Oh my gosh this book needs to be on the list for everyone’s 2025 book club reads! It was so good! I could not put it down and I just fell in love with the characters.

A BOOKSELLER IN MADRID by MARIO ESCOBAR is an extremely well written and well researched historical novel which takee us through both WW11 and the Spanish Civil War as we follow Barbara Spiel who leaves Germany in 1933 moving to Madrid to follow her dream of opening a bookstore there. She marries Spanish parliamentarian Juan Delgado, who she met in Germany.
Barbara, together with her friends, loves books and feels literature has the power to change the world. I like to see her loyalty towards her friends, her energy in following her dream and her bravery when she is forced to spy for the Nazis whilst already doing so for the British. There is also a strong Christian message of hope running through this war torn period of history, where hatred and murder seem to be the norm.
The story is fast paced and exciting and as I got into it I could not put it down. I cannot recommend this interesting and inspirational read strongly enough.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Harper Muse. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

This story fallows a German bookseller who escapes Germany before World War II only to end up in the middle of the Spanish Civil War. I couldn’t put this book down. The intense story full of hope, strength, and love kept me reading long past my bedtime. I highly recommend this book to everyone; it is a true testament to the women of the time and the strength they had to carry on and fight for their families and friends.

A great story of a young woman and her love and dreams of the safety she finds in books. It is WWII and the threats are all around. I loved every word!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.