Author: George Orwell
Reviewed by: Stephen Kelly
Branch: Newbridge Library
Here Orwell brings to bear all the force of his humanity, passion and clarity, describing with bitter intensity the bright hopes and cynical betrayals of that chaotic episode: the revolutionary euphoria of Barcelona, the courage of ordinary Spanish men and women he fought alongside, the terror and confusion of the front, his near-fatal bullet wound and the vicious treachery of his supposed allies.
What I particularly liked about this book was Orwell’s powerful use of descriptive narrative to give his account of some very interesting episodes, of the Spanish Civil War in which Orwell fought in. My favourite character was Orwell himself, as he tells everything that happens in the first person and is involved in some exciting scenarios such as fighting in Huesca, the trenches in Zaragoza and the battles between the Spanish Republicans and Loyalists. All the characters were depicted exceptionally, as it is a historic account. Orwell meets an array of interesting people in his exploration of Spain. The story always kept me guessing, for example, in the book Orwell often ponders what way the war might turn out, and the reader wonders if the author will continue fighting. My favourite part of the book was when Orwell depicts the street fighting in Barcelona which led to the regain of Spanish government control in Barcelona. Orwell brilliantly describes his discontent with coming back to the Catalonian capital. A lot of the scenes are sad, as Orwell depicts the horrors of war brilliantly and the senseless loss of life. With all of Orwell’s books this constantly gripped me, and I was always turning the pages, especially when Orwell recounts being shot, the reader is enthralled wondering what might happen after this horrific episode.
While this title is not available to borrow on Bolinda Borrowbox you can borrow some of George Orwell’s other works here.
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