This book is a fun read for both veterans and newcomers to San Fermin. We follow Ray Mouton as he rambles through the streets, bars and barrios of Pamplona during a day at the Festival of San Fermin. His unique writing style effectively describes the flavor and feel of ambling through the Festival.

The photos are terrific and the layout and design of the book is professional and stylish. And for those of you that know Ray Mouton, a lawyer by trade, knows that he is not shy about expressing his opinions. He also shows his knowledge of the corrida and the encierro and his experience gathered during thirty plus years of participating in los sanfermines.

Some come to Pamplona in early July and fall in love with a festival, the Festival of San Fermin. Some poor souls go away without San Fermin capturing their heart. Many arrange their lives around their return to the eight days of Fiesta. This book is almost a love letter to Fiesta.

I recognize the feeling. I have not missed a day for over 25 years. Although slower, I still run with the bulls at every opportunity.

Ray Mouton enthusiastically came the first time and now returns time after time. Mouton presents a mix of factual and personal comments, reminiscences, and anecdotes about some of his friends. Through a personal prism, this book provides a good way to understand the attachment that someone can come to have to an annual event.

Those who return to Pamplona for the Fiesta of San Fermin year after year are a difficult group to describe. They are not macho thrill-seekers, though that's the way most of the Anglo world sees them. If you have ever been to Pamplona you will know that they are complex, articulate, friendly, acerbic, hospitable, loving, vainglorious, philosophical, generous, noble and maddening. That's the ex-pats, the genuine aficionados, the Hemingway-wannabees and the college-age wanderers in full backpacker regalia ---- Mouton has painted them exactly.

And what about the people of Pamplona-- grandmothers, fathers and sons who host this mad feria, this test of endurance, this descent and ascent into madness, year after year? It's their festival, after all, and they provide the energy and allegria that so many Americans, Germans and Frenchmen have found irresistably intoxicating. Allegria-- the spirit of Fiesta-- Dance, Song, Wine, Ceremony, Music, Food,-- Apartado, Encierro, and Corrida-- Mouton has got it all down here in this book. This is better than any guidebook, since Mouton tells you not the outward details of this eight-day flight into an Alternate Reality, but something of the soul of the Feria, and of Navarre, and of Life itself. This is a loving book, full of advice and humor and good spirits. A glance though its magnificent illustrations (photographs by some of the best, genuine lovers of the fiesta) will tell you that Mouton wants us to glimpse something more that a travelogue or a guidebook. Anyone who has visited Pamplona during Fiesta will recognize it all instantly. Mouton's love and enthusiasm are infectious.

Not a nostalgic fantasy, not a mere celebration of the corrida this is the Best Book to read before going to the Fiesta, --- "Pamplona" catches its shimmering essence.

This book is absolutely spellbinding and captivating in it's presentation that is both an excellent narrative and artistic with imagery to further enhance the experience. The editorial review here at Amazon by Kirkus Reviews is a good synopsis to get a good idea about the books contents. Also there are many sample pages available for your perusal. From a readers perspective this book is one to cherish after the reading experience is over. Carlos Fuentes presents the subject of Spain and it's influence on the new world with clarity and makes his points with the precision of a sugeon, clean and accurate. Beginning with the ancient imagery of the bull found in caves in Spain Fuentes begins his analysis showing how this imagery continues in the arts and culture in such diverse domains as the works of Goya and Picasso, advertisements for brandy and of course the Spanish spectacle of bullfighting. He picks and chooses his historical path, weaving through the centuries concluding with the the growth of Hispanic USA. The book is full oh historical facts, little known bits of information abound as Fuentes draws analogies that stimulate the mind, stimulating the reader to conclude further inferences. The book reminds me of Bronowski's "The Ascent of Man" only on a smaller scope, from a perspective that makes connections between Spain and Latin America as oppossed to the whole of humanity. The "mother" countries influence is expounded upon as only Fuentes can, his use of language is powerful, insightful and revealing all the while showing his keen intelligence and sharp eye for details. The accompanying artwork throughout the book is fantastic and helps the reader to further understand the subject. A moving narrative is delivered by Fuentes and I highly suggest this book to anyone interested in the history of Spain and it's long lasting influence in the Americas. A natural outcome of reading this book is to further explore one of the many topics introduced. Included is a complete lineage of Spanish succession detailing the various ruling families and marriages that created the kings and queens of Spain. Aslo there is an outstanding suggested bibliography. This is a superb book that stimulates the mind while you read and beyond.

This book is good for readers who are interested in Hispanic culture but don't know where to start looking for information. Carlos Fuentes introduces Latin America poetically and simply.

This is by far the best book I have encountered that deals with Spanish and Latin American culture. Fuentes is at once poetic and historically fluente. The book moves smoothly, and the subjects with which it deals (which may be made boring by a less skilled writer) always hold the reader's attention. It's better written in Spanish, but the translation is pretty good too. If you like any of Fuentes' other works, or are simply interested in Hispanic culrture and philosphy, buy this one.

After years of running into this name, "Borges," I felt as though I were falling short of my expectations as a reader to ignore this man and his colossal reputation. Ficciones seemed to be his most widely read and critically acclaimed book, and so I inevitably found myself reading it.

To try to capture the essence of Borges in a handful of words is like trying to capture the Lochness Monster on film: impossible, but frequently attempted. With that understanding in mind, here's my assessment:

All of Borges's stories are very different, and yet they all share a common sensibility, one of understated but very deeply felt anguish. This is not the anguish of an ordinary writer feeling sorry for himself and his fate. This anguish is deep, metaphysical. You get the sense that Borges views life and his fellow human beings at a distance, and yet is able to see more and understand more from this distance. He does not attempt to explain; he simply wants to impart his sense of awe, wonder, and inevitability.

The subject matter varies widely: an infinite library, a scholarly review of the life's work of a fictional writer, a boy with a perfect memory. Some of his stories are Kafka-esqe in a nightmarish sense, while others have the intellectual playfulness of an M.C. Escher drawing: what you thought was 'up' is really 'down,' and yet once you see the big picture you realize that this is the only way it can be. The endings are as inevitable as death, and yet you rarely see them coming.

I'm not so sure that Borges wrote his stories with a specific point or message, although many of them seem to have one. I believe that most of these stories are simply meant to inspire thought and contemplation of the very issues that Borges had been thinking of when he wrote them. One could do a lot worse than to see things through the eyes of this great thinker.

My only complaint is that his stories are not as accessible as they could be, and his scholarly manner may be problematical for some. But the most effective pills are often the hardest to swallow...

If you are lucky enough to read Spanish well, you might you want to try Borges in Spanish. That's not to say that this is a poor translation but rather there are so many minute details in Borges' prose that they are sometimes lost in the translation. Regardless, this collection of stories represents one of the greatest literary accomplishments in 20th century latin-american fiction and beyond. Borges is a writer of the mind, and that's where most of his stories live. You'll find yourself asking questions about what is real and what is not; what is a dream, what is a nightmare. Borges prose is flawless and his imagination is like no other's. Influenced by philosophy, history, and art, Borges captures a piece of humanity into a collection of stories and he only leaves you wanting more and more.

This collection of Jorge Luis Borges' "fictions" brings together incomparable masterpieces of contemporary world literature. No other writer I know of has been able to muster up the sheer creative energy and intellectual power necessary to mold into shape such magnificent ideas and stories. Borges mixes the realms of mystery, mythology, adventure, metaphysics, human misery and compassion, and literary criticism into an awesome whole. His manner of prose-writing is almost equally as impressive: journalistic, balanced, eloquent, evocative. Borges' "Fictions" has had a profound influence on my way of looking at literature and the world. He has evoked an abiding interest in the mythological and historical roots of contemporary writing and, by extension, a deeper understanding and appreciation of the mysteries and meaning in the visual and musical arts, as well. I highly recommend this book (or Andrew Hurley's more complete collection) for an outstanding read.

This book is a great special interest book. If you are looking for an extensive encyclopedia of recipes and techniques, this book is not for you. However, if you would like to explore the culinary specialities of the various regions of the Spain, this is a great book. Besides covering the mainline Spanish culture, it also deals with the Basques and Moorish influenced foods as well.

Visually, the book is very impressive. The surrounding pictures and text describe the region and the culture, putting the recipies in context. It is this extra material that makes trying out these recipies so much fun.

The recipies themselves vary in the level of difficulty, preparation and practicality. Again, pick your experiment and get started as you have time. One frustration is that some of the ingredients are hard to find if you are outside of Spain - obviously not the book's fault.

This book was well worth the investment and is an interesting read.

A perfect book for one either wanting to learn more about Spain or its cooking. The recipes are often simple, always marvelous and take into account the true spirit of the country. If you want to understand Spain and Spanish cooking in all its glory then here it is- there is no better.

I discovered this book (the Spanish version called Un paseo gastronomico por Espana) in Madrid last summer, and I found it to be absolutely amazing! As a Spanish teacher, I was delighted to find a book that covers virtually every culinary aspect of Spain (including holidays, Jewish, American, Moorish, Roman, and Celtic influences.) This incredibly researched work covers the history of the peninsula from the point of view of food and drink. There are absolutely beautiful photos of the Iberian landscape and people as well as detailed coverage of all aspects of food, drink, ingredients...including animals, fish, vegetables, spices, restaurants, etc. There is a section showing how to slice jamon serrano and a fold out showing the wide variety of mouth-watering tapas found in Spanish bars. They even review brands of beer and bottled water. I have two copies of this book-one is at school where I use it extensively with my high school Spanish classes; the other sits proudly on my coffee table at home.

The blend of history, the development of his characters, and the attention to details. The Heretic,remind's me Umberto Eco " The name of the Rose". BRAVISSIMO! Mr. Weinstein

The Heretic is well written, entertaining and historically reminds us of a dark period in the history of Spain. The characters were real to me and I found that I was compelled to keep reading and finished the 370 pages in about 2 and a half days. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wished the story could have continued.

Just finished Lew Weinstein's book - The Heretic. I was very touched by the characters - they truly came alive. It held my attention throughout the book. It also filled me with a greater understanding of Judaism and enlightened me as to the dominance of Catholicism over Judaism during this period. It was well written and the research for this book left nothing to be desired. Congratulations to Lewis Weinstein on The Heretic.

The late, great, Luis Buñuel's memoir is one of my 3 favorite books in all the world. Bunuel does not hesitate to be frank about his deepest thoughts and fears, and in doing so, illuminates his superb and unique place in cinema history. This book should forever dispel the notion that Buñuel was an "intellectual" filmmaker. Indeed, no other filmmaker has ever had so pure an id-directed vision. There are other rewards as well, in Buñuel's accounts of his andalusian youth and introduction to the surrealists, and his friendships with Federico Garcia Lorca and Salvador Dali. A genuine delight of a read!

"My Last Sigh" is the most enrapturing biography ever left to us by a great filmmaker. Luis Bunuel remains one of the true masters of the cinema, a director with a distinctive style and taste that makes his movies both timeless and exquisite. His bio is like his films, a work filled with passion, freedom, violence and humor, and of course, surrealism. Here Bunuel describes his priviliged upbringing in Spain and his friendships with poet Federico Garcia Lorca and painter Salvador Dali. It is especially interesting to hear Bunuel speak of his appreciation for both these men, their brilliance and influences on him (Lorca introduced him to the world of poetry he writes). It is especially fascinating to read about his entrance into the surrealist movement and the anarchy and personal freedom the movement expressed. It is here where he and Dali make "Un Chien Andalou," one of the classics of the cinema with the notorious shot of a razor slicing across a woman's eyeball, this was followed by the scandalous "L'Age D'or" which was banned for nearly 50 years. Bunuel is also a great tourist here, detailing in great fashion cultural differences and experiences as when he moves in exile to Mexico where he makes classics like the influental "Los Olvidados," "Simon Of The Desert," "The Exterminating Angel" and "Viridiana." Bunuel reveals cultural realities of the Mexican populace that are as true today as then. This is a book that also breathes for a passion for life, in wonderful detail Bunuel dedicates chapters to simply the things he has enjoyed in life, appreciated and to those things which have obsessed him. There's a great chapter on his view about Love. He writes with an intellectual yet poetic and personal style that makes this book not stale at all but enjoyable and memorable. When one looks at his body of work, especially the European films like "Belle De Jour," "Diary Of A Chambermaid," "That Obscure Object Of Desire" and "The Phantom Of Liberty," especially "The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgousie," it is evident Bunuel was a driven, obsessed artist and this book also reveals he was a man of humor and good taste. This is required reading for any fan of the cinema and anyone who feels the true surrealist call.

As a young person, don Luis helped me find my way out of the hormone fog, ... authoritarian adults and their institutions, and equally lost peers. Years later upon reading MY LAST SIGH, I was not surprised at all at the depth of don Luis' humanity and intelligence.

Nevermind the moniker "filmmaker" when talking about don Luis; he is an artist's artist. With his autobio, he only confirms what an equally supreme being he was. I miss him. However, encounter this book and become lit by life itself.

Incredible story of how a relatively disorganised bunch of gold hungry Spaniards on the edge of the empire and with nothing to lose managed to successfully invade a country with great wealth, an established dynasty, and vastly greater military strength. Poorly written, in as much as Diaz blandly reports some amazing events and characters, but the content is enough to get you through (even if it takes a few sittings).

Also raises the perplexing issue of how far they were actually doing work that extended God's kingdom, despite their greed. They threw down idols and brought knowledge of Christ. They did some other things too...

The Conquest of New Spain, by Bernal Diaz is perhaps the best telling of the events that followed the untimely arrival of Hernan Cortez and his band of Conquistadors in Mexico. Diaz himself was one of those conquistadors, and although his takes on what happened are not without bias, they are nevertheless very informative. When you finish reading this book you will have a near perfect understanding of what happened to the Aztec Empire in Mexico.
This book gets the highest recommendation possible.

I bought this book while on vacation in Oaxaca. A friend of mine had told me to read it before I went there, and I now know why.

In Oaxaca, I was struck by the beautiful old churches, some dating from the 1500s, that seem to be every other block. As a Catholic, I am used to blood with my Jesus and my saints, but these churches were overwhelmed by it. Along with the red paint though, was the gilt, representing the riches that lured the Conquistadores to the New World.

Diaz's account is thorough, and detached, given the gore, the wars, and the grand and terrible horrors and majesties that he encountered as a captain for Cortes. This quest for gold becomes a war between Christian soldiers and (sometimes) peaceful cannibals, between noble savages and savage nobles, between the old world and this old new world, between ways of living very differently lived.

Diaz is not a historian. He is an excellent reporter. His report is incredible, and true, which makes it even more incredible.

His eyewitness accounts of the temples stacked with torsos, red to the ceilings with blood - the grandeur of Mexico City - listening to captured friends being sacrificed to the gods - Cortes' cynical manipulation of tribal conflicts - to me explain much about the "modern" Mexico.

I spent two days in Madrid in November 2002 with this guidebook. I found it to be well-organized and readable, with photos accompanying the text. With this guide, it didn't take long to gain a basic understanding of the history of the city and the different neighborhoods. The restaurant listings were particularly helpful.

There were two downsides, in my opinion. One is that there is no pull-out map. The map pages are integrated with the rest of the book. Second, the prices in the book are given in pesetas, not in Euros. I found that hotels, restaurants, etc. were all quoting prices in Euros, making the guidebook slightly less user-friendly. Still, the printed prices seemed to give a good idea of relative cost.

Overall, a good guidebook, but be sure to pick up a map when you arrive in Madrid.

.
Summary:
Every Dorling Kindersley Guide has been a great and interesting book... and delightful to have and use, even if you are not traveling to that location, but are only interested in learning more!

The Guides are well organized in a logical and easy to follow manner. They are beautifully illustrated, well developed with accurate information (it is unusual for hotel and restaurant information to be that accurate), have enough history to help the reader understand the people and cultural background, and have a lot of useful travel information and useable maps in the appendixes.

The really great attraction to this book is several fold; it is:
............Very complete
............Easy to read
............Beautifully and artistically completed
............Good shopping, safety and other tips
............Gorgeous photographs too numerous to list.

Specifics:
The guides are organized as follows:

How to use this guide
Introduction to Historical and Geographical information
Geographical Regions
Introduction to Madrid
............Putting Madrid on the Map
............History of Madrid
............Madrid at a Glance
............Madrid Through the Year

............Madrid Area by Area, each section includes:
........................Introduction to street by street area
........................Detailed pictorials of area buildings
........................Architectural drawings, pictures, cut-aways of buildings

........................Specific stops, historical monuments, churches, buildings, etc.

Madrid Sections Reviewed:
........................Old Madrid
........................Bourbon Madrid
........................Around La Castellana
........................Further Afield
........................Beyond Madrid

Travelers Needs - includes full list with rankings and notes
............Hotels
............Restaurants, cafes, bars
............Shopping
............Entertainment

............Outdoor activities

Survival Information
............Practical
........................Tourist info., Etiquete, Personal Security and Health
........................Currencies, Telephones, misc info.
............Travel Information (Getting to Madrid )
............Street Maps (Getting Around Madrid )

............General Index
............Phrase Book

Discussion:
The book begins with "Introducing Madrid", including a complete map, a review, the city's history, and Madrid thought the Year - including events, etc.

Areas with an "At a glance" overview, then has subsections of specific blocks, or forums, then specific locations, churches, historical monuments, bridges, galleries, etc.

Architectural reviews include various views, and cutaways; given greater understanding and better perspective. They are all attractive, if not works of art - honestly.

The travelers' Info. offers good and valid info. on prices, currencies, customs, important words, etc. I have used the reviews on hotel's restaurants and nightclubs, in most European cities, and Dorling has yet to disappoint me. I have found they were useful and accurate, and helpful with my touring and site decisions.

The books are so well thought-out that it has multiple maps, with various lookup tables, and the book's flaps are designed to be used as bookmarks for map pages.

Negative:
The only negative with this book is that it is substantial with good quality paper, and is therefore heavier than other travel books.

Conclusion:
Each book in this series is a great help, and beautiful collectible resource. As the President, CEO of an International Meeting Planning Corporation we have many resources and techniques to learn about places we have meetings / groups at as well as the cities and sights. But, as a traveler, this book really is top notch and I would recommend it to anyone going on a personal trip, or wanting to learn about a city, or location. We have used some of these books to augment our research to investigate cities for our groups.

I am an experienced traveler (30+ countries) who is nearing retirement and plan to travel extensively, who has recently become obsessed about finding "good" guidebooks. So this review is a comparison of the books I looked at for Madrid.

I started with the Insight Guide. I was seeking to get background, history, etc. The Insight Guides seem to vary enormously from one to the next in both quality and orientation. I think they are good for an entire country if you are trying to decide where in the country or what parts you want to see. I thought the guide for Madrid was useless. It provided very little information about the city or the culture. It seemed to be best if you were planning on moving to Madrid and wanted to find out the differences between the various suburban areas. I suggest you forget this one.

I looked at the Mini-Rough Guide. I didn't like the format and it was too terse for my taste. In my opinion, Rough Guide still needs to produce a guide for Madrid that is a regular, not a mini Rough Guide. The LP Guide to Madrid seemed pretty mediocre. The stiff covers also made it awkward to use or hold open to a particular page. The information and descriptions were inadequate compared to some other guides. The Eyewitness Guide to Madrid is, I think, the best overall guide to Madrid. (Generally I prefer Eyewitness guides for City's much more than as a guide for an entire country.) The maps are good, the pictures of the food and other items are very helpful. The hotels and restaurant sections were pretty good, but not great. If you are looking for hostels, you will need the LP guide. Eyewitness does not give great historical depth, but it gives you some, probably enough for most tourists. Guide Books are not the best source for detailed historical and cultural information anyway. The Time Out guide was almost like a tourist's yellow pages, primarily a listing of hotels, restaurants, sites, services, etc. It had the best listing of restaurants and hotels and covered all price ranges. It wasn't as good as Eyewitness is describing the things to see and do.

I ended up getting the Eyewitness Guide to use while sightseeing, supplemented by the Time Out Guide for picking hotels, restaurants and being able to look up things. Another reviewer recommended this same combination in order to visit Tapas bars. I'm not that much into Tapas, but I still think these two are the best combo. Eyewitness is not perfect, but it's the best one that I saw.

Incidentally, the Spain Rough and LP guides Madrid sections do not cover Madrid as well as the Madrid-only guides. You are looking at a 60-page section, compared to the Madrid-only guides of around 300 pages length.

Patricia Nell Warren wrote the definitive gay novel obver 20 years ago with her landmark novel THE FRONT RUNNER. With The Wild Man, Warren again gets into the heads of gay men ever with a tale of love, desire, and the longing we all share to find the love of our life and make it work.

The title stems from the love interest, the story is told form the point of view of the central character, a bull fighter in Spain in the 1960s.

What makes this story so special is that Warren started it in the 1960s when she lived in Spain. It is only now that she felt she was ready to fully tell the story.

It reads like a piece of finely researched biography, travelling through almost four decades of growth, pain, love and harmony!

This is a must read for any one who loves gay fiction!

Patricia Nell Warren is a legendary icon in gay literature. Her landmark novel "The Front Runner" has captivated over 10 million readers in two generation since its publication in 1974. It has been published in ten languages.

Warren's newest novel, "The Wild Man" is argueably her greatest novel. The saga is set in fascist Spain in the late 1960s during the reign of Franco. The book is captivating. Once your read the first twelve pages you are hooked. The story revolves around a gay bullfighter, Antonio Escuedero, poised on the verge of retirement. A chance encounter with a peasant, Juan Diano Rodriguez, who has a unique ability to raise animals, leads to an unthinkable love story in an oppressive environment. The story is deepend through the relationship of Antonio and his twin sister, Jose, who is a lesbian with a hidden love life of her own.

Warren has often come under for writing about men. "The Wild Man" is proof that she writes drmaticly about women as she does about men. Once again, however, she is able to get into the emotions and psyche of gay men in a way that is unique in glbt literature.

Though set in Fascist Spain, Warren points out in the Notes and Acknowledgement section that follows the novel, that the increasing power of the religious right spells needed concern. Liberties fought for valiently can be easily lost if not carefully guarded.

"The Wild Man" is an excellent book. It is a quick read, a glimpse into a distant time and culture and a great deal of fun....

amazon.com's editorial reviewer complains that The Wild Man too often reads like a romance novel. DUH! It IS a romance novel, among other things . . . the best romance novel I've ever read.

I can't say enough good things about this book. I'm about halfway through, and I love it, love it, LOVE IT . . . the mix of romance, religion, history, environmentalism, feminism, the bullfighting metaphors, and especially the underlying message that lesbians and gay men need one another to survive in a hostile world. The difficult love scenes between Juan and Don Antonio ring so true! I never dreamed women understood about gay men who refuse to kiss and who won't accept the sexually passive role because it isn't "manly," but Ms. Warren understands, and she dares to write about it here. And she is courageous in addressing physical abuse in gay relationships (i. e. the characters of Josefina and Sera). I picked up this book after reading James M. Cain's extremely homophobic novel "Serendade," which is set in Mexico. This book is the anecdote to that one . . . it's like a breath of fresh air.

I'm reading it now as a library lend, but I plan to buy The Wild Man as soon as I can afford to do it. It fairly cries out to be made into a movie! I can practically hear the flamenco guitars on the soundtrack.

Whatever you think of Orwell and his two most famous works, 1984 and Animal Farm can be set aside when reading "Homage to Catalonia". The book's most valuable asset is that it lends credibility to Orwell's rather strong political views that are so eloquently expressed in his other works. It is one thing to rail against Communism or Totalitarianism, it's another thing entirely to pick up a gun and do something about it at great risk to life and limb. The book in and of itself is not a great book. It is a description of a rather banal civil war that at times is pathetic, comical, and as with any war, ultimately sad when taken at face value. That it is a non-fiction account of the author's participation at Catalonia sets it aside from Orwell's other work. It has made a few top 100 lists, however, I struggled to find a justification for such a lofty ranking. If you are a fan of Orwell, Huxley, etc or are a fan of European history then this book will appeal. Absent such a range of interests, the (potential) reader is probably better off searching elsewhere for an engrossing novel. Ultimately, I enjoyed this book to the extent that it allows for a much deeper perspective on Orwell and his philosphies.

George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia is an amazing look at the Spanish Civil War from one of its participants written within six months of the incidents described. This is an important book for historians of the period as well as an important piece of writing for those who love the fiction and ideas of Orwell as one can easily see their development through his experiences in Spain. The sections on the fighting in Barcelona between the Anarchists and the Communists (instead of against their true enemy, the Fascicts) as well as the subsequent suppression of the POUM are among the most riveting. He is always clear about his personal biases and he is not writing as an historian but as an observer who has been betrayed yet is still hopeful. The flashes of humour are among the many surprises in this very personal account of the devastation of a country and the growth of a writer.

I actually wrote this an extra credit book report:
A Homage to Homage to Catalonia
Homage to Catalonia is an account of Orwell's personal story of his experience in the Spanish Civil War and some reflections on the complex political situations involved. He wrote it in 1938 (I think so; the introduction didn't bother to mention when it was actually written as its author was obviously not a historian), only months after his experience. The reader is put the exciting situation of Europe before World War II. The fact he was writing about contemporary subjects makes it all the more interesting, because he did not have the advantage of knowing what was going to happen next making his opinions of what should be done more valid.
I started reading the book thinking it was going to be about Orwell's disillusionment with Stalinist Russia. If he ever did admire the USSR, he does not admit to it. He does however admit to only joining the POUM because that was the first group he found, though I do not believe he would have ever joined what he referred to as a right-wing Socialist group (though he was tempted at one point, as it was the only way to get to Madrid). It is certain he was disillusioned by several other things. The degree to which USSR-backed groups were not revolutionary, but only wished to perpetuate the "bourgeoisie democracy" I think did surprise them. He thought that this antirevolutionary policy may have been detrimental to anti-Franco cause, because, for example, it meant the Moors of Morocco could not be effectively allied with. This policy was similar to the USSR insisting the Chinese Communists allied with the moderates long after this made sense, though there they had the excuse that unindustrialized China was not ready for a revolution. One thing Orwell was certainly disillusioned about was journalism, due to the coverage of the Spanish Civil War and its disparity with what he was witnessing. On both sides he found simplifications and outright lies.
Orwell obviously cannot be fully objective about the topic. However, he is a journalist and does try. Orwell sums up this possibly downfall fairly well in saying "... beware of my partisanship, my mistakes of fact and the distortion inevitably caused by my having seen only one corner of events." His politics can be described as Marxist. He thought that a revolution was the only way to help the proletariat; it could not happen within the constraints of democracy. Outside of some the political commentary, the book is in fact a primary document and in this respect it is good to read regardless of his subjectivity, as his opinions are valuable in their own right.
I traveled to Spain a few years ago and found I agreed with his reflections on Spanish culture. He pointed out from time to time things in "typical Spanish fashion." Orwell noted how laid-back the Spanish are, the word incompetent could almost be used. For instance, it was often a hassle to pay the bill at a restaurant. It is like they did not want our money. I had attributed this as a reaction to Fascism, though it apparently predated it. In one of his few optimistic statements, he predicted Fascism would not be as bad as in Italy and Germany because of the inefficiency of the Spanish culture; they would just not be able to pull it off. From the little I know of the following decades, this was more or less bore out.
Homage to Catalonia remains an excellent read to anyone interested into this facet of the Spanish Civil War or Stalinist foreign policy in general. It gives a first person account of the soldier's view of the war; I think a fairly average one. Most accounts of war seem to be by people who take down their story because something unique happened to them. Orwell was probably planning to write a book regardless. So Orwell complains much more about boredom then he does carnage, as he was stationed where both he and the Fascists did not have enough firepower to go on the offensive.