Book review #3 Ghosts of Spain

Categories: books

Date: 17 January 2008 23:55:21

As it's the time of year that many people start thinking about their summer holidays, I thought I would recommend a bit of advance holiday reading for those of you thinking of visiting Spain this year.

Ghosts of Spain: Travels through a country's hidden past is by Giles Tremlett. I bought it to read on my holiday in the Barcelona area last summer but barely started it while there. I have been reading a chapter from time to time since I returned and am now about three-quarters of the way through. Tremlett clearly knows and loves Spain and takes an in-depth look at various topics which characterise Spain such as attitudes to Franco, coming to terms with Franco's legacy, the sordid background to Flamenco, and the more light-hearted "How the bikini saved Spain".

If you start reading now, you might just be through by the time you get there.