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2000s: 1930s: One of Spain’s richest men is dying and he’s left money to an unknown woman…
The Spanish Promise
What you need to know before your trail
One of Spain’s richest men is dying. But as he prepares his estate, his family is shocked to discover he is making plans to give away his wealth to a young woman they have never even heard of. Who is she and what hold does she have over him?
Charlotte Fairfax is asked to travel to the troubled family’s home in Spain to get to the bottom of the mysterious bequest. It’s the week before her wedding but she is confident she has time – there’s only one reason an older man leaves his money to a beautiful woman, isn’t there?
But in Madrid, things don’t go to plan when the woman denies knowing anything about the gift. Is she lying? Looking for clues, Charlotte digs into the prominent family’s history and unearths a dark and shocking past in which two people were torn apart by conflict. But now, their long-buried secrets are starting to reach into the present and Charlotte starts to wonder whether love does not need to forgive or forget in order to endure – but just needs two hearts to keep beating.
Travel Guide
Travel to Spain BookTrail style with Karen Swan
A tale of two cities and two time periods in Spanish history. The modern day story takes place in Madrid where Charlotte heads out to meet Marina and find out her link to the richest man in Spain. Here she travels around the city, visiting or passing through many neighbourhoods and areas of the city. There’s a good sense of place, a few Spanish words here and there and a good feeling of the Spanish cafe culture.
The Prado museum features in the storyline and so to do many of the pictures and art work inside. There are secrets to discover here and there’s a lot of paintings which help tell the story of the Civil War. Definately worth a visit.
Andalucia – Ronda
Much of the second storyline takes place in and around Ronda – we are told this was the first area to fall to the Facisists during the Civil war which destroyed so many families here and so many lives. What happens here reverberates across history and time.
The farm and estate where the family lives are of course fictional but the sense of rural farmland and the internal struggle these people were facing as Franco and the fascists advanced. The war is raw, emotions and fear high and the Spanish sun makes everything angry and urgent.
Booktrailer Review
What a tangled and fascinating story woven from the fabric of the Spanish Civil War, Spanish heritage and more. Recommended read especially if you’re headed to Spain anytime soon!
Read The BookTrail’s bookreview of The Spanish Promise on the blog
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The Spanish Promise
Destination : Madrid, Ronda Author/Guide: Karen Swan Departure Time: 2000s, 1930s
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