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Albi
Albi is nine years old when Franco’s soldiers arrive in the village and his life begins to change in confusing ways. It’s not clear quite who should be trusted and who should not. Some neighbours disappear not to be seen again, others are hidden from view in cellars and stables – like his brother, Manolo, who left long ago to join the resistance. Albi is charged with shepherding not just his own sheep, but also those of El Ciego who sends him on errands requiring a good memory and the ability to keep his mouth shut at all times.
Alberto, at 88, is haunted by what he did and what he may or may not have said. And then the daughter of his old friend Carlos turns up wanting stories of old times. Albi’s day of reckoning may be at hand…
Alberto, at 88, is haunted by what he did and what he may or may not have said. And then the daughter of his old friend Carlos turns up wanting stories of old times. Albi’s day of reckoning may be at hand…
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About the author
Hilary Shepherd
3 books3 followersHilary Shepherd has lived most of her adult life in Wales, farming and making oak windows and kitchens, but during the 70s and 80s she and her family lived in Ghana and in the Sudan, which provided the material for her first two novels.
In 2001, with her second husband Nick, she started spending time in Spain, in a remote village in southern Aragon. This is an area where the resistance fighters known as the maquis hid out in the mountains after the Civil War, until well into the 50s, and there are many stories in the village about living caught between them and the hated Guardia Civil. Thinking about what it must have been like was the starting point for her third novel, ‘Albi’ (published April 2018).
Her books are published by Honno Press.
In 2001, with her second husband Nick, she started spending time in Spain, in a remote village in southern Aragon. This is an area where the resistance fighters known as the maquis hid out in the mountains after the Civil War, until well into the 50s, and there are many stories in the village about living caught between them and the hated Guardia Civil. Thinking about what it must have been like was the starting point for her third novel, ‘Albi’ (published April 2018).
Her books are published by Honno Press.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 3, 2018
This is a giant of a book, in every sense, moving, gripping, painful and intriguing.
If there's one thing worse than living through the aftermath of a war that you've lost, it must be living through the aftermath of a civil war that you've lost, especially if you are a child and don't understand what any of it is about. This book explores all the pain and confusion and complications of an impossible situation. Albi is a nine-year-old, living in a republican village in Spain when Franco's triumphant troops move in. Alberto, 80 years later, is an old man being invited to chat about memories he'd rather forget.
Albi's childhood is vividly described, as he flounders in a world of incomprehensible adults, who will not share their whispered secrets with him but who will use him remorselessly for their own ends. Societies are torn apart, lives are destroyed, families divided, allegiances change, fear is the norm - and Albi is desperate to eat. Who can he trust, who is on what side, who is playing a double game and who will give him a slice of ham or a piece of cheese? Life is a deadly game with rules he can't grasp. Albi does have beloved friends that will never betray him, never lie, never let him down, but they tend to finish up being eaten or made into glue. When terrible things happen, could Albi be to blame? He is laden with needless guilt that will haunt him for the rest of his life. It's a story set in Spain in the 1930s, but it could easily be translated to situations today. Children as victims of conflict are the same wherever and whenever.
Although by far the greater part of the book is devoted to Albi as a child, there is, for me, as much pathos in the story of Alberto as an old man, living in modern-day Spain, seeing his past treated as a potentially interesting addition to a TV documentary about a time that has already become unreal history, a war that no longer matters, where myth, lies and exaggerations can no longer be distinguished from the truth.
I think this book is an incredibly good read and I recommend it whole-heartedly.
If there's one thing worse than living through the aftermath of a war that you've lost, it must be living through the aftermath of a civil war that you've lost, especially if you are a child and don't understand what any of it is about. This book explores all the pain and confusion and complications of an impossible situation. Albi is a nine-year-old, living in a republican village in Spain when Franco's triumphant troops move in. Alberto, 80 years later, is an old man being invited to chat about memories he'd rather forget.
Albi's childhood is vividly described, as he flounders in a world of incomprehensible adults, who will not share their whispered secrets with him but who will use him remorselessly for their own ends. Societies are torn apart, lives are destroyed, families divided, allegiances change, fear is the norm - and Albi is desperate to eat. Who can he trust, who is on what side, who is playing a double game and who will give him a slice of ham or a piece of cheese? Life is a deadly game with rules he can't grasp. Albi does have beloved friends that will never betray him, never lie, never let him down, but they tend to finish up being eaten or made into glue. When terrible things happen, could Albi be to blame? He is laden with needless guilt that will haunt him for the rest of his life. It's a story set in Spain in the 1930s, but it could easily be translated to situations today. Children as victims of conflict are the same wherever and whenever.
Although by far the greater part of the book is devoted to Albi as a child, there is, for me, as much pathos in the story of Alberto as an old man, living in modern-day Spain, seeing his past treated as a potentially interesting addition to a TV documentary about a time that has already become unreal history, a war that no longer matters, where myth, lies and exaggerations can no longer be distinguished from the truth.
I think this book is an incredibly good read and I recommend it whole-heartedly.
April 19, 2018
Here we are – yet another Spanish Civil War book, which alternates between present day and the 1930’s. All I can say is – yay! I’ve written three of these myself, so I’m always pleased to find another one, but this one is different to many I have stumbled across.
The book starts in present time, where Alberto has just been to a funeral, of his friend, Carlos, who grew up with Alberto in rural Aragon. The remembrance of his childhood friend takes Alberto back to the time where he was known as Albi, only aged nine, and the memories he still hasn’t managed to shake.
It’s September 1938, and Republican Aragon is being eaten up by Nationalist rule. Not a story about the frontline, but rather this book takes us into the lives of those who lived during the war under their new fascist rulers, and the reality that they faced in the uproar of the civil war. Poor Albi is only a boy, and his parents, three sisters and his senile grandmother are forced to live under the Guardia soldiers who have occupied their town. Albi’s bother Manolo was gone off with the Republican army and is already a ghost in Albi’s life. Things start hard and frightening for Alibi, adjusting to soldiers everywhere, curfews in place, and odd screaming echoing, but the adults in Albi’s life won’t share anything with him. Albi herds sheep for his disabled father, but whisperings in his house start leading to a slow demise for Albi as his family falls apart with illnesses, hushed up mysteries, secret weddings, and daring daybreak escapes.
Albi and Carlos are kids caught in a real disaster destroying their country. But Albi’s life takes a dangerous turn when he starts passing messages and spending time with Mena, a woman from Valencia who stands out, and Mena is not one to sit back as war changes their country. The marquis are in the Aragonese hillside, rebel fighters prepared to take on Francoist soldiers, regardless of the cost.
Albi’s trips to see Mena lead him to a moment in the war he cannot forget, not even in 2017 when Alberto’s story has caught the attention of people making a show about the war. While Carlos’ granddaughter is telling the stories she was told, Albi is the one with the real truth, the truth Carlos didn’t know or share. Death came to Albi’s village and he is the only witness who knows the truth, which haunts his dreams nearly 80 years on. But is 80 years enough for Alberto to be ready to tell the whole truth?
Many thanks should be given to the author, as Shepherd has written a book about those who tend to get forgotten. While I write the weekly updates about the war and major battles, it is people in the cities and villages already ‘conquered’ who get forgotten about, who had to live under the cruel rule of their new leaders. Shepherd has told that story through the eyes of a child, who doesn’t take sides, as his innocence will be destroyed either way. The doesn’t dwell on detail and accurately gives the point of view of a child, a messy and confused state in a world which wouldn’t make sense to anyone.
The book starts in present time, where Alberto has just been to a funeral, of his friend, Carlos, who grew up with Alberto in rural Aragon. The remembrance of his childhood friend takes Alberto back to the time where he was known as Albi, only aged nine, and the memories he still hasn’t managed to shake.
It’s September 1938, and Republican Aragon is being eaten up by Nationalist rule. Not a story about the frontline, but rather this book takes us into the lives of those who lived during the war under their new fascist rulers, and the reality that they faced in the uproar of the civil war. Poor Albi is only a boy, and his parents, three sisters and his senile grandmother are forced to live under the Guardia soldiers who have occupied their town. Albi’s bother Manolo was gone off with the Republican army and is already a ghost in Albi’s life. Things start hard and frightening for Alibi, adjusting to soldiers everywhere, curfews in place, and odd screaming echoing, but the adults in Albi’s life won’t share anything with him. Albi herds sheep for his disabled father, but whisperings in his house start leading to a slow demise for Albi as his family falls apart with illnesses, hushed up mysteries, secret weddings, and daring daybreak escapes.
Albi and Carlos are kids caught in a real disaster destroying their country. But Albi’s life takes a dangerous turn when he starts passing messages and spending time with Mena, a woman from Valencia who stands out, and Mena is not one to sit back as war changes their country. The marquis are in the Aragonese hillside, rebel fighters prepared to take on Francoist soldiers, regardless of the cost.
Albi’s trips to see Mena lead him to a moment in the war he cannot forget, not even in 2017 when Alberto’s story has caught the attention of people making a show about the war. While Carlos’ granddaughter is telling the stories she was told, Albi is the one with the real truth, the truth Carlos didn’t know or share. Death came to Albi’s village and he is the only witness who knows the truth, which haunts his dreams nearly 80 years on. But is 80 years enough for Alberto to be ready to tell the whole truth?
Many thanks should be given to the author, as Shepherd has written a book about those who tend to get forgotten. While I write the weekly updates about the war and major battles, it is people in the cities and villages already ‘conquered’ who get forgotten about, who had to live under the cruel rule of their new leaders. Shepherd has told that story through the eyes of a child, who doesn’t take sides, as his innocence will be destroyed either way. The doesn’t dwell on detail and accurately gives the point of view of a child, a messy and confused state in a world which wouldn’t make sense to anyone.
May 31, 2018
I love this novel and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a book that transports you into another time and place so convincingly. It is a richly woven narrative about Albi, a boy growing up in a remote Spanish village during the Civil War. The story is punctuated by the reflections of present day Alberto, who is beginning to experience the detrimental effects of his silence after the war, as he is nearing the end of his life.
I was transfixed by the beauty of the writing – the landscapes, the seasons, family relationships, village politics, life under occupation, resistance, love and loyalties. And most of all the heroic shining character of Albi, whose authentic voice expresses everything he sees and feels with an ‘unadulterated’ perspective. This creates a novel that flows into a gripping, haunting and ultimately uplifting story, well worth reading.
I was transfixed by the beauty of the writing – the landscapes, the seasons, family relationships, village politics, life under occupation, resistance, love and loyalties. And most of all the heroic shining character of Albi, whose authentic voice expresses everything he sees and feels with an ‘unadulterated’ perspective. This creates a novel that flows into a gripping, haunting and ultimately uplifting story, well worth reading.
May 27, 2018
I've just finished reading Albi and I feel all emotional!
Albi tells the story of a small village in the north of Spain during the civil war. It is seen through the eyes of Albi, a little boy growing up in troubled times, and also through the memories of Alberto, Albi’s 88-year-old future self. It is, at times, a harrowing tale told in beautiful detail by Hilary Shepherd. Her wonderful writing ensures you will feel as though you knew Albi yourself, and I defy you not to feel emotional as you ride the rollercoaster of his younger years.
I have not been paid for this review and it is totally impartial. I was, however, provided with a free copy of the book to read.
Albi tells the story of a small village in the north of Spain during the civil war. It is seen through the eyes of Albi, a little boy growing up in troubled times, and also through the memories of Alberto, Albi’s 88-year-old future self. It is, at times, a harrowing tale told in beautiful detail by Hilary Shepherd. Her wonderful writing ensures you will feel as though you knew Albi yourself, and I defy you not to feel emotional as you ride the rollercoaster of his younger years.
I have not been paid for this review and it is totally impartial. I was, however, provided with a free copy of the book to read.
June 14, 2019
I must admit, I had a little bit of a slow start with this book but then I always do when I read books set in other countries...it takes me a while to sort out all the characters and unfamiliar vocabulary. However, once I got going I couldn't put it down. I loved everything about it and will certainly be buying more titles from Hilary. I adored Albi...both old and young. The characters were so well drawn and all of them vividly important. Some of Hilary's images and turns of phrase were exquisite...so clever! The story draws you in...it stimulates all the senses until you feel as though you are there with the characters. As an aspiring writer myself I feel I can learn from her.
October 9, 2020
There was a good story at the heart of this book about a 9-year-old who gets swept up in the events of post-civil war Spain. However, the story was very slow in getting revved up (150+ pages), and thereafter it often slowed to a crawl (e.g., uneventful delivery of multiple messages that were indecipherable to the reader and had no discernible effect on the plot). Should have been much shorter than 450 pages.
April 19, 2018
Highly recommended - a vivid and beautifully crafted tale, told from the perspective of Albi, who is only 9 years old when the soldiers arrive in his village. A story full of secrets, rumours and memories, set during the Spanish Civil War.
Read my full review here: http://createdtoread.com/book-review-...
Read my full review here: http://createdtoread.com/book-review-...
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May 18, 2018A gift from a treasured friend from my student days. Zarine knows the author. Regardless of that, I enjoyed it. The characters all became increasingly real and the nature of the narrative was sustained well throughout. Not everything is "tidied up" for the reader - in this case, a strength of the novel for all that I would love to have known.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews