Davis's book is for young people, but I was surprised of the content and well written material. One could guess this was an adult book.
Davis is a black American and of a general liberal bent. As you read, you can tell the side he favored in this war--the Loyalists. He generally glosses over the abuses the Republican government commited during the Civil War, but expands on the attrocities perpetrated by Franco's forces. Oh well, Davis can slant the way history is perceived.
I would say this is a well written book, if one overcomes the slant of Davis's writing. If one wants a more detailed analysis, read elsewhere.

It was very informative about Spain and its culture.

I recommend this book to people seeking information about the Jews of Spain and Portugal. This is a good intrudoctory book on the subject, but those with some knowledge in this area will most likely find it incomplete. Quite much more information is given on the Spanish Jews than on the Portuguese Jews, and the impact that the Jewish had on the Iberian Peninsula, especially in Portugal, is not fully revealed here.

This is a New York Times book. The book has taken a collection of stories of different types to paint a picture of the Spanish
Civil War. These stories reflect the internationalization of the war with Germany and Italy's active commitment.
I learned some things from this book that are missing in other books on this war. First, Nazi Germany's Naval blockade of the Spanish coast, while actively helping Franco and the rebels. Also the Loyalists targeting of Nazi naval units, plus their barbarism against conservatives and clericals. Many contemporary books portray the Rebels as the villians, but perhaps both sides can share this label to an equal extent. Since these are stories that appear in the newspapers, some of the facts are wrong and this is why I gave it three stars.

This book does a good job of explaining the actions of both the Republican and Nationalists forces during the war. It succeeds in uncovering the atrocities comitted by both sides on the civilian population. It's only drawback is the lack of detail on the underlying reasons for this war and the struggle for power by the factions making up the Republican Government. It does not give much insight into the Nationalist's reason for the coup. It was a fair and accurate report on the events and not slanted in favor of either side. I wish thier would be a more in depth version.

A short summary of the Spanish Civil War. If someone wanted to learn about the war in two to three hours, this is a good summary of the war, and it is also very balanced, detailing not only the excesses of the Nationalists but also of the Loyalists.
The book is full of pictures, which will spur the reader on. At only 128 pages, Purcell's book is a good synopsis of this tragic event of the 1930s. For a more detailed account of the war, read elsewhere,

Only for those with an interest and some background in Spanish history and politics. Sets the stage for the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). Well written and readable; the English author uses research as well as first-hand experience to paint the complex mosaic of Spanish political factions. In the last line of the epilogue he condemns the English policy of appeasement toward Hitler of allowing the Spanish Civil War to take place by not imposing an arms embargo against Germany. The Spanish fascists were allowed to import German arms and thus, eventually, maintain superior firepower over the Republicans.

Another piece in the history puzzle; worth reading.

I read this with a particularly personal interest having traveled to this remote part of Spain. While the author succeeds in developing her thesis, her analysis is diminished by a failure to adequately place her findings in the broader context of Vaqueiro life.

I was really looking forward to Phil Ball's take on the greatest soccer club team in the world after Morbo--his brilliant history of Spanish soccer--but this was a tad disappointing. It's a good book, for sure, but I didn't get the relevance of references to how each Real Madrid great rated on the 100th anniversary fan poll. I also thought there'd be more than a little over 200 pages. I understand bervity but this book deserved about 200 more pages.

Whereas Barca--A People's Passion by Jimmy Burns rocked. This history of their great rivals fell a bit flat despite a lot of good info in here. It just needed more fleshing out to get a greater feel for each era in the club's history.

I have to disagree with these reviewers that found this book "bad, and characters undeveloped". I found the characters very real in the sense that they were confused in their emotions. Cass, the lead, was one minute fiercely loyal and the next was ready to forget everyone and do exactly what she wanted to do. Don't we all feel that way sometimes? I got that she was sick of sacrificing herself for her selfish sister and finally did what she wanted with Antonio. Antonio, I admit, could have been more deeply developed. I didn't feel like I ever really got to know him at all. But I thought Joyce did a good job with the ghost aspect. I did feel sorry for Isabel - she was completely in love and loyal to that love and he was not! No wonder she was ticked off at everyone! I did find it a stretch that they stayed at the house as long as they did with all that was happening, but hey, it is a ghost story! People always stay in the haunted house when it's way past time to get out... I still have faith in Joyce. She remains one of my favs and I will continue to buy anything with her name on it.

Ms. Joyce tells a good tale, she just needs a good proofreader and needs to invest in and use a thesaurus.

The tale itself is a mixture of mystery, historical novel, and romance. The base of the story is that a woman who died 400 years ago is linked to two families. She feels that these two families betrayed her and she's still out to get them. The story mixes modern world with the story of this woman from 400 years in the past. Meanwhile, in modern times, you've got a pretty scary ghost story going on. The story itself is highly entertaining, as long as you don't pay attention to the details. Think of it as that highly entertaining, but critically unaclaimed movie that you watch just for fun. If you get caught up in the details that just aren't right, then make a game of it, because otherwise, it will make you crazy.

When I say it needs proofing, I'm not kidding. There are places where a man is described as wearing a black coat and then two pages latter it's blue. She describes a young boy as having polio. Now this takes place in modern times and this child is less than ten years old. To my knowledge, a case of polio hasn't been reported in Western Europe in the last 10 or 20 years, so that's just totally bogus!! And then there was my favorite proofing error, "She hid her hands behind her face." I'm not sure this is anatomically possible.

Ms. Joyce needs to get a thesaurus to try and cure her overuse of the word gaze. She loves this word, both as a noun and a verb and in one nights reading, I kept track. The longest Ms. Joyce could go without using some variation of this beloved word was two pages.

If you want a fun read, go for it. But don't be looking for literary excellence.

Cassandra de Warrenne, a woman whose passion is found in the pages of history books, is about to live the nightmare of her life. When her sister, Tracey, brings home her new boyfriend, Antonio de la Barca, Cass never expected the immediate attraction she experiences. Catherine de Warrenne, aunt to Cass and Tracey, never thought she would see another de la Barca in her lifetime, but when she meets Antonio, the horror and memories flood back to her. Isabel de Warrenne, a woman who died 445 years before, is about reek havoc on these two families. But what no one knows is who she is and why she is here' ***** Never in my life did I think I would read a scary book, but this one I could not put down. The character's and the story flowed together so well, I forgot I was reading a book. I kept on looking over my shoulder making sure Isabel wasn't there watching me. Look at the reviews on B&N online and you will see everyone thought this book was 4 or 5 stars! Most reviewers here have only theirselves to blame, since they did not seem to read what the book was about. They simply are used to this author writing a different TYPE of book. However, that does not make this type of book bad! It is EXCELLENT for those of us who like GOTHICS! I don't care what others think, this one sent chills down my spine! Recommended reading! *****...Blair