On the road with Julia Child: SOUTH ASIA
Top Spanish titles for literary wanderlust in 2017
23rd July 2017
2017 has seen publication of several novels set around Spain. So we have collated some of the top titles currently in the public eye, all of which will transport you to Spain through the eyes of an author.
Under the Sun by Lottie Moggach is getting a huge amount of publicity this Summer! Set in Andalusia (we are taking a punt that it is inspired by Torremolinos!)
Anna and Michael have been renovating a wonderful finca (or should it be a cortijo?) up in the mountains behind the Costa del Sol, but the spark between them has dwindled. This becomes all too evident to both of them when Michael’s old friends Farah and Kurt come to stay, a priggish couple from his Oxbridge days. They leave and so does Michael. Where does Anna go from here, penniless and rootless, all her own money tied up in their property? Urgent, gripping and brilliantly observed, Under the Sun is an exhilarating novel about heartbreak, identity, migration and finding a place to call home.
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy has been getting a lot of attention too. Set in Almeria, it was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2016 and for the Goldsmith’s Prize 2016.
Two women arrive in a village on the Spanish coast. Rose is suffering from a strange illness andher doctors are mystified. Her daughter Sofia has brought her here to find a cure with the infamous and controversial Dr Gomez – a man of questionable methods and motives. Intoxicated by thick heat and the seductive people who move through it, both women begin to see their lives clearly for the first time in years.
Through the opposing figures of mother and daughter, Deborah Levy explores the strange and monstrous nature of womanhood. Dreamlike and utterly compulsive, Hot Milk is a delirious fairy tale of feminine potency, a story both modern and timeless. Does it deserve all the accolades? Find out what we thought!
The. Now. Always. by Isabelle Broom, novel set in Mojacar.
Twenty-eight year old Hannah is ready for an adventure. She and her colleagues are in Spain for a month to film a documentary, and it’s a dream come true. Not least because Hannah will get to spend long summer days with Theo, her boss (and gorgeous crush). It couldn’t be a more perfect setting to fall in love…
If only Tom (Hannah’s best friend and cameramen) and Claudette (the presenter) would stop getting in the way…Then things become even more complicated when Nancy, Hannah’s half-sister arrives. What on earth is she doing here? For just once in her life, can’t Hannah have one perfect summer, free of any drama?
The Summer House By the Sea by Jenny Oliver, set in Catalonia
For Ava Fisher, the backdrop to all her sun-drenched memories – from her first taste of chocolate-dipped churros to her very first kiss – is her grandmother’s Summerhouse in the sleepy Spanish seaside town of Mariposa.Returning for one last summer, Ava throws herself into a project her grandmother would be proud of. Café Estrella – once the heart of the sleepy seaside village – now feels more ramshackle than rustic. Just like Ava, it seems it has lost its sparkle.
Away from the exhausting juggle of London life, Ava realises somehow her life has stopped being…happy. But being back at the Summerhouse by the sea could be the new beginning she didn’t even realise she needed…
And if you prefer something a little more traditional, then we recommend 5 classic titles to inspire and stimulate!
Iberia by James Michener
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell
Winter in Madrid by C J Sansom
As I Walked out one Midsomer Morning by Laurie Lee
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
ACCESS OUR FULL DATABASE OF BOOKS SET IN SPAIN – we invite you to add any books to the Tripfiction database that are strong on location! Just use the “Add a Book” facility.
Do come and join team TripFiction on Social Media:
Twitter (@TripFiction), Facebook (@TripFiction.Literarywanderlust), YouTube (TripFiction #Literarywanderlust), Instagram (@TripFiction) and Pinterest (@TripFiction)