A Family’s Journey Through War and Resilience
Structure
Structure: The structure of this book is as follows: First, we find the approach, which introduces the characters, place, and time. This part consists of only the first chapter of the first part. Then, we meet the knot. Here, we are presented with events and actions of the characters. It is made from chapter two of the first part until chapter six, this included the third party. We finally found the outcome. In this part, the knot solves problems. The chapters contained in the outcome are the seventh chapter of the third and the epilogue. The book is organized into three parts: The first explains the time the Civil War is at its most intense. The second tells us the outcome of the Civil War, and the third tells us during the Second World War.
Characters
Characters: The story describes characters who are:
Harmony: A girl with brown eyes, is clever and smart. She matures very quickly to address the suffering of abandoning her homeland.
Rosa: Has a beautiful and expressive face, with blue eyes and blond hair. She also has a cheerful and brash personality. She is very mature for her age.
Leon: Is a skinny guy, not fierce-looking as his name suggests. His eyes are sad, shiny, and black. He is also shy.
Carmiña: A woman of strong character and very pretty. She is the mother of Harmony and Rosa and the wife of Miguel.
Miguel: The war changed his face because it became very dark, very thin, and he grew a beard. He showed a very strong character in the war.
Time
Time: This book covers a great deal of time because it embraces when Harmony was 12 until she is 60, a total of 48 years. That means that the novel tells a long period of time, going through the Spanish Civil War until the Second World War. We could say that the narrative forms a closed circle since the end leads back to the beginning of history, forming an endless succession of events. This circle, as I said above, covers a lot of years.
Places
Leningrad: A big, beautiful, and snow-covered Russian city.
Kirov: A Russian city far from the front lines of World War II.
Casa de Galicia: Has a trellis in the garden, with rabbits and chickens.
Argentina: Carmiña was here to seek refuge from the Civil War. There were economic opportunities, but as the Second World War happened, this country was impoverished.
Narrator
Narrator: The narrator tells this story is an external narrator in the third person. We might also add that it is an omniscient narrator because he knows the feelings of the characters and knows the future. For example, “but soon begin to scattered” here we can clearly see that it tells an event that will happen (advance).
Summary of the Plot
Summary of the Plot: It all starts one day in autumn, leaving Rosa and Harmony from the orphanage to get a boat in the direction of Russia because of the risk of the Civil War. At the port, they are seen off by their father, Miguel, but their mother, Carmiña, arrived late and could not say goodbye to Rosa and Harmony because they were already inside the boat and could not get out. The trip was long but gave a lot. Harmony was set much the only guy who was not crying, was called Leon. They arrived in Leningrad, their destination. There were a house, a school, and a caretaker named Maria del Mar. In school, they wrote a letter to their parents to tell them everything that happened, but this letter could not arrive on time for its purpose and could not pass through the border. Years passed, and Miguel fell in the Battle of the Ebro. Carmiña was losing the war and decided to go to France. There, she was not feeling well and got to go to Argentina, where she eventually married a businessman, but she never forgot Miguel. Moreover, Rosa showed her talents as a dancer and joined the Bolshoi, which is the most famous dance school in Russia, and Harmony and Leon were married. Leon continued his career and was a great engineer known throughout Russia. When World War II ended, all came back to Spain, and Harmony, León, Rosa, and their children lived in Galicia. Finally, one day, the letter reached its destination. It was that letter that Harmony showed their deepest feelings. She kept it as a reminder of the evil that can cause a war.
Personal Opinion
Personal Opinion: I think this book is well-written, and the subject matter is well sought after, as it reflects perfectly the suffering that war entails and how it may affect innocent people. But one thing I liked was the fact that so many years suddenly passed as lose focus a little time with so many changes. For me, it is the only flaw of the novel. It’s definitely a very good book and very emotional, and I recommend it to anyone who likes to read.