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An extraordinary epic of love, family, and war set in the Basque town of Guernica before, during, and after its destruction by the German Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War.
Calling to mind such timeless war-and-love classics as Corelli's Mandolin and The English Patient, Guernica is a transporting novel that thrums with the power of storytelling and is peopled with characters driven by grit and heart.
In 1935, Miguel Navarro finds himself in conflict with the Spanish Civil Guard, and flees the Basque fishing village of Lekeitio to make a new start in Guernica, the center of Basque culture and tradition. In the midst of this isolated bastion of democratic values, Miguel finds more than a new life — he finds someone to live for. Miren Ansotegui is a charismatic and graceful dancer who has her pick of the bachelors in Guernica, but focuses only on the charming and mysterious Miguel. The two discover a love that war and tragedy can not destroy.
History and fiction merge seamlessly in this beautiful novel about the resilience of family, love, and tradition in the face of hardship. The bombing of Guernica was a devastating experiment in total warfare by the German Luftwaffe in the run-up to World War II. For the Basques, it was an attack on the soul of their ancient nation; for the world, it was an unprecedented crime against humanity. In his first novel, Boling reintroduces the event and paints his own picture of a people so strong, vibrant, and proud that they are willing to do whatever it takes to protect their values, their country, and their loved ones.
Review:
"Examining the Spanish Civil War and the town that was famously firebombed by the Germans on the eve of WWII, this multigenerational family saga begins with the three abandoned Ansotegui boys, struggling to survive on the family farm at the end of the 19th century; younger brothers Josepe and Xabier become a fisherman and a priest, respectively, while the eldest, Justo, marries and raises a stunning daughter named Miriam. Charismatic, beautiful and the best jota dancer around, Miriam attracts the attention of Miguel Navarro, who winds up moving them to ill-fated Guernica after a run-in with the Spanish Civil Guard. Meanwhile, in nearby Bilbao, Father Xabier waxes political with real-life future Basque president Jos Antonio Aguirre, striking up an invaluable friendship. Boling's portrait of the Guernica tragedy is vivid, as is his illustration of the Basque people's oppression; wisely, he sidesteps elaborate political explanations that could slow the family drama. Boling is skillful with characters and dialogue, possessing a great sense of timing and humor, though some historical cameos feel forced (especially Picasso, who pops up throughout), and some plot twists can be seen from quite a long way off. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
A sense of menace hangs over the opening of "Guernica." We know the "what" of events to come, but not the "how." And it is the "how" of this book that comes alive through Dave Boling's creation of several generations of Basque families in northern Spain during the civil war of the 1930s. As fascism rises in Europe, citizens who once believed themselves to be safe in their own countries are suddenly... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) compelled to flee. Spaniards, including Basque citizens, pour into France from the south. Resistance movements arise. Endangered German and French citizens, often including artists and intellectuals, are smuggled into Spain and then on to Portugal as a departure point towards any country that will accept them. Miguel Navarro, a young man who has never been comfortable at sea on the family fishing boat, finds himself in danger from the Guardia Civil and must leave his village of Lekeitio. He makes his way to Guernica, the center of Basque culture, and there he meets Miren Ansotegui, a beautiful dancer who is loved by her prominent family and the people of the town. Thus begins the love story in "Guernica," a novel that is, at first glance, about extremes: The women are beautiful, the men brave, family ties unbreakable, and political parties all-powerful. But Boling threads his way through the stories of his many characters with humor, compassion and rich details of Basque tradition. The literary risks Boling takes include interspersed passages told from the point of view of two historical figures: Picasso and Wolfram von Richthofen of the German Luftwaffe. Lt. Col. von Richthofen commands fliers of experimental bombers; at the invitation of Franco, he tests his bombing tactics in the skies above Guernica on April 26, 1937. A cousin of the Red Baron, von Richthofen is portrayed as cold and efficient. For his efforts, the Fuhrer rewards him with a new Mercedes-Benz roadster. The legacy of Richthofen's methods now exists as a tragic part of Spanish history. As for the Picasso passages, they appear intrusive at first. There is a sense that this is not Picasso's story, at least not yet, though it becomes so in the end. Overall, the novel is about loss, but also about loss' counterpoints, love and endurance. The description of the bombing of Guernica is so moving, so detailed and sad that it becomes almost unbearable. By this point in the story, we're so familiar with the families of the town that we are pulled to the depths of their tragedy and pain. Boling is remarkably able to depict this, grimly and without sentimentality. His understanding of what it is to be deeply traumatized is exactly right, as in this passage about Miguel, days after the bombing of the town: "To walk through the town carried the risk of having to talk. And he found himself losing the knack. Ventures in public forced him to rise to the surface, while the rest of his time was spent at some subsurface level, lost in thought or dreaming. If he could stay away from people, his days were less complicated. Not easier, because it all felt like wading through a viscous twilight, but less complicated. For long stretches, he wouldn't realize his distance from consciousness until he tried to say something, to the squirrels or to the fish he'd caught, and was surprised by the words coming out in a coughing sound, as if dust and cobwebs had collected in his throat." Boling skillfully ties in far-reaching but intersecting activities over a broad landscape of warring Europe. Some of the surviving Basque children, many of them babies, are evacuated to Britain. The story moves forward to encompass the years up to 1941, and includes the lives of a young British flier and his wife, who works in an orphanage. And more and more details emerge about Picasso, who creates his own legacy of Guernica for the Spanish pavilion of the 1937 Paris Exposition. When all these parts come together, we realize that, ultimately, this is a universal story. Through art and the historical record, Guernica is emblazoned in memory, enduring as an expression of individual and collective outrage. Frances Itani's "Remembering the Bones" has been nominated for the 2009 International IMPAC Dublin Award. Reviewed by Frances Itani, Washington Post Book World (Copyright 2006 Washington Post Book World Service/Washington Post Writers Group)
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Review:
"[A]bsorbing....[A] very good novel indeed — and a crucial reminder that genocidal folly is never as far away from us as we might wish." Kirkus Reviews
Review:
"Enhanced by Boling's knowledge of Basque culture, this is a convincing fictionalization of an infamous act of war." Booklist
Review:
"Boling breathes life into a flash point in history and creates an endearing and tragic drama that feels relevant today. Guernica is an ambitious debut by a writer whose daring imagination and seamless prose transports us to an extraordinary time and place." Jim Lynch, author of The Highest Tide
Bethany Canfield, November 24, 2009 (view all comments by Bethany Canfield)
This is the narrative of the Basque life through several generations. By starting out the novel showing the beauty and strength of the Basques it allows the reader to fall in love so that we care about the people when we dive into the historically accurate battle of Guernica. More than a battle it is a massacre, a test that Germany uses to figure out if these planes and weapons could cause total devastation. When the screams quiet and people crawl out into the light again they see the complete flattening of all they knew. And soon the one thing that they hate, the shooting in Guernica is what unites them. This common bond of humanity brings culture from the shattered buildings and the people out of their lonely homes.
I found this book to be incredibly historically accurate and loved that it filled in the human aspect of the whole conflict. I love history but more than history I love the social aspect of history (history’s impact on humans) and I loved this book because it did just that, gave a face to the Basque nation and also a voice to their past. I have recently read several others on this time period and about this location which are amazing reads as well (links posted below). There is so much to learn from history, and so much that we just can’t bear to repeat. Spain during the civil war was destroyed, and then the dictator Franco brought even more horrors to the people.
Dave Boling is accurate, intricate and completely detailed in his re-telling of this devastating time. Having lived in Spain I could feel the hardship as I read his words. The characters he created were to die for, they were versatile, lifelike and entirely relatable.
This is a great book, it made me cry and laugh and realize that after the valley of pain we are able to feel joy better than we could before. I highly recommend that you pick this one up for any history lovers, or anyone who wants to read an amazingly hopeful and insightful book about this dark time in Spain.
kascoli, March 30, 2009 (view all comments by kascoli)
I was blown away by this first novel. I loved the way the author told this horrific story in history, but more importantly I loved the way he told the story of these families, their struggles, their amazing bravery and love for each other. Perhaps the reason I purchased after I read it from the library was the last line between the Nazi and Picasso. I was ready to stand up and cheer!!! Hurray for you Dave Boling!
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Wendy Robards, September 15, 2008 (view all comments by Wendy Robards)
On July 17, 1936, the Spanish Civil War broke out in Morrocco. The country was quickly divided between the Republicans (or Loyalists) and the Nationalists under the leadership of General Francisco Franco (and backed by Mussolini’s Italy and Nazi Germany). Caught in the middle was the Basque Government - an autonomous authority which sought to defend the Basque region (Biscay) with its own army. The historic town of Guernica represented a strategic point for the Republicans as it stood between the Franco and the capture of Bilboa in the north of Spain. On April 26, 1937 Nationalist forces, along with German and Italian aircraft bombed Guernica - dumping nearly 40 tons of bombs on a town with approximately 5000 people and exacting a high casualty rate of between 250 - 1600 citizens (estimates vary greatly). The attack so inspired the famed painter Pablo Picasso that he began painting his now famous mural of Guernica only 15 days after the attack.
Dave Boling’s debut novel Guernica is a family saga and love story which wraps itself around this historic event. The novel begins in 1893 with brothers Justo, Josepe and Xabier Ansotegui growing up together on a sheep farm in Guernica. When their mother dies shortly after giving birth to Xabier, and their father emotionally abandons them (before simply disappearing one day), the boys are left to raise themselves. Justo - the eldest brother - takes over the farm. A strong man with an even stronger ego, he thrives in his role as patriarch. Josepe eventually becomes a fisherman on the coast of Spain, while Xabier finds his empathetic talents fit perfectly in the priesthood. Later Justo marries a local Basque girl which results in the birth of a daughter - Miren.
Miguel Navarro, a young man who flees from his fishing village to avoid arrest by the Spanish Civil Guard, finds himself in Guernica one day in 1935 head over heels in love with the dark haired Miren - a girl who has become the joy of her village with her laughter and ability to dance like no other. The reader also meets Alaia, a blind girl whom Miren befriends.
Guernica is an epic story which spans a period of nearly 50 years, and so the reader is allowed to watch the characters grow from youth into adulthood. Throughout the novel, Boling connects his characters through the tendrils of history and place, and crafts their relationships as would an artist - with care and attention to detail.
Boling slowly builds his novel to its crescendo - the air attack on Guernica - and does not spare his reader the horror of war. Tender and tragic, Guernica is a novel which reveals history through its impact on the people who lived it.
I was completely absorbed by this brilliantly written story of a vibrant people caught in the middle of war. Highly recommended.
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Product details
384 pages
Bloomsbury USA -
English9781596915633
Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Examining the Spanish Civil War and the town that was famously firebombed by the Germans on the eve of WWII, this multigenerational family saga begins with the three abandoned Ansotegui boys, struggling to survive on the family farm at the end of the 19th century; younger brothers Josepe and Xabier become a fisherman and a priest, respectively, while the eldest, Justo, marries and raises a stunning daughter named Miriam. Charismatic, beautiful and the best jota dancer around, Miriam attracts the attention of Miguel Navarro, who winds up moving them to ill-fated Guernica after a run-in with the Spanish Civil Guard. Meanwhile, in nearby Bilbao, Father Xabier waxes political with real-life future Basque president Jos Antonio Aguirre, striking up an invaluable friendship. Boling's portrait of the Guernica tragedy is vivid, as is his illustration of the Basque people's oppression; wisely, he sidesteps elaborate political explanations that could slow the family drama. Boling is skillful with characters and dialogue, possessing a great sense of timing and humor, though some historical cameos feel forced (especially Picasso, who pops up throughout), and some plot twists can be seen from quite a long way off. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"[A]bsorbing....[A] very good novel indeed — and a crucial reminder that genocidal folly is never as far away from us as we might wish."
"Review"
by Booklist,
"Enhanced by Boling's knowledge of Basque culture, this is a convincing fictionalization of an infamous act of war."
"Review"
by Jim Lynch, author of The Highest Tide,
"Boling breathes life into a flash point in history and creates an endearing and tragic drama that feels relevant today. Guernica is an ambitious debut by a writer whose daring imagination and seamless prose transports us to an extraordinary time and place."
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