La joven modista Sira Quiroga abandona Madrid en los meses convulsos previos al alzamiento arrastrada por el amor des­bocado hacia un hombre a quien apenas conoce. Juntos se instalan en Tánger, una ciudad mundana, exótica y vibrante en la que todo lo impensable puede hacerse realidad. Incluso la traición y el abandono de la persona en quien ha depositado toda su confianza. El tiempo entre costuras es una aventu­ra apasionante en la que los talleres de alta costura, el glamur de los grandes hoteles, las conspiraciones políticas y las oscuras misiones de los servicios secre­tos se funden con la lealtad hacia aque­llos a quienes queremos y con el poder irrefrenable del amor.

Novela

This is a big book, more than 600 pages, and sometimes I get bored with books that size. Not this one, though. The writing is just lovely, smooth and elegant sentences that paint gorgeous pictures of people and places. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, especially around the time of WWII.

I am intrigued by ordinary people who acted as spies. I can’t imagine myself being able to do it. I know there were many who did, just like Sira, who used their professions to pass valuable information, risking their lives to do so. Such amazing bravery!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. ( )

Set in Spain, Morocco, and Portugal during the Spanish Civil War and World War II, this book tells the story of Sira, a poor seamstress born in Madrid, who transforms into an acclaimed designer. Sira falls in love and migrates to Morocco during the Spanish Civil War, where she endures many hardships and must remake her life. She is swept up in the turbulent events of the era, including politics and espionage.

This is the type of historical fiction I enjoy. The author sets the story around fictional characters and supplements the narrative with real people. It feels authentic to the time period. The story includes romantic relationships, but it is not primarily a romance. Sira must find an inner core of strength to overcome many obstacles, and her character growth is noticeable. The storyline is stitched together in segments that portray the main events in Sira’s life, which seems appropriate in a novel about a seamstress. There is a lot going on in this novel and it offers a pleasing mix of character development and plot. The pace ramps up in the second half when the espionage storyline kicks in.

The story is narrated by Sira, looking back on her life. “And that is my story, or at least that’s how I remember it, perhaps varnished over with the sheen that decades and nostalgia give to things. What happened in Spain after the European war, as well as the traces of many people who have passed through this account—Beigbeder, Rosalinda Fox, Serrano Suñer, and others—can be found in history books and archives, and in the memories of older generations. Their comings and goings, their glories and miseries were objective facts that in their day filled newspapers and fed the salons and the clusters of people gossiping on street corners.”

I particularly enjoyed the depiction of life in Tétouan , Morocco. The author does a great job of establishing an ambiance of color and activity. The writing style is detailed, perhaps occasionally too detailed, but overall, it is an entertaining piece of historical fiction.
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Excellent. I truly enjoyed it!! ( )