Bird with the Heart of a Mountain
Originally posted on Paris Carter Bird With The Heart of A Mountain In another one of Barbara Mariconda brilliant novels we are transported back to Spain during the Spanish Civil War during the 1930’s, where we learn the story of Drilla a young girl who’s trying to find her identity as a gypsy or as a Spaniard in the middle of a nation that’s battling between the nationalist and the Federalist.
Bird With The Heart of A Mountain is a poignant novel that follow Drilla all the way to finding herself in a nation that’s at war. On one side of the story you learn about Drilla and her caring personality and how much she struggles to keep herself together after everything she loves is taken from her, and you learn about the violence and the innocent lives that are taken during warfare. It is a story that will touch readers of all ages young and old.
Drilla is a beautifully written character and as you are glued to page after page you read more about how strong she is as a character, and how much she has had endured. All of the other characters in the novel as Drilla’s grandmother, Renato, her father, and her step mother, are all beautifully written and every character was fascinating. Whenever there was a life or death situation you feel even more glued to your favorite character in the fear that this might be the last you read of them.
The one thing that makes this novel so beautiful is the conflict of it all. Reading about how Drilla’s fear of become a professional dancer over the fact that her mother might not approve of it, and the fact that no matter where she is living with gypsies, or with the Spaniards, she’s forced to feel like an outsider. Not to mention that all of Spain is forced to choose a side, and
we get to see neighbors turn into criminals and entire families’ murder. The reader gets to see the actually war with their own eyes.
Even if you don’t know anything about the Spanish civil war, this novel is a great way to learn more about the deep history that flows through the Spain. The novel doesn’t go deep into the detail about the civil war, so if you are new to this time period all you need to know is there are two sides fighting. The Republic being backed by the Soviet Union, and the Nationalist being backed by Nazi Germany and Italy.
The only thing that made me angry with the novel was the terrible ending that felt forced and slapped on to the end to get the novel out of the door. The ending was with quick haste, and there seems to be no sequel in sight, there are hundreds of questions still stuck in my mind that go unanswered.
But with the bad ending aside, Bird With The Heart of A Mountain is a wonderful novel that I would recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about the Spanish Revolution, and the culture of Flamenco dance style.
4.7/5