Winter in Madrid
Winter in Madrid is a spy novel written by C. J. Sansom. The setting is just after the Spanish Civil War in 1940. The main character is a wounded veteran, Harry Brett. He received his wounds during the Dunkirk withdrawal.
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| Author | C. J. Sansom |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Spy, Thriller, War novel |
| Publisher | Pan Macmillan |
Publication date | 6 January 2006 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 511 pp |
| ISBN | 978-1-4050-0546-3 |
| OCLC | 62225677 |
| 823/.92 22 | |
| LC Class | PR6119.A57 W56 2006 |
The book is purposely set in Madrid, where Francisco Franco resided.[1] The historical setting, Madrid in the Franco era, is well described and almost a "character" according to various reviews.[2][3] The book contains a historical section at the end to explain what part of the book is based on facts and what is fiction.[4] Critical notes concern the (non-rich) language and a shortage of "thrills" throughout the whole book.[5]
Plot
After his recovery, Dunkirk veteran Harry Brett is recruited by the British Secret Service to make contact with Sandy Forsyth, a shady Madrid-based British businessman and a former school friend. Harry's cover is as an interpreter in the British embassy. He arrives in Spain in October 1940 and finds that the Spanish suffer terribly from political repression, food shortages, poverty and the destruction brought by the Spanish Civil War. Brett works at the embassy for Ambassador Sir Samuel Hoare, an arrogant bully and Alan Hillgarth, the clever cunning chief of intelligence.
In a twist of fate, Sandy Forsyth's girlfriend, Barbara Clare, is a former lover of another school friend, Bernie Piper, a communist member of the International Brigades missing since the Battle of Jarama in 1937. Harry Brett meets Forsyth, who claims to have found large gold deposits in central Spain. Meanwhile, Barbara meets Luis, an unemployed Nationalist Spain veteran, who tells her that Bernie is still alive and is being held in a brutal military prison near Cuenca. He tells her that he could organise Bernie's escape through his brother, a guard at the camp, in return for money.
Harry starts a relationship with Sofia Roque Casas, a Spanish working-class woman. Towards the end of the story, Forsyth's claims of discovering gold are proved to be a false but, in doing so, he offends powerful people within Franco's circle. Bernie Piper escapes the labour camp, and Barbara, Harry and Sofia travel to Cuenca to aid his escape, but it proves to be an elaborate trap set by General Maestre as a means of embarrassing Sandy Forsyth. Although they manage to escape, Sofia is killed by a member of the Guardia Civil and Bernie is shot in the leg by Maestre. They manage to get back to Britain, and Forsyth vanishes.
The epilogue plays in May 1947. Harry Brett is working as a French teacher in a grammar school. Barbara Clare is a translator on her way to meet some South American businessmen. Both are nursing private heartache over losing their one true loves, Harry over Sofia and Barbara over Bernie, who died during the 1944 D-Day landings.
References