Dime quién soy / Tell Me Who I Am (Julia Navarro)

Writing in English for the sake of ease and speed. OK, i never normally write reviews but i have just finished this epic story which is hands down one of the best books i have ever read in my life. I am so glad that i not only discovered this but was able to read it as intended, i.e. in its original language (Spanish). It is so beautifully written and having just come off the back of a similarly beautiful read (El Tiempo entre Costuras por María Dueñas) i did not think i would find anything that could top it so soon. This is a story of love, heartbreak, resilience, suffering, hardship and joy. It’s the whole gamut of human emotions packaged in to one chunky, but amazing novel. My only criticism, which is hardly a criticism at all, is that the ending was extremely predictable, but when you get there, its no less impactful. Indeed, I was left much like the main protagonist… in disbelief that this epic journey had come to an end. Above all though, what this book did for me, was reaffirm why it is so important to learn another language. Learning Spanish has provided me with a window in to another world, a literally world in which my horizons have been expanded to cover works that i would never have come across before, thought to look at or properly understood. I mean yes, you can pick up a wide array of English translations, but this feels to me sometimes like i am one step removed from the original story as the author intended it to be read. This book deserves to be showered with praise and i highly recommend it. If you think you cannot sustain over 1000 pages of reading, fear not, as it felt much more like 500 due to the sheer pace of the narrative.

I agree with the general thrust of these reviews. I took it as holiday reading, greatly enjoyed it, and only needed to use the dictionary a dozen times in nearly 1100 pages - my Spanish being Dip.OU standard. Anyone who liked El Tiempo Entre Costuras by María Dueñas and La Sombra del Viento by Carlos Ruiz Zafón should enjoy this, plenty of good mid-20th century atmosphere. The narrative flaws are obvious - the story told through a variety of witnesses, but in each case the voice rapidly shifts into straight narrative and dialogue. The narrator/plot device Guillermo criss-crosses Europe and the Atlantic at the behest of his various contacts in pursuit of the story but never fails to be given a good dinner and to pick up the thread with whomsoever he has been sent to meet. The heroine is maddening, coincidence plays a major part, some of the characters are ciphers or mere plot devices, but in spite of the flaws it still manages to be a ripping yarn. I anticipated the plot twist in the final pages at around page 500.

It took me six weeks to read this book. I read for at least 45 minutes a day, more at the weekends and holidays. I am a fast reader. An average-length Dickens' novel will take me two weeks at this rate. So full marks for this one for keeping me engaged all of the time. But gosh, it must be a hefty volume in hard copy. The sort that makes your wrist ache, particularly near the beginning and the end. Unfortunately I can't find a translation of this though several of Julia Navarro's works have been translated into English. It is the story of Amelia Garoya, reconstructed by her great-grandson who is a journalist. So, we have the story of her life and the story of how he pieces together that life. It is exciting form beginning to end as she takes part in almost every drama of the 20th century: Spanish Civil War, the early days of Communist Russia, World War II, the Cold War and the falling of the Berlin wall. Alongside that she has her own personal journey: she loses her husband and child though her own actions but creates a compensation for this. I never wanted to put this down but of course I had to: my own writing, my day job and the need to sleep and eat intervened. I was disappointed when I had finished. It's often hard leaving characters that you have come to know. It was particularly difficult in this case. This was yet another of those extraordinary books that took me out of my editing head. There are very few of these, even though I do enjoy others where that nagging voice remains. I'll always give an author five stars if they manage this.

I loved this book, it wasn't too difficult to read in Spanish and I learnt so much history in such a pleasurable way. I hardly wanted to put it down. It was beautifully written and I fell in love with the characters. Highly recommended.

I’m not writing a review for the book itself (have not read it yet), but for the service of the seller. Delivery was timely and book as described in conditions. Great price for used books and we take care of the environment

I am learning Spanish and this book was recommended via a Spanish teacher on a podcast as a way to learn Spanish in context. He did warn that it was a really long book and this is an understatement. I’ve been working my way through this book for a number of months now, albeit not every day but I’ve still got 50% to get through!! So the book is about the story of Amelia who left her family in unfortunate circumstances after she fell in love with a man. She leaves a husband and young son to embark on her life with Pierre. The book is based in the 1930’s initially and takes the reader through the historical impact of Franco, Hitler and the rise of communism. Amelia becomes the heroine of the story. As I said I’m still only half way through but I’ve certainly improved my Spanish reading and comprehension. So yes I do recommend and I continue to find out about Amelia’s exploits.

Aunque solo he leído unas 300 páginas ya estoy siento que ese libro es lo mejor de todos que he leído. Además es fenomenal sí estás aprendiendo español. ¡Os lo recomiendo!

Excelente

Un libro,que desde el primer momento engancha y sumerge a quien lo lee,en una historia,que aunque parezca lejana,dá muchas respuestas a conflictos generacionales.Es un viaje real,en tiempos y acontecimientos historicos, que marcaron al mundo.

Molto bello, interessante, intrigante, avvincente si legge in pochissimo tempo. E' la scrittrice spagnola che preferisco. Ogni libro è una piacevole scoperta.

Un excelente libro, te traslada a diferentes lugares y situaciones, con personajes que cambian el rumbo de la vida de la protagonista, increíble luchadora por la supervivencia e ideales.

C'est trop intéressant merci beaucoup.