Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins Publishing for an early copy of A Bookseller in Madrid by Mario Escobar

Author Mario Escobar's efforts in explaining the tragedies of Spain's Civil War of the 1930s would be much better presented in a non-fiction essay or documentary. Reading this in novel form left many details out of the narrative, and it seemed that characters jumped from one issue to another without clear explanation or closure. Following are two examples:

Barbara Spiel, the young German woman who has moved to Madrid to open a bookshop, attends a local meeting with her friend that deals with the political situation. Barbara is the only person who raises a hand to ask a question. Once it is answered, the author moves on without any reaction from others in the audience or some kind of talking following the event. Another example features Barbara being approached by the Gestapo who demand that she provide them with very detailed enemy information. She goes directly to a British official who offers to put together the information together incorrectly to hand over to the Germans. Wouldn't the Gestapo be smart enough to keep an eye on Barbara once they approached her and discover she has spoken with the enemy?

Escobar has the facts of this terrible time in Spain, and his writing would be well worth reading in another format.

Mario Escobar es uno de mis autores favoritos, y cada libro que él escribe es un libro seguro que voy a leer. Me encantan sus libros sobre la Segunda Guerra Mundial, y este libro no fue la excepción.

This was a wonderfully done historical fiction novel, it had that feel that I was looking for and was engaged with the alternate history element that I was looking for. The characters had that feel that I was looking for and worked in this story and enjoyed the realistic element to this. Mario Escobar has a strong writing style and was glad I read this.

DNF @ p.55 (24%)
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I don't think translated books are for me. I think it's hard to capture the emotion and flow of the dialogue. This is my second translated novel this year and I've DNF'ed both. I also wanted more to be happening. It didn't feel like there was a tension in the novel that was carrying us forward besides the abstract threat of potential political upset.

Review goes live July 11

An interesting and ultimately heartwarming story about a German woman who finds herself in the middle of the Spanish Civil War. The look at the literary world of the early 1930s was interesting, and thank you for not focusing on Shakespeare and Co. very much.

A Bookseller in Madrid by Mario Escobar is a historical novel which takes place during World War II as well as the Spanish Civil War. The main character Barbara Spiel leaves Germany in 1933 to open a bookstore in Madrid. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and could not put it down. The story was very fast paced and exciting once I got into reading it I could not put it down. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves to read historical fiction books.

This is the story of a young German woman, Barbara, who married a young politician in Spain in the beginning of the Spanish civil war. She escaped the evil occurring in Germany in 1933, only to be forced to live through it in Spain. The story is told from her point of view in first person, and at times I enjoyed it, but other times, I felt like I was missing details about the setting that would have been there had it been written in third person. The author does a fairly good job of keeping the reader informed of all of the political and military leaders and their actions in the lead up to and throughout the Spanish civil war. However at times I couldn’t keep some of them straight- but I’m not faulting the author at all, I should have taken some notes as I read. The persecution doesn’t affect Barbara directly until about halfway through the book, and then things really intensify. I don’t want to give away too many details; however there were a few scenes that I skipped. I think I’ve become a more sensitive reader in the last few years, unfortunately. There was a thread of hope throughout the novel, however, and I appreciated that. The story pointed to the importance of books, and how they can be used to bring hope to the world. As an avid reader, I appreciated that as well. Overall, this was a good book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts above are my own.

This fascinating World War II novel is a wonderful tale of bravery and fighting for what you believe in. The prologue and the epilogue introduce the modern timeline of a researcher uncovering what happened during those years. Between those chapters we will follow the political tensions of the war and government and how one woman ends up overcoming the hardships and sorrow of the war. This is a novel that will truly leave you wanting more to the story.
Our main character Barbara is originally from Germany but she decides to settle in Madrid after the Nazi occupation starts buring books. She then decides to open a bookstore but also decides for it to be a place where people can gather and share ideas. In a way it is a safe place where everyone can read what they want without being censored.
Barbara even manages to find love with a man named Juan and they have a child. However, despite the happiness of the situation there is so much political drama that is coming up with the war. Barbara soon finds herself getting caught up in it not only putting herself in danger but her family as well. Will Barbara be able to save those she cares about before it is too late.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

Liked the beginning and the end but lost me in the middle. Quite a lot of historical facts that were much too detailed for my taste. Thanks to NetGalley for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you love books about books—and the people brave enough to fight for them—A Bookseller in Madrid by Mario Escobar is totally going to steal your heart. I got pulled into the world of Barbara Spiel, a German woman who flees Nazi Germany after witnessing the horror of book burnings (seriously chilling). She ends up in 1930s Madrid, smack in the middle of political chaos, and opens a bookshop as her little rebellion against fascism. It’s not just a store—it’s a secret haven for free thinkers, dreamers, and rebels.

But don’t expect a quiet life of alphabetizing shelves. This story gets intense. Barbara is soon caught between Franco’s fascists, Stalinist spies, and the Gestapo—all while navigating a complicated romance with a Spanish Socialist politician. 😳 The historical backdrop is so vivid, I felt like I was right there dodging danger in war-torn Madrid. Yes, the pacing drags a bit at first with some heavy political setup, but stick with it—the emotional payoff and literary love letter to resilience is totally worth it. Books as weapons of hope? Count me in! 📚❤️🔥

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for review.

The novel centers on María Laguna, a young woman who inherits her father’s bookstore in Madrid after his mysterious death. In a Spain still reeling from war, María becomes entangled in a web of political danger, espionage, and the quiet rebellion of preserving forbidden books. Her shop becomes more than a business—it is a sanctuary for truth, memory, and resistance.

Escobar’s prose is elegant yet accessible, and he paints 1940s Madrid with vivid detail, capturing both its beauty and its oppression. Through María’s eyes, readers experience the daily tension of living under Franco’s regime, the risks of dissent, and the quiet heroism of those who choose to preserve culture and humanity against authoritarianism.

What makes the novel especially compelling is how it underscores the power of literature. Books are not just commodities here; they are lifelines, weapons, and legacies. María’s growth from a grieving daughter to a courageous guardian of history feels authentic and deeply

This book felt more like a history lesson, which was great -- I learned a lot! -- but not what I expected from a historical fiction novel. Someone more into history would enjoy it more than I did.

Very moving story. I really enjoyed reading this book. Can not wait to read more from the author! Well written and easy to read

I received a copy for review purposes. All opinions are honest and mine alone.


Real history, real bookstores, real booksellers; used to support a fictional main character and her mostly plausible story.

A BOOKSELLER IN MADRID is a different approach to Historical Fiction. I begins with a young editor finding an old copy of the book in a trash can along the street in NYC. She flips a few pages, is completely enthralled and the rest, as they say, is history. Readers are thrown headfirst into the story of Barbara Spiel, a German Bookseller.

The story begins in 1933 Berlin, with Barbara visiting Francoise Frenkel in her famous French bookstore, La Maison du Livre. Frenkel is a Polish Jew and already experiencing trouble from the Germans. They begin what becomes a life long friendship and she meets who becomes her future husband, Juan, a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party.

Author, Mario Escobar, was kind enough to include a timeline for the major events of the Spanish Civil War. It’s at the back of the book and readers will be well served to make use of it prior to reading the story. The first half is replete with historical information, much of which is political in nature. It was not familiar to me and I was often confused with things happening quickly. It was easier for me to focus on the characters rather than the political aspects.

The second half of the book is more character driven and focused on Barbara and her family trying to escape from Madrid. Her life and contacts as a bookseller come into play in wide ranging ways. Even more interesting are the ways her life as a German Christian facilitate safety for her entire family throughout this entire wartime period when so many of her friends and associates are not so fortunate.

In all honesty, I expected more from the bookstore angle but as I learned from the story, Spain was not a large reading population at this time nor were there many bookstores for regular people. Barbara’s dream to open a foreign language bookstore in Madrid and “to help people get access to books from other regions”, was a gargantuan task. She goes on to say that “Books are the only companions that will never betray you.”

Besides a good amount of political information, there is also a fair amount of violence. It’s not written gratuitously or overly descriptive but does include sexual assaults, murder and beatings. There isn’t any romantic sexual content or foul language.

Kudos to Gretchen Abernathy. The translation is seamless!

A very good read for fans of political fiction, historical fiction, early WW2, Spanish history, bookstore culture📚

Read and Reviewed from a NetGalley eARC, with thanks

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I had higher hopes for this novel having read other books by Mario Escobar. It felt like the novel had three parts. The first and last carried all the plot. The middle was so jammed with facts that it felt the story was abandoned. It was hard to follow all the shifts in the civil war and understand what was happening. The characters felt flat. I would recommend other books by Escobar, before this one.

~ I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in change for an honest review ~~

As a history student, A Bookseller in Madrid presents the reality of life in Europe throughout the tumultuous eras of the late 1930s and 1940s with the rise of Hitler, the challenge of Communism and the Civil War in Spain. The main character is a young woman named Barbara Spiel, a German woman with aspirations of owning a book store. Her dreams of opening a store in her home country become quickly threatened by the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany and she seeks refuge in Spain. Throughout her story she experiences the quickly changing tide of politics in Spain with the fall of socialism and the rise of the violent Franquista regime. Escobar's story speaks of a reality that feels very tangible even in modern politics and the ways in which the world can change very quickly around you.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC! I found this book to read like a non fiction. There wasn’t a strong story line.

Barbara Spiel's main comfort in life has always been books. When she and her family have to flee the Nazi invasion and settle in Spain, even there issues arise. Barbara has to figure out how to keep her bookstore open despite being hounded in all directions by the enemy. I loved this story and found it heartbreaking, poignant, and touching.

A Bookseller in Madrid is a moving and gripping historical novel that captures the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable horrors. Mario Escobar brings Barbara Spiel’s story to life with vivid prose, immersing readers in the turbulent political and social landscape of 1930s Spain. Barbara’s journey—from escaping Nazi Germany to building a refuge for idealists in Madrid—feels both inspiring and heartbreakingly poignant.
The novel masterfully weaves personal struggles with historical events, highlighting themes of love, betrayal, and the search for truth in a world clouded by extremism. Escobar’s portrayal of Barbara’s determination to protect her bookstore amidst chaos makes her a compelling protagonist, and her relationship with the Spanish Socialist parliamentarian adds an emotional depth that heightens the stakes. A Bookseller in Madrid is both a harrowing and hopeful tale, perfect for readers who enjoy richly detailed historical fiction with deeply human stories.

3.5 stars. 3 stars for the narrative and the writing, which were not as compelling as I had hoped. 4 stars for how much information was packed into the story. This story had tons of potential. It is about a German Protestant bookseller who leaves Germany to follow her love to Madrid (and simultaneously flee the growing Fascism in Germany), where she hopes to open a bookstore. She lands in Madrid in time to encounter the eruption of the Spanish Civil War. I learned a lot about the Spanish Civil War, and for that I appreciated this book. However, the plot felt contrived and some of the situations the hero found herself in did not ring true. Often, it felt like a rote recital of events, with a female lead who felt more cardboard. I did not feel the male author captured her psyche, which was a shame. I did appreciate that some of the characters were actual historical figures (though not the female lead). I just wish the writing had been better and that the portrait of the lead character felt more realistic. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.