{"id":3114,"date":"2011-09-28T13:56:34","date_gmt":"2011-09-28T13:56:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.victoriahislop.com\/?page_id=3114"},"modified":"2021-08-22T11:43:55","modified_gmt":"2021-08-22T11:43:55","slug":"the-return","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.victoriahislop.co.uk\/cms\/books\/the-return\/","title":{"rendered":"The Return"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/a>Synopsis<\/h2>\n

Beneath the majestic towers of the Alhambra, Granada\u2019s cobbled streets resonate with music and secrets. Sonia Cameron knows nothing of the city\u2019s shocking past; she is here to dance. But in a quiet caf\u00e9, a chance conversation and an intriguing collection of old photographs draw her into the extraordinary tale of Spain\u2019s devastating civil war.<\/p>\n

Seventy years earlier, the caf\u00e9 is home to the close-knit Ram\u00edrez family. In 1936, an army coup led by Franco shatters the country\u2019s fragile peace, and in the heart of Granada the family witnesses the atrocities of conflict. Divided by politics and tragedy, everyone must take a side, fighting a personal battle as Spain rips itself apart.<\/p>\n

Captivating and deeply moving, Victoria Hislop\u2019s second novel is as inspiring as her international bestselling debut, The Island.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reviews<\/h2>\n

“The Return aims to open the eyes, and tug the heartstrings, of readers who mostly won’t have read Orwell, let alone Cercas. Beyond some clunkily didactic patches, it succeeds. These days, the battle of historical memory against forgetting has to be fought on many fronts. Hislop deserves a medal for opening a breach into the holiday beach-bag”
\nBoyd Tonkin, Independent<\/strong> (Read More<\/a>)<\/p>\n

“[The Return] should be required reading for anyone going to Spain this year…the historical tale is powerful stuff”
\nDaily Mail<\/strong><\/p>\n

“executed with verve and sensitivity\u2026an excellent beach read”
\nMelissa Katsoulis,<\/strong> The Telegraph<\/strong> (Read More<\/a>)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Books read for Research<\/h2>\n

The character of Mercedes and the whole story\u00a0 of the Civil War, which is the backdrop to “The Return”<\/em>, required lots of reading. When I started reading, the figure quoted for the number of books written about the Spanish Civil War was 15,000, and now the figure that\u2019s being used by historians is about 20,000, so obviously there is no shortage of material. And then there\u2019s the flamenco aspect of the novel, which is very important. It\u2019s a sort of theme in the background. I learnt some flamenco myself. And, as I said before, I watched it a great deal. There\u2019s quite a lot of good flamenco that comes to London. So, I saw a lot here and I saw a lot in Spain as well. The research probably took about two years for that book, but every bit of it was fascinating in its own way. The following is a list of books read during my research for The Return:<\/p>\n

In English<\/h5>\n
    \n
  • A Concise History of the Spanish Civil War<\/em> \u2013 Paul Preston (FONTANA)<\/li>\n
  • Comrades: Portraits from the Spanish Civil War<\/em> \u2013 Paul Preston (FONTANA)<\/li>\n
  • Doves of War<\/em> \u2013 Paul Preston (HARPER COLLINS)<\/li>\n
  • Franco<\/em> \u2013 Paul Preston (HARPER COLLINS)<\/li>\n
  • The Politics of Revenge: Fascism and the Military in 20th Century Spain<\/em> \u2013 Paul Preston (ROUTLEDGE)<\/li>\n
  • The Republic Besieged: Civil War in Spain 1936 \u2013 39<\/em> \u2013 Edited by Paul Preston and Ann L Mackenzie (EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY PRESS)<\/li>\n
  • Revolution and War in Spain 1931 \u2013 1939<\/em> \u2013 Edited by Paul Preston (ROUTLEDGE)<\/li>\n
  • The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction<\/em> \u2013 Helen Graham (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS)<\/li>\n
  • The Spanish Civil War<\/em> \u2013 Antony Beevor (CASSELL)<\/li>\n
  • The Battle for Spain<\/em> \u2013 Antony Beevor (WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON)<\/li>\n
  • The Spanish Civil War<\/em> \u2013 Hugh Thomas (PENGUIN)<\/li>\n
  • The Spanish Labyrinth: An Account of the Social and Political Background of the Spanish Civil War<\/em> \u2013 Gerald Brenan (CAMBRIDGE)<\/li>\n
  • South from Granada<\/em> \u2013 Gerald Brenan (PENGUIN)<\/li>\n
  • Spanish Front: Writers on the Civil War<\/em> \u2013 Edited by Valentine Cunningham (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS)<\/li>\n
  • A Time of Silence:\u00a0 Civil War and the Culture of Repression in Franco\u2019s Spain 1936 \u2013 1945<\/em> \u2013 Michael Richards (CAMBRIDGE)<\/li>\n
  • Blood of Spain<\/em> \u2013 Ronald Fraser (PIMLICO)<\/li>\n
  • The Scalpel, the Sword: The Story of Dr Norman Bethune<\/em> \u2013 Ted Allan & Sydney Gordon (MCCLELLAND & STEWART)<\/li>\n
  • The Impact of the Spanish Civil War on Britain: War, Loss and Memory<\/em> \u2013 Tom Buchanan (SUSSEX ACADEMIC PRESS)<\/li>\n
  • Modern Spain 1875 \u2013 1980<\/em> \u2013 Raymond Carr (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS)<\/li>\n
  • Battle of Brunete & The Aragon<\/em> \u2013 Frank Graham (International Brigader) (FRANK GRAHAM)<\/li>\n
  • The New Spaniards<\/em> \u2013 John Hooper (PENGUIN)<\/li>\n
  • Iberia<\/em> \u2013 James A Michener (FAWCETT CREST, NY)<\/li>\n
  • Spanish Culture Behind Barbed Wire<\/em> \u2013 Francis Cate-Arries (BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS)<\/li>\n
  • The Flamencos of Cadiz Bay<\/em> \u2013 Gerald Howson (THE BOLD STRUMMER)<\/li>\n
  • Beyond Death and Exile: The Spanish Republicans in France 1939 \u2013 55<\/em> \u2013 Louis Stein (HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS)<\/li>\n
  • The Guernica Generation<\/em> –\u00a0 Dorothy Legarreta (NEVADA)<\/li>\n
  • In Place of Splendour<\/em> \u2013 Constancia de la Mora (MICHAEL JOSEPH)<\/li>\n
  • Federico Garcia Lorca<\/em> \u2013 Ian Gibson (FABER & FABER)<\/li>\n
  • The Assassination of Federico Garcia Lorca<\/em> \u2013 Ian Gibson (PENGUIN)<\/li>\n
  • Lorca\u2019s Granada<\/em> \u2013 Ian Gibson (FABER & FABER)<\/li>\n
  • Blood Wedding<\/em> \u2013 Federico Garcia Lorca (METHUEN)<\/li>\n
  • Leah Manning<\/em> \u2013 Ron Bill & Stan Newens (SQUARE ONE BOOKS)<\/li>\n
  • Recuerdos: Basque Children Refugees in Great Britain<\/em> \u2013 Edited by Natalia Benjamin (BASQUE CHILDREN OF 37 ASSOCIATION)<\/li>\n
  • Only for Three Months: The Basque Children in Exile<\/em> \u2013 Adrian Bell (MOUSEHOLD PRESS)<\/li>\n
  • Ghosts of Spain<\/em> \u2013 Giles Tremlett (FABER & FABER)<\/li>\n
  • Guerra<\/em> \u2013 Jason Webster (DOUBLEDAY)<\/li>\n
  • Duende<\/em> \u2013 Jason Webster (BLACK SWAN)<\/li>\n
  • Queen of the Gypsies: The Life and Legend of Carmen Amaya<\/em> \u2013 Paco Sevilla (SEVILLA PRESS)<\/li>\n
  • Death in the Afternoon<\/em> \u2013 Ernest Hemingway (ARROW BOOKS)<\/li>\n
  • Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises<\/em> \u2013 Ernest Hemingway (ARROW BOOKS)<\/li>\n
  • Orwell in Spain<\/em> \u2013 George Orwell (PENGUIN)<\/li>\n
  • A Rose for Winter<\/em> \u2013 Laurie Lee (VINTAGE CLASSICS)<\/li>\n
  • As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning<\/em> \u2013 Laurie Lee (PENGUIN)<\/li>\n
  • Heart of Spain: Robert Capa\u2019s Photographs of the Spanish Civil War<\/em> (APERTURE)<\/li>\n
  • Photography of Franco\u2019s Spain<\/em> \u2013 Mondejar (KONEMANN)<\/li>\n
  • Homage to the Spanish Exiles<\/em> \u2013 Nancy MacDonald (INSIGHT BOOKS)<\/li>\n
  • Spanish Journey: A Portrait of Spain<\/em> \u2013 Adam Hopkins (PENGUIN TRAVEL LIBRARY)<\/li>\n
  • Memories of Resistance \u2013 Women\u2019s Voices from the Spanish Civil War<\/em> (YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS)<\/li>\n
  • Andalucia<\/em> \u2013 Geoff Garvey and Mark Ellingham (ROUGH GUIDES)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    In Spanish<\/h5>\n
      \n
    • El crimen de la carretera Malaga \u2013 Almeria, Febrero de 1937<\/em> (CALIGRAMA)<\/li>\n
    • El Exilio de los Ninos<\/em> (FUNDACION PABLO IGLESIAS)<\/li>\n
    • Granada 1936 Relatos de la Guerra Civil<\/em> \u2013 Various authors (EL DEFENSOR DE GRANADA)<\/li>\n
    • Los Barcos del\u00a0 Exilio<\/em> \u2013 Emilio Calle and Ada Simon (OBERON)<\/li>\n
    • Cautivos \u2013 Campos de Concentracion en Espana en la Espana Franquista 1936 \u2013 1947<\/em> (CRITICA)<\/li>\n
    • En las Carceles de Franco<\/em> \u2013 Clemente Sanchez (OBERON)<\/li>\n
    • Los Esclavos de Franco<\/em> \u2013 Rafael Torres (OBERON)<\/li>\n
    • Victimas de la Victoria<\/em> \u2013Rafael\u00a0 Torres (OBERON)<\/li>\n
    • Cronicas de la Guerra de Espana<\/em> \u2013 Miguel Hernandez (FLOR DE VIENTO)<\/li>\n
    • Los Campos de Concentracion Franquistas Entre la Historia y la Memoria<\/em> \u2013 Javier Rodrigo (SIETE MARES)<\/li>\n
    • El Albayzin Contado por sus Mujeres<\/em> (ASSOCIACION DE VECINAS Y VECINOS BAJO ALBAYZIN, GRANADA)<\/li>\n
    • Verano del 36 en Granada<\/em> \u2013 Manuel Titos Martinez (ATRIO ENSAYO)<\/li>\n
    • Granada: De Antano a Hogano: Siglo Y Medio en Fotografia<\/em> (ARTES GRAFICAS CAMPILLO NEVADO SA)<\/li>\n
    • La Republica que Acaba en Guerra Civil<\/em> \u2013 Pio Moa (ALTERA)<\/li>\n
    • Viva La Republica<\/em> – Rafael Torres (LA ESFERA DE LOS LIBROS)<\/li>\n
    • La Guerra Civil Espanola: Dia a Dia 1936 -1939<\/em> \u2013 Jesus de Miguel Antonio Sanchez (LIBSA)<\/li>\n
    • Granada in Memoriam<\/em> (EDITORIAL ARGUVAL)<\/li>\n
    • Cine y Guerra Civil\u00a0 Espanola de Mito a la Memoria<\/em> (ALIANZA EDITORIAL)<\/li>\n
    • Uniformes Militares de la Guerra Civil Espanola<\/em> \u2013 Jose Bueno (LIBRERIA EDITORIAL SAN MARTIN, MADRID)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Synopsis Beneath the majestic towers of the Alhambra, Granada\u2019s cobbled streets resonate with music and secrets. Sonia Cameron knows nothing of the city\u2019s shocking past; she is here to dance. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":31614,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3114","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.victoriahislop.co.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.victoriahislop.co.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.victoriahislop.co.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.victoriahislop.co.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.victoriahislop.co.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3114"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.victoriahislop.co.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31619,"href":"https:\/\/www.victoriahislop.co.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3114\/revisions\/31619"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.victoriahislop.co.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.victoriahislop.co.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}