A bookseller in Madrid A novel

Finding an old book in the trash in present-day New York City frames the story of Barbara, a young woman in early 1930's Berlin whose life's goal is to open a bookshop covering a wide range of ideas. Political events intervene, however, and she moves from the frying pan of Berlin into the fire of Madrid. She reconnects with Juan Delgado, a man she met in Berlin, then opens her shop, marries Juan, and becomes involved in the political upheaval of revolutionary Spain. There is intrigue, danger, and privation as Barbara is forced to spy for the British to earn asylum for her father, and to spy for the Germans to save her family. The ties she maintains to a German Lutheran school that has been active in Spain for generations becomes their lifeline. While told in a somewhat old-fashioned style, the story is dramatic and engaging, and readers willing to suspend their disbelief will appreciate the ending. Escobar's latest (after The Forgotten Names, 2024) is a worthy read as present-day occurrences echo events of the past.