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.

Late 1930’s Madrid

Mario Escobar knows how to pull us into moments in history and has a way to mesmerise us with his rich and active narrative. His favourite topics bring us to Spain usually when the world is upside down. His latest is factional but the story is woven against a background of real people, places and events.

“The Bookseller in Madrid” pulls us into the world of Barbara Spiel, a German woman who fled Nazi Germany after witnessing the chilling Nazi book burnings events. She ended up in Madrid smack in the middle of political chaos to open a bookshop, a haven for free thinkers. She soon gets caught up in the politics between Franco’s fascists, Stalinist, republicans, communists and others fighting to maintain or gain political control. She also married Juan, a mid-level government official in the Second Spanish Republic at the time.

Just as Germany seems to be leading Europe toward a Second World War, Spain appears to be headed toward a brutal Civil War.

This is her story…

This story grabbed me from the start although slow moving at first with lots of insights of political atmosphere at that time, all the information can be overwhelming but I urge you to be patient the time is worth it. The last half is a real page-turner. It provides the challenges those who flee their own countries to live in unfamiliar places had to face, it was even tougher when the environment is unsafe.

In his notes, the author state that he made every attempt to accurately portray the primary setting and the political reality of Madrid at the time, a Madrid controlled by the checas that terrorized a vast number of citizens. I think he achieved his goal…

Interesting and captivating at the same time. Excellent read: well said and well done.

A Bookseller In Madrid is a historical novel about the occupation of Hitler, followed by the Spanish Civil War. It is a vivid reminder of the consequences, suffering, and turmoil that these wars brought on to the world. It follows Barbara Spiel, who fled Nazi Germany and landed right into the Spanish Civil War. She wants to open her own bookstore in order to preserve history through books. It is her own form of rebelling. She marries Juan, and we see her navigate these hard times. Barbara shows strength, resilience, and survival throughout her story.

Thank you, Netgalley and Harper Collins Focus/Harper Muse, for this ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

I found this book to be compelling and hard to put down.
A fascinating and gripping tale. A remarkable, well-written descriptive novel. I fell in love with the characters and the story. Full of rich and vibrant descriptions that suck you in and holds you captive.
The writing was very well-written and it was informative in ways that even I could understand... I am no history buff even though I love historical fiction.