Roots

The Olive Tree #1

by Hannah Howe

The Olive Tree - A Spanish Civil War Saga Set between April 1937 and December 1938, The Olive Tree is a mini-series of five novellas based on true events. The stories in The Olive Tree - Roots, Branches, Leaves, Fruit and Flowers chronicle the lives of Heini Hopkins, a young nurse from an impoverished part of South Wales, and Naomi Parker, a wealthy author from a privileged background. In Roots, Heini is home in Wales nursing her sick mother while Naomi is attending launch parties for her latest novel. The civil war in Spain seems a world away, until the fascists bomb and destroy Guernica, murdering hundreds of men, women and children. Heini’s boyfriend, Deiniol Price, a coal miner, feels he must rally to the Spanish Republic’s cause and volunteer for the International Brigades while Naomi’s paramour, Count Nicolas Esteban, a pilot, dreams of glory, fighting for the fascists. Should the women leave the safety of Wales for the bloody battlefields of Spain? And if they decide to follow their men, what fate awaits them? Please each story contains approximately 15,000 words.

Genres: Historical Fiction

59 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 6, 2020

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting historical novel, contrasting the
lives and loves of 2 very different Welsh women during the time of the Spanish Civil War: Heine, a woman of humble means whose boyfriend decides to join the International Brigade in fighting on behalf of the common people of Spain and Naomi, who is a wealthy novelist and who chooses to involve herself in the war by immersing herself in the culture to wrote propaganda pieces for the fascists as she pursues the object of her desire, a Spanish prince who is among the leaders of the fascist forces. This is a short book, really a novella, that introduces the central characters of a 5-book series set during the 20th century's Spanish Civil War.

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read numerous stories by this author, each having a historical element; this series focuses on the Spanish Civil War. Two young women from opposite ways of life - one a nurse of little means, the other rich, and an author, whose status comes from her father's sphere of influence - each decide on a change.

Set in Wales, this first account quickly outlines the characters and the plot. The sense of history is immediate, both where they live in Wales and what's to come in Spain.

Very well done.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great beginning to this series. It takes you through events that lead two women to journey to Spain to be with the men they love or desire -- each on opposite sides of the conflict. The rich against the poor in classic style. I look forward to seeing how they eventually interact. And, what's great about this is that it's based on real events and people.