Play Book Tag discussion

I really enjoyed this WW2 spy intrigue, and it covered an aspect of WW2 that I had not read about before – life in Morrocco and later Spain in the run up to and during the war. I liked the Sira as the main character, but I also enjoyed seeing some real historical figures such as Rosalind Fox included in this story, and I liked the role that these more minor characters played in helping Sira to develop her self-confidence. The book opens in Madrid around the time of the Spanish Civil War, before moving to Morocco before later returning to Spain and then Lisbon. I thought that using Sira, a seamstress, as a spy passing important messages to the British in the dresses she was making was an interesting idea, and shows just how much women were able to go about with their lives unnoticed and unsuspected purely due to them being women.

I loved this book, which I read a couple of years ago. I think Theresa just finished it too. I thought it was a great ride, and was one to recommend. An oldie but a goodie as they say.

I really enjoyed this one too. Amy, sallys, and I read it as a Buddy Read a while ago.

Yes, we read it for the Africa tag, and I think we also used it to travel for the horizons challenge! I remember it was a two in one. That was great reading that together. I almost want to say that HayJay read it with us as well. Or maybe she wanted to and got to it later.

I am delighted you liked this too, Hannah! I agree with everything everyone said here.

As a needleworker myself, I of course loved how that was integrated and used. It of course brought to mind the women knitting names into their projects at the guillotine in A Tale of Two Cities. Also in the cozy mystery The Family Vault french knots (an embroidery stitch) come into the plot. In fact I have read a regency romance where the map to where something is hidden was stitched into the embroidery project of one of the characters.

As Hannah says, women and what women do, was ignored or underestimated time and again. Still.

Sira and her story continue to stay with me even though I read this back in 2019. I know this one made my top 10 list of books of the year in 2019. I'm so glad you found this book and enjoyed it Hannah!

I just recommended it to 2 different friends.

I've just seen that there is a follow up to this book Sira. It has been recommended to me by Amazon based on my recent reading, and is available on Kindle Unlimited. Has anyone read it and would recommend it?