The subject of children's fate during the Spanish Civil War carried the book through.
For me, the best part of this book was definitely the subject. It is a subject I am less than familiar with and I always love learning new things, so that was a major plus for me. Sadly, there were some writing issues for me, that I couldn't completely look past. But it didn't change the fact that I overall actually enjoyed this book.
"We move a few steps, and utopia retreats as if hoping to escape our
small, selfish desires. The moment we make utopia fir our plans and schemes,
it disappears. It never serves individualistic interests because there's always
something to improve, something else to fight for."
👍 What I Liked 👍
Subject: The Spanish Civil War is a subject I have not explored too much, so the Niños de Morelia was an entirely new thing for me. I had never heard of these refugee children, that lived in Mexico during the worst of the war. It was very interesting to get a look into those fates through the eyes of the Alcalde children.
Philosophy: Especially the first part of this book had a wonderful, philosophical quality that I really enjoyed. There were many thoughts and musings about socialism, fascism, utopia and fighting for what's right. I wished that quality had been carried on throughout the entire book, but that was sadly not the case.
"True, we'll never reach it [utopia], but that's exactly what it's
good for - to push us forward so we don't lose hope."
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Characters: Our three main characters, the Alcalde children, and their parents were sadly lacking in character, so to speak. They didn't feel like real people, they weren't fleshed out enough. I couldn't tell you about their personalities, because I just couldn't feel them while reading.
Story: For me, the story was interesting - but only because of the subject. While reading this book I had a clear feeling that the author was more interesting in his subject - the Niños de Morelia - than in the story he had chosen to enlighten that subject through. The story, to me, felt shallow and sadly emotionless, even though so many horrible, upsetting things happen. I couldn't feel the emotions behind those events.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review