Why a Booktrail?
1930s: A poignant, compassionate glimpse into the life of a child caught in a country at war with itself.
Albi
What you need to know before your trail
Nine-year-old Albi runs messages for people. He likes to help out, especially now that his country is at war with itself. He is a go-between. However, life becomes difficult when he misunderstands what it is the adults want, what it is they want from him. When his brother and papa become involved with the maquis(militia) and the Guardia (nationalists) begin reprisals, Albi struggles to make sense of who is on the right side. The Civil War fought on the hillsides and in the homes he thought he knew is turning everything upside down. His family are under siege from outside and held captive by secrets within the home. Albi must sometimes close his ears and his eyes if he is to survive.
The secrets he keeps haunt him until his 88th year, long after the end of a war that has shaped generations of Spaniards.
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
Travel BookTrail style to Pitarque
This book looks at the pain and trials of war as seen through the eyes of a nine year old boy.
Crowded houses:
“With the shutters closed it was dark as night in the kitchen. Just a ghost of light coming down the chimney, where the fire lay asleep under a blanket of ash, the afternoon burning at the finger-=hole of the shutter like a single eye looking in on them. There were six people in this kitchen, seven I the house I you included the grandmother sleeping in the other room. You would never guess they were so many, in the listening dark.”
The war:
“The animals didn’t know the soldiers had come and everyone was waiting. That was the most difficult bit, the waiting. Not knowing what they were waiting for. Albi shuddered, but he was nine years old, to big to let it show he was afraid.”
Through the winding streets…So many feet, and they kept coming
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Albi
Destination: Spain Author/guide: Hilary Shepherd Departure Time: 1930s
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