Novel set in Madrid (Más feliz que una perdiz, plus author location piece)

8th September 2018

Happy As a Partridge by Kate Boyle, a novel set in Madrid that reads like a memoir.

You may wonder what partridges have to do with Madrid? The phrase Happy as Larry translates into Spanish as Happy as a Partridge and if you want to know what it is in the local lingo, it is: Más feliz que una perdiz – there you have it!

This is a delightful account of Evie – or Eebee as the local Spanish call her – who gives up her dull job in England, astonishing her friends and embarks on a course (which she has won) to learn Spanish in the capital. I am learning a little Spanish (albeit Mexican Spanish) myself and it was nice to glean some insights into the culture and language, with a smattering of Spanish to make it feel auténtico. You will soon learn the difference between cañas, años and anos and mejillas and mejillones. You will find out what a Pijo is (to be found primarily in the Barrio de Salamanca area of the city). You will also learn a lot about Madrid as a city, the feel and uplifting nature of the streets are beautifully captured. After all, there is a saying that “…only heaven is better than Madrid“.

Eebee finds a job, at first as the only female, teaching English at a college for mechanics. Yes, there are many lewd encounters and the double entendres (just wondering how one might say that in Spanish! Oh, my sources tell me it is doble-sentidos!) Anyway, her mettle is tested by her class of young men, who en masse seem to have little more on their mind than making her feel uncomfortable and batter her with lecherous leers. Those niños descarados! However, plucky Eebee soon gets into her stride!

Beyond the classroom she finds plenty to keep her entertained and a bewildering array of young men to date. A quick trip back to the UK gives her a brief wobble but as she lands once more in Madrid for the start of the new year, her heart soars. Will she stay for love or will she return “home” for a sensible and good job offer…?

Tina for the TripFiction Team

Over to Kate for a bit more of the backstory and some super tips for a trip to the city…

#TalkingLocationWith…Kate Boyle

Six years ago I won a competition for a month of Spanish language lessons, and recently unemployed I packed my bags with enthusiasm, waved goodbye to friends and boarded a plane to Madrid.  On arrival, like my protagonist Evie Fuller, I have to admit I was profoundly disappointed. Nowhere did I see the Andalusian charm I had naively been imagining was inherent to the whole country; there were no guitar players strumming flamenco tunes on street corners and quite frankly the whole city felt distinctly underwhelming.  Madrid doesn’t have the grandeur of Paris, the beauty of Seville or the history of Rome and for a while I hugely regretted my decision to move there.  However, as the days passed I slowly realised that despite the lack of must-see tourist sites or beautiful stretches of golden sands, Madrid possesses an infectious charm, life and energy and I fell head over heels in love with the city.

Churros con Chocolate

The warmth is not restricted to the high temperatures; madrileños like to say that if you’re in Madrid you’re from Madrid and that welcoming attitude was the first thing to start wearing down my initial misgivings. They are also proud of the fact that they have more bars per head of population than any other city in Europe, and I found myself happily settling in at the bar and striking up conversation with barmen and customers alike – something I would rarely do in my native London.

Colourful streets of Madrid

The different barrios, or neighbourhoods of the city have very distinctive characters despite their close proximity and I whiled away my afternoons exploring them all on foot.  I loved the bustling, hipster vibe of Malasaña, still clinging on to its rebellious character dating back to the 1970s days of La Movida.  Streets lined with quirky boutiques of vintage clothes, art galleries turned bars and cosy, colourful cafes drew me in and I loved the permanent buzz emanating from the cobbled streets.  It’s no coincidence that this is Evie’s favourite barrio in the book and she spends many nights on and around Calle Pez in places such as 1862 Dry Bar and Kikekeller.  Moving eastwards to the upmarket barrio Salamanca, I revelled in the relative glitz and glamour of the grid-like streets lined with stylish locals sashaying about their daily life.

La Perejila Restaurant

While Chueca oozes infectious exuberance and wonderful shops, the party never stops in La Latina which seduces visitors with nightlife, restaurants and bars.  Barrio de Las Letras was home to literary greats Cervantes and Lope de la Vega back in the day and retains a wonderfully relaxed, creative vibe with many a budding writer fervently tapping away into their laptops in cafes.

As an art history graduate I was drawn to the many museums of Madrid and I whiled away hours in the Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia, often feeling like I was strolling through an art history encyclopaedia, surrounded by old friends.  I was thrilled to discover smaller gems like the Museo Sorolla, bursting with beach scenes radiating warm Mediterranean sun, and the wonderful 19^thcentury time capsule of the Museo Cerralbo with over 50,000 objects collected by an eccentric Marquis.  People often ask me for advice on what to see in Madrid and where to go, and the truth is that other than the numerous art galleries there are few specific sites I would recommend.

Metropolis Building

The real beauty of the city is its charm, best appreciated by wandering the streets, popping into tapas bars for a caña (small beer) and pincho de tortilla, strolling through some of the many markets or taking arowing boat out on the lake in Retiro under the watchful gaze of Alfonso XIII on his marble horse, before finishing up in a rooftop bar, admiring expansive views of the city with a cocktail in hand. Hemingway famously remarked that ‘nobody goes to bed in Madrid until they have killed the night’ so a key piece of advice I give to visiting friends is to make sure you stay up until 6am and knock back some churros and hot chocolate before you hit the sack – guaranteed to minimise the hangover the next day.  In truth, although Evie dates several dashing characters in the book, the deepest romance that develops is between her and magical Madrid and as such I like to think of it as my love letter to the city.  I hope I’ve done it justice.

Thank you so much for such great tips for a visit to the city. Do follow Kate on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and via her website. 

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For more books to transport you to Madrid, just check out the TripFiction database!

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