The Traveller and The Rose
A story of love, loss and betrayal in the Spanish Civil War
In the tranquil Andalucían village of Santa Carmen, deep divisions are exposed by the arrival of a young English stranger, Kit Brown. He falls in love with Rosa Saragossa, and as Spain tears itself apart in civil war, few will escape unscathed. Kit and Rosa must risk their own lives to save those they love, and when he is imprisoned, Rosa will never give up seeking the truth.
In this war, however, the shocking truth is hard to find
In the tranquil Andalucían village of Santa Carmen, deep divisions are exposed by the arrival of a young English stranger, Kit Brown. He falls in love with Rosa Saragossa, and as Spain tears itself apart in civil war, few will escape unscathed. Kit and Rosa must risk their own lives to save those they love, and when he is imprisoned, Rosa will never give up seeking the truth.
In this war, however, the shocking truth is hard to find
It is idyllic summer in Spain, 1936 – but storm clouds of war are brewing. Unsuspecting young Englishman Kit Brown is travelling the country before settling down to a respectable career in teaching back home.
At least that’s what his parents expect him to do.
Kit makes friends easily, and Fernando is a kindred spirit. The young Spaniard wants to be a poet, not take over the family ironmongery business.
And Kit is soon seduced by the charms of Fernando’s vivacious twin sister Rosa. Being a girl in rural Andalucia, however, she is expected to become little more than a skivvy.
And it will be much worse if her honour is sullied – especially by a foreigner.
Political tensions are already mounting in a country in the throes of massive social change. Strangers are doubly not welcome.
The path of true love is seldom smooth – and threats from Rosa’s aggressive older brother Juan and her old-fashioned father do not deter the young lovebirds. And their passion is to bear fruit.
But catastrophe is around the corner. Or overhead – as German and Italian planes begin a merciless assault on civilians fleeing the fascist forces of General Franco seeking to overthrow the socialist government.
Fernando disappears after joining a militia to defend the country. Is he in prison? Is he dead? Kit is enlisted as a journalist to get the truth to the outside world. Is he now ‘the enemy’ as the fascists grab power? After he is imprisoned will he escape the firing squad?
And can Rosa, having endured first separation from Kit and then the briefest of reunions, survive a mother’s worst nightmare as the convent she is having their baby in is shelled from the sea?
Theirs is a story to be told over and over in a modern-day massacre of the innocents.
At least that’s what his parents expect him to do.
Kit makes friends easily, and Fernando is a kindred spirit. The young Spaniard wants to be a poet, not take over the family ironmongery business.
And Kit is soon seduced by the charms of Fernando’s vivacious twin sister Rosa. Being a girl in rural Andalucia, however, she is expected to become little more than a skivvy.
And it will be much worse if her honour is sullied – especially by a foreigner.
Political tensions are already mounting in a country in the throes of massive social change. Strangers are doubly not welcome.
The path of true love is seldom smooth – and threats from Rosa’s aggressive older brother Juan and her old-fashioned father do not deter the young lovebirds. And their passion is to bear fruit.
But catastrophe is around the corner. Or overhead – as German and Italian planes begin a merciless assault on civilians fleeing the fascist forces of General Franco seeking to overthrow the socialist government.
Fernando disappears after joining a militia to defend the country. Is he in prison? Is he dead? Kit is enlisted as a journalist to get the truth to the outside world. Is he now ‘the enemy’ as the fascists grab power? After he is imprisoned will he escape the firing squad?
And can Rosa, having endured first separation from Kit and then the briefest of reunions, survive a mother’s worst nightmare as the convent she is having their baby in is shelled from the sea?
Theirs is a story to be told over and over in a modern-day massacre of the innocents.
June 1936, Santa Carmen, Andalucía
Kit Brown sat for a while on the hillside to write his journal. From above, Santa Carmen looked tranquil, like it was living in a previous century. It seemed miles away from the growing suspicion he had witnessed in the towns and cities. An old woman holding a piglet under her arm, hurried down the valley and shouted at the child behind her not to linger near the stranger. He heard a flock of goats thundering down the hill, throwing up the red dust of summer, stopping to search for vegetation. They passed close by, the shepherd ignoring him completely. Kit had been warned that they didn’t welcome strangers in Santa Carmen.
Kit Brown sat for a while on the hillside to write his journal. From above, Santa Carmen looked tranquil, like it was living in a previous century. It seemed miles away from the growing suspicion he had witnessed in the towns and cities. An old woman holding a piglet under her arm, hurried down the valley and shouted at the child behind her not to linger near the stranger. He heard a flock of goats thundering down the hill, throwing up the red dust of summer, stopping to search for vegetation. They passed close by, the shepherd ignoring him completely. Kit had been warned that they didn’t welcome strangers in Santa Carmen.
Praise for The Traveller and The Rose
Anita Belli’s compelling The Traveller and The Rose is both elegant and brutal – a rare achievement.
James Faktor, Publishing Director, Endeavour Media said:
‘A thoughtful, brutal, and wonderfully written historical saga. Beautifully captures the tragedy of the Spanish Civil War, and the human endeavour to love and survive.’
5 star reviews on Amazon
This is my favourite sort of read - one that combines historical fact with a cracking good story. It has plenty of intrigue and romance. I lost myself in the gentle prose - like being read a story I relaxed and became completely absorbed.
Like the protagonist Kit, I basked in the beauty and tranquillity of rural Spain and was saddened by the consequences of this war on the people and their way of life. It is beautifully written, a joy to read. A great book to get you in the mood for a holiday to Spain, to take away as a holiday read or to indulge in with a mince pie during Twixmass. The characters will stay with you long after you reluctantly turn the last page.
A delightful novel.
This is the perfect antidote to the stresses and strains of Christmas and New Year celebrations. A delightful foray into rural Andalucia at the time of the Civil War. The language is beautiful and one can almost feel the heat and the dust of the midday Spanish sun as one reads.
At its heart is a romance, but this novel is much, much more than a love story. It blends historical fact with a richly imagined saga of lives touched and shaped by ancient traditions, family tensions and the ravages of war. With a cast of colourful and endearing characters, this novel will stay with you long after reading.
I highly recommend it.
I have read several books about the Spanish civil war and this one was very well written. It portrayed well how families and friends were torn apart and some of the despicable acts that were performed.
The characters were so well portrayed that you felt that you knew them, and Rosa was so strong and caring but Paco was a gem.
What a brilliant book. Enjoyed every page. Covered Spanish history with such accuracy and the atrocities of Franco’s fascist dictatorship!
Would love to read more from this writer!
Excellent story, was a slow start but as I read on I realised this was important to set the scene. Also leant and makes me want to learn more about the Spanish civil war. It wet my appetite to learn and read more history based books
I couldn’t put it down. I wish Amazon allowed half stars, so I could give Anita Belli’s tour de force 4½ stars. Once I got into the meat of he novel, the part about the Spanish Civil War, I was carried along and couldn’t put it down. I started reading The Traveller and the Rose just after breakfast and finished it around lunchtime.
I was disappointed to begin with, as it seemed I had picked up a Romance novel. I don’t really go for them and thought the events moved a bit fast for the rigidly controlled society of Andalucía in the 1930s. But soon I was into Anita Belli’s intriguing story of the time leading up to the disastrous events of the Spanish Civil War. It is beautifully plotted, and I certainly didn’t guess the ending, though starting with an event in the future somewhat spoiled the suspense for me.
Well done, Anita. A fitting follow-up to your intriguing The Art Forger’s Daughter
James Faktor, Publishing Director, Endeavour Media said:
‘A thoughtful, brutal, and wonderfully written historical saga. Beautifully captures the tragedy of the Spanish Civil War, and the human endeavour to love and survive.’
5 star reviews on Amazon
This is my favourite sort of read - one that combines historical fact with a cracking good story. It has plenty of intrigue and romance. I lost myself in the gentle prose - like being read a story I relaxed and became completely absorbed.
Like the protagonist Kit, I basked in the beauty and tranquillity of rural Spain and was saddened by the consequences of this war on the people and their way of life. It is beautifully written, a joy to read. A great book to get you in the mood for a holiday to Spain, to take away as a holiday read or to indulge in with a mince pie during Twixmass. The characters will stay with you long after you reluctantly turn the last page.
A delightful novel.
This is the perfect antidote to the stresses and strains of Christmas and New Year celebrations. A delightful foray into rural Andalucia at the time of the Civil War. The language is beautiful and one can almost feel the heat and the dust of the midday Spanish sun as one reads.
At its heart is a romance, but this novel is much, much more than a love story. It blends historical fact with a richly imagined saga of lives touched and shaped by ancient traditions, family tensions and the ravages of war. With a cast of colourful and endearing characters, this novel will stay with you long after reading.
I highly recommend it.
I have read several books about the Spanish civil war and this one was very well written. It portrayed well how families and friends were torn apart and some of the despicable acts that were performed.
The characters were so well portrayed that you felt that you knew them, and Rosa was so strong and caring but Paco was a gem.
What a brilliant book. Enjoyed every page. Covered Spanish history with such accuracy and the atrocities of Franco’s fascist dictatorship!
Would love to read more from this writer!
Excellent story, was a slow start but as I read on I realised this was important to set the scene. Also leant and makes me want to learn more about the Spanish civil war. It wet my appetite to learn and read more history based books
I couldn’t put it down. I wish Amazon allowed half stars, so I could give Anita Belli’s tour de force 4½ stars. Once I got into the meat of he novel, the part about the Spanish Civil War, I was carried along and couldn’t put it down. I started reading The Traveller and the Rose just after breakfast and finished it around lunchtime.
I was disappointed to begin with, as it seemed I had picked up a Romance novel. I don’t really go for them and thought the events moved a bit fast for the rigidly controlled society of Andalucía in the 1930s. But soon I was into Anita Belli’s intriguing story of the time leading up to the disastrous events of the Spanish Civil War. It is beautifully plotted, and I certainly didn’t guess the ending, though starting with an event in the future somewhat spoiled the suspense for me.
Well done, Anita. A fitting follow-up to your intriguing The Art Forger’s Daughter
Guernica by Pablo Picasso
Exhibited Whitechapel Gallery
London 1939
|
From Chapter Forty-Two The Traveller and The Rose
'Thank you for your contribution,’ the young woman said and Jack nodded. How could she possibly know of the ‘contribution’ they had made already? He caught up with Fernanda in the gallery and took her hand. ‘Don’t run off, pet. You’re not supposed to run indoors,’ but his eyes were focused on the massive canvas which faced him. Awe and sadness in equal measure overwhelmed him. Picasso’s painting of the bombing of Guernica was stark and powerful. Jack moved closer clutching the child’s hand as a shield against falling into the deep well of loss which she had helped to heal. But here it was, raw and open in front of him, and he thought that maybe he shouldn’t have come. He was drawn into the vast monochrome image, the scale of the canvas overwhelming, and he couldn’t look away: women’s faces upturned and screaming to the heavens for release from the pain inflicted by German bombers. Inexcusable destruction rained on ordinary people; it was cruel beyond imagining. More people were coming into the gallery and he could hear their murmurings about the painting; about the vast scale of the canvas whose edges could barely contain the suffering; about the war in Spain and people they knew who had signed up for the International Brigades; about those who had returned and those who had not. He wanted to shout at them and tell them of the reality. Instead, he scribbled on the back of the pamphlet and left it on the bench. |
The Whitechapel Gallery, London January 1939
Death rains down from the sky What are you doing to prevent this? An Exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica Opening by Clement Attlee Entrance fee: A pair of workman’s boots; to be sent to the front line A pair of workman’s boots as blood money Take you to a place beyond innocence And into war. War is never ‘just’, despite what we tell ourselves, Later, from a place of safety, After the ties that bind are shredded And the boots worn out. John Alexander Brown (AKA Jack) From Chapter 42, The Traveller and The Rose |