I appreciated that this book gave me a lot of details I never learned in school, and also did not celebrate or glorify major historical figures such as Isabel and Ferdinand or Columbus. It is hard to make a true history of Spain brief, but I appreciate the author's efforts. It's definitely an interesting subject.

Sometimes history is better when you keep it short. Espana by Giles Tremlett is proof.

Tremlett writes about the entire history of Spain since before you could even call it Spain to when Covid hit. Along the way, you get introduced (briefly) to all the major Spanish names you should know and learn a lot of very interesting little tidbits. Want to know where bullfighting came from? It's in here. Why wasn't Spain part of the Allies or the Axis in World War II? Come find out.

The possible criticisms someone may have is that the book doesn't delve deeply into any specific point and makes some generalizations from time to time. These would be ridiculous as the subtitle is, "A Brief History of Spain." In this case, getting to the point is an excellent way to tell the story.

(This book was provided to me as an advance copy by Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 9/22/2022.)

A wide-ranging exploration of the history of what we deem Spain today.

The author does well at highlighting the fragmentation and federalization of what we call Spain. "Spain" as a coherent entity does not really exist; what we deem "Spain" is really Castile, Catalán, the Basque country, and similar such federal regions.

The author generally focuses on Spain after Ferdinand and Isabella; there is a discussion of prehistoric Spain, the Carthaginian, Roman, and Visigothic periods, the Muslim invasion and the Reconquista, but these periods are discussed quickly and without the depth the rest of the work provides. The author seems more at home with Spain in the days of the Renaissance, early modern, and modern periods: the Habsburg dynasty, the development and exploitation of the empire, and the ruinous wars and unequal distribution of the wealth gained from empire. He then describes the days of the Bourbons, the Napoleonic interruption, and the tension between various Carlist and republican factions throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Much is made of the period before Franco, the Spanish Civil War, and the period of Franco. The author also goes into detail regarding Spain's return to Europe and its values in the days since Franco, and of the current challenges facing the country.

Since most European history works speak of Spain quickly in the 16th and 17th centuries and then perhaps a little about the 1930s, and that's about it, this is a helpful work to come to a better understanding of why Spain is what it is and how and to what end it leveraged its influence in Central and South America, Asia, and many other parts of the world. A useful resource, even if it could have provided a bit more thorough explanation of the days before 1492.

As someone who was born in Spain and still has family there I absolutely loved this book. The history the author goes into was great and it really brought a little piece of home to my heart. I would 100% recommend this book to everyone who is interested in the country.

As a Spanish teacher, I’m always trying to learn more about Spanish history to better understand the culture and language. This was a great, concise read for anyone who is interested in Spain or Spanish history. The photos were gorgeous and the works of art were chosen with care.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.