I'm just finishing a wonderful book; "El tiempo entre costuras" (The Time in Between) by Maria Dueñas.
I found it at my local supermarket a while ago, and because it has more than 600 pages and is in Spanish, I've been waiting for the right moment to start reading it. Which wasn't really necessary, the language wasn't a major obstacle. The book is elegantly written, the story is breathtaking (not like a crime/mystery/thriller-way, but still very exciting) - and I have learned some interesting things from it. Which is good! We tend to ask children "what did you learn today?", but forget asking ourselves...
I didn't know, for example, that a big part of what is today northern Morocco, was once the "Spanish Protectorate" (1913-1956), with Tetuán as its capital (I had only heard about the international city Tanger), and that it was from the Spanish Protectorat that Franco gained force with his troops and got help from local Moroccans in what was to become the Spanish Civil War.
As a language enthusiast, I was delighted to learn about the existence of the Hakitía language - a mix between old Spanish (Castilian), Hebrew and Arabic, spoken in Morocco by the so-called Sephardi Jews. Interesting!
How Maria Dueñas describes fabrics and clothes, is also a delight. (the protagonist is a "haute couturier" - designing and making dresses for the upperclass. You can virtually see the dresses and the fabric she describes - and I would have loved to see the TV-series, but I don't know if it's still running om Antena 3.
We live in Spain (or wish to live here) - and I think we're obliged to know something about the history - and reading is a great way to do it, don't you think?
More information:
About the Spanish Protectorate: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Protectorate_of_Morocco
Maria Dueñas:www.thetimeinbetweenbook.com/
Book reviews: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/time-in-between-maria-duenas/1101091321
(reviews at end)