well done. 5 stars.

Excellent

Want to address the negative reviews regarding the performance. I am Hispanic and some of the pronunciations I thought were a bit off but certainly didn’t grate my nerves. I enjoyed the narration and the book.