Gironella Spanish Civil War Set

By José María Gironella * The Spanish Civil War Book 1: The Cypresses Believe in God (2 vols.)  Set in the provincial capital of Gerona and spanning the years 1931 to 1936, The Cypresses Believe in God painstakingly plots the public and private elements which eventually exploded into war. At the center of the novel are Matías and Carmen Elgazu Alvear, and their three children: César, strange yet saintly; Pilar, charming and clever; and Ignacio, the protagonist, inquisitive and idealistic. Through these characters and the ordinary life of Gerona, Gironella writes, “I have tried to capture the everyday traits, the mentality, the inner ambiance of my compatriots in all their pettiness and all their grandeur.” Individual volumes available at: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Book 2: One Million Dead (2 vols.) Covering the actual war years of July 1936 to April 1939, One Million Dead retains the Alvear family and Gerona as its psychological and geographical nuclei while also traversing the entirety of Sp