I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I had higher hopes for this novel having read other books by Mario Escobar. It felt like the novel had three parts. The first and last carried all the plot. The middle was so jammed with facts that it felt the story was abandoned. It was hard to follow all the shifts in the civil war and understand what was happening. The characters felt flat. I would recommend other books by Escobar, before this one.

~ I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in change for an honest review ~~

As a history student, A Bookseller in Madrid presents the reality of life in Europe throughout the tumultuous eras of the late 1930s and 1940s with the rise of Hitler, the challenge of Communism and the Civil War in Spain. The main character is a young woman named Barbara Spiel, a German woman with aspirations of owning a book store. Her dreams of opening a store in her home country become quickly threatened by the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany and she seeks refuge in Spain. Throughout her story she experiences the quickly changing tide of politics in Spain with the fall of socialism and the rise of the violent Franquista regime. Escobar's story speaks of a reality that feels very tangible even in modern politics and the ways in which the world can change very quickly around you.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC! I found this book to read like a non fiction. There wasn’t a strong story line.

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.

A Bookseller in Madrid is a moving and gripping historical novel that captures the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable horrors. Mario Escobar brings Barbara Spiel’s story to life with vivid prose, immersing readers in the turbulent political and social landscape of 1930s Spain. Barbara’s journey—from escaping Nazi Germany to building a refuge for idealists in Madrid—feels both inspiring and heartbreakingly poignant.
The novel masterfully weaves personal struggles with historical events, highlighting themes of love, betrayal, and the search for truth in a world clouded by extremism. Escobar’s portrayal of Barbara’s determination to protect her bookstore amidst chaos makes her a compelling protagonist, and her relationship with the Spanish Socialist parliamentarian adds an emotional depth that heightens the stakes. A Bookseller in Madrid is both a harrowing and hopeful tale, perfect for readers who enjoy richly detailed historical fiction with deeply human stories.

3.5 stars. 3 stars for the narrative and the writing, which were not as compelling as I had hoped. 4 stars for how much information was packed into the story. This story had tons of potential. It is about a German Protestant bookseller who leaves Germany to follow her love to Madrid (and simultaneously flee the growing Fascism in Germany), where she hopes to open a bookstore. She lands in Madrid in time to encounter the eruption of the Spanish Civil War. I learned a lot about the Spanish Civil War, and for that I appreciated this book. However, the plot felt contrived and some of the situations the hero found herself in did not ring true. Often, it felt like a rote recital of events, with a female lead who felt more cardboard. I did not feel the male author captured her psyche, which was a shame. I did appreciate that some of the characters were actual historical figures (though not the female lead). I just wish the writing had been better and that the portrait of the lead character felt more realistic. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel lacks authenticity.. it reads like a boring documentary. Jumping from one event to another without the proper details and descriptions makes it a rambling mess. I doubt it will be a best seller.

A BOOKSELLER IN MADRID is a tension filled novel about Fascism in 1930s Spain, with a fictionalized heroine (Barbara Spiel) who represents several real women who moved to the country at this time specifically to open and run bookshops. Their motivation? They believed in the power of books to enrich minds and change lives.

Spiel is a German citizen living in Berlin at the start of the novel, just as Adolph Hitler (1889-1945) is becoming Chancellor of Germany. After witnessing the Nazi party ban and burn books, Spiel decides this is a good time to pursue her personal dream of running her own book store in Madrid. There she marries Juan, a mid-level government official in the Second Spanish Republic (1931-39), which controlled Spain's government after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII. It's a decade of uncertainty and violence though as various factions (Republicans, Socialists, Communists, Fascists) fight to maintain or gain political control. And, if you know your history, just as Germany seems to be leading Europe toward a Second World War, Spain appears to be headed toward a brutal Civil War.

A BOOKSELLER IN MADRID is a book that grabbed me from the very beginning and the last half of the novel becomes a tense page-turner. It provides insight into the challenges facing ex-pats who flee their own countries to live in unfamiliar countries, as well as showing day-by-day life in an uncertain environment fueled by political unrest. The author quite skillfully and dramatically shows how whimsically one's fate can change in such a situation.

However, I did find my interest waned after the beginning and didn't pick up again until midway. There is a great deal of detail about many of the players in Spanish politics at this time. More, frankly than I personally wanted. There are also a few lengthy "speeches" of explanation that the author writes as dialog but came across as awkward and not believable to me. And there are a few more places that felt like the author was lecturing directly to the reader.

These digressions did not however keep me from enjoying A BOOKSELLER IN MADRID and I recommend it. Particularly for those who know little about Spanish history and Fascism. Be warned though there are graphic references to murder, rape and torture.

This was a different take on Historical Fiction, fictional characters mixed with real life characters. This provided an interesting take for me. I really enjoyed learning more about Spain during the 1930’s, something I haven’t read much about. This was very well done and I learned a lot. I would recommend this to any others who love historical fiction.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ARC of this book. I devoured this is 2 days! It is a story of Barbara Spiers, a German woman who wants to open a bookstore. Due to all of the unrest in Germany in the 1930’s, she heads to Madrid. Barbara opens her shop, but encounters several dangerous encounters as the Spanish Revolution emerges.
This is a story of survival and the will to fight for your family. Although the main characters are fictional, many of the others are not. They are people who actually lived duress this time.

It is such an amazing story written by Mario Escobar. If you liked “The Women” by Kristen Hannah, you’ll love this book as well. I can’t recommend it enough!!

Thank you NetGalley for ARC! The Bookseller Of Madrid by Mario Escobar is a historical fiction novel about the Spanish revolution in the 1930s. Life in Germany was hard then Hitler came to power and it got a whole lot worse. After Barbara has a couple of run ins with the SS while working in a bookshop in Berlin, she decides to flee to Madrid where she dreams o opening her own bookstore. Meeting Juan one fateful day in Berlin left her wishing she could see him again. What better way than to meet him in his own country which he so readily raved about. After several years of tension things get much worse in Europe and the Spaniards try to overthrow the government. Wow! I learned so much through this story. I always thought Spain was a mostly neutral country during the Second World War but my notions were, quite obviously, not correct. Though the main character in the novel was fictional, the majority of supporting characters were real people who lived through the events which made it a much more sensational story. Overall, one I would recommend to others who would like to learn more about the development of Spain’s political turmoil throughout the 1930s.

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 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.

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.

Mario Escobar highlights the importance of embracing the power of resilience. His main character digs deep within herself to give wings to her dream, not knowing that it’ll involve resilience and perseverance that she’s yet to develop. Despite relocating, the world around her is in chaos and limitations surround her; it’s in this environment that she needs to learn to trust.

Not only did I deepen my understanding of the Spanish Civil War, but I was also reminded about the power of words and the value of a dream.

I was gifted this book by Harper Collins Focus/Harper Muse and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.