Sunday 21 August 2011

THREE STAR REVIEW

After Goya has received a 3-star review over at Goodreads.

I'm really very pleased - the Goodreads community is mainly made up of sincere, dedicated readers - who better to ask for an honest opinion?

And, I'm pleased too because the three-star rating tempers the four and five-star reviews - hopefully causing potential buyers to be less cynically inclined to think that the reviews are too good to be true. 

The reviewer makes some insightful observations, especially with regard to the political background:

" ... the amount of organisations. I'm sure if I was more up on my history I would have been able to cope with this with more ease, but I did at times get confused about who was part of what and the various different causes and what they stood for." 

The preface to Antony Beevor's excellent The Battle for Spain gives a partial list of thirty-eight political parties and groupings, plus a list of acronyms of more political, military and intelligence organisations active during the conflict. The title of Gerald Brenan's account of the war, The Spanish Labyrinth, reinforces the perception of the splintered nature of dissent.

In After Goya I tried to get this across - and challenge the convenient reductionism of Franco's bloc and Soviet Communist inspired opposition, viz. good versus evil, fascism versus socialism, monarchism versus republicanism, nationalism versus federalism - without labouring the point.

Thursday 18 August 2011

Thought for the Day

Riots are an expression of rage.
Rage is an expression of thwarted desire.
Riots are prompted by the refusal of some to engage with the sincere desire of many.
Desire may be formed by the want of information, by the need of sustenance, by the rejection of taxes, levies and hindrances to the common good.
Those few who thwart the desire of the many will always need armies to defend their estate. Such defence is a ruinous occupation; ruinous of compassion, of common wealth and of common desire for advancement.

Wednesday 17 August 2011

FIVE STAR REVIEW

My novel, After Goya, now has a 5-star review over at Amazon US:

"A Gripping Read.
After Goya is engaging from page one and takes you on a thrilling journey throughout Spain and across time. Its a wonderful mix of Art History, Spanish Civil War politics, International espionage and conspiracy theory. Haarlson Phillipps is a great writer who skillfully pulls you into the intrigue and twists and turns the plot keeping you riveted. A great read! "

Blimey.