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A World Between Us

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 41 ratings · 12 reviews

Spain, 1936. Felix, a spirited young nurse, has travelled to Spain to help the cause of the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. But she is also following Nat, a passionate young man who has joined the International Brigades fighting Franco. And George - familiar George from home - is not far behind, in pursuit of Felix ...

As Spain fights for its freedom against tyranny,...more

Paperback, 274 pages

Published October 4th 2012 by Hot Key Books

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May 19, 2013 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I came across this title I found it to be unusual: a book for teenagers set during the Spanish Civil War, one of my favourite subjects in fiction and history. There is Winter in Madrid, there is Homage to Catalonia, and other books in English I tend to recommend to my students, but I had never seen something that, in just a few years time, my daughter could read to learn indirectly about her mother's country.
It is a well-researched novel. Training and battles happen in the correct places. R...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Kirsty (overflowing library) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-books, signed, uk-author

I really enjoyed A world between us and was completely drawn in and fascinated by the story from the first page unit the last. It is a real example of the way in which I think historical fiction should be written and is certainly a book I shall be recommending regularly to others.

What I first,y loved about this book was the subject it covers. Even having studied for a modern European history degree I am ashamed to admit that I knew relatively little about the Spanish civil war and actually now...more
I really enjoyed A world between us and was completely drawn in and fascinated by the story from the first page unit the last. It is a real example of the way in which I think historical fiction should be written and is certainly a book I shall be recommending regularly to others.

What I first,y loved about this book was the subject it covers. Even having studied for a modern European history degree I am ashamed to admit that I knew relatively little about the Spanish civil war and actually now I feel like I should know more because I found this book and the history behind it such a fascinating read. For me it does exactly what a historical novel for young adults should do. It gives you a flavour of the historical period, setting and events and gives you enough information without over burdening you and therefore never becoming dry and dull whilst giving you a main character who you really become invested in from the first page so that you need to know more about them and the story they have to tell.

I loved the main character Felix. She is such a strong character in a quiet and unassuming way. She volunteers to go and work as a nurse in Spain on a whim following a boy she meets and suddenly finds herself in the thick of a foreign war with the lives of hundreds of men in her hands and she rises to the challenge brilliantly. The history geek in me was completely fascinated with the medical side especially when you see the ways in which Felix and the doctors around her are treating patients with brand new techniques which are literally only being used in some cases for the first time ,asking them pioneers in the field.

I really loved the love triangle that emerged as the book progresses between Felix, the boy she followed the Spain called Nat and the boy who followed her to Spain called George. I actually loved how it turned out completely.

There's so much more I could say but I don't want to spoil the twists and turns that made his book such a good read for me. It is a brilliant read and a book I will continue to recommend highly both with my book blogger and history teacher hats on. (less)

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Apr 10, 2013 Pamela rated it 2 of 5 stars

Not my usual read but it was set in the context of the Spanish Civil War so I started with interest. The setting of the scene and the enabling of the three characters to get to Spain was laboured, artificial and slow. It was difficult to believe that Felix, a trainee nurse, from suburbia would jump in a taxi on a whim. I am not a fan of instant love, nor love triangles, however, once in Spain the novel picked up and at last I wanted to know what happened to the three characters.

The problem with...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites, fiction, historical-fiction, uk-ya, ya

There are certain things that I don't, as a general rule, approve of in young adult fiction. One of those things is love triangles. I won't go into the old love triangle argument here, but I just tend not to find this situation realistic in the slightest and a lot of the time, it just doesn't create the tension the author may have intended. Another thing is insta-love. I wouldn't say that I'm negative about this as the love triangle, but it needs to be done very well indeed to convince my cynica...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, historical-fiction, war-stories

According to the key on the back, A World Between Us is 50% Epic Romance, 25% History, 25% Drama. That, plus the fact that this book has been favourably compared to Code Name Verity and the Montmaray series, meant that I was really really excited to read this. In the end though I loved the concept more than the end product. It's by no means bad but for a book that had all the elements to be something that I loved (C20 war! Communists! Nurses! Romance!) it ended up falling a bit flat.

I quite like...more According to the key on the back, A World Between Us is 50% Epic Romance, 25% History, 25% Drama. That, plus the fact that this book has been favourably compared to Code Name Verity and the Montmaray series, meant that I was really really excited to read this. In the end though I loved the concept more than the end product. It's by no means bad but for a book that had all the elements to be something that I loved (C20 war! Communists! Nurses! Romance!) it ended up falling a bit flat.

I quite liked the first half - the characters were engaging enough (make any of your characters an idealist Communist and I'm in!), using the Spanish Civil War as a backdrop was really original and interesting and the plot really zipped along. I really enjoyed the scenes describing the characters' first impressions of Spain - Felix's confusion regarding the relationship between church and state and Nat's descriptions of the Spanish countryside in particular. It was an excellent example of really efficient storytelling - there were no extraneous details and the story often jumped forwards by weeks or months and that tone/form worked not only in terms of pacing but in creating an atmosphere of the confusion and monotony of war. The problem in the second half however was that that kind of sparse storytelling doesn't really work if your climax/pay-off is intended to be emotional. It wasn't that the conclusion was unearned or inappropriate, it just didn't have the emotional weight I think it wanted. With romance as the key plot the payoff only works if the sense of yearning/conflict/indecision has been building throughout; as it was, nothing but the war seemed problematic or unforeseen.

It's quite possible that my expectations were too high. The book is relatively short (about 280 pages) and is being marketed as YA (though really there's nothing in it beyond the age of the characters that makes it uniquely suited to teen audiences) so that might be used as justification for its brevity/lack of more graphic war/love scenes but it had so much potential! If you're desperate for C20 war fiction in the same vein as CNV or the Montmaray series I'd give A World Between Us a shot but I definitely found the former more satisfying.(less)

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Jan 13, 2013 Clover (Fluttering Butterflies) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sent-for-review, ya, british-reading-challenge, books-read-in-2012

This review was originally published at Fluttering Butterflies

I'm absolutely surprised and blown away by A World Between Us by Lydia Syson! I'd only been vaguely aware of this book previous to a tweet by one of the lovely ladies at Hot Key Books, but when I was offered it for review, I said 'yes' straightaway. And even though I'm not always the biggest fan of historical fiction, something about this book appealed to me.

And when A World Between Us arrived, I decided not to delay any more and just...more This review was originally published at Fluttering Butterflies

I'm absolutely surprised and blown away by A World Between Us by Lydia Syson! I'd only been vaguely aware of this book previous to a tweet by one of the lovely ladies at Hot Key Books, but when I was offered it for review, I said 'yes' straightaway. And even though I'm not always the biggest fan of historical fiction, something about this book appealed to me.

And when A World Between Us arrived, I decided not to delay any more and just to dive right into it. And right from the very beginning, I was absolutely fascinated by this book. I think Lydia Syson does an incredible job balancing the story of this book told from the perspectives of its three main characters and also giving the reader a good sense of historical detail and what it would have been like during the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s. This is a time period that I know absolutely *nothing* about, but I was gripped by it all. I found each detail about the horrors of war, the response from the media, and the many ways in which this war changed the lives of many people to be hugely interesting. I didn't want to stop reading this book and I read most of it in one sitting.

I truly loved each of the three main characters within this book. First, there's Felix, a young nurse who on her way home one day stumbles into an anti-fascist protest in London. There, she meets Nat, this passionate guy who believes he can help the Republicans in Spain fight against the fascist regime of Franco. When Felix has the chance to follow Nat to Spain and volunteer as a nurse to help in this civil war, she does so not quite knowing the full extent of the horrors she will face there. And as Felix has followed Nat to Spain, so George follows Felix. George is an old family friend, someone who Felix has known for awhile but she has seemed to miss all the signs of his growing feelings for her until just before Felix flees to Spain. George manages to change his work assignment and ends up in Spain as a foreign correspondent covering the war.

I can hardly describe how much I loved this book or why. I really fell for each of the characters and I was fascinated by the experiences that they each have. I loved seeing this war from three very different points of view. I thought the relationships between George and Felix and Felix and Nat were done very sweetly and these three really made my heart ache. This book began with some excitement and adventure and romance and it was very interesting to see how much the war takes out of all three of these characters and to see how each of their feelings begin to change. Right to the very last page, I found myself very emotionally invested in George and Felix and Nat and also about their shared cause of anti-fascism in Spain. Because I knew nothing about this Civil War previous to this book, I really didn't know how it would all end up!

I finished A World Between Us by Lydia Syson with a happy smile on my face despite the tears. I'm really glad to have read it, to have gained a bit more historical knowledge than I had before and I finished the book absolutely inspired to read more about the Spanish Civil War and also to read more about history in general. I love being inspired in this way. A huge thank you to Hot Key Books and to Lydia Syson for this. This book is out now, I highly recommend that you read it!(less)

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Nov 11, 2012 Vivienne Serendipity Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: to-review

I am not a great lover of historical books but I was intrigued by this one from the beginning. I was lucky enough to attend the Hot Key Books launch party and I got to hear the author Lydia Syson talking passionately about this book and the research she amassed while writing it. The author's passion for the Spanish Civil War made me want to read it.
The book is told in third person from three points of view, each character interlinked within the story. Felix is the main character - she is a pass...more I am not a great lover of historical books but I was intrigued by this one from the beginning. I was lucky enough to attend the Hot Key Books launch party and I got to hear the author Lydia Syson talking passionately about this book and the research she amassed while writing it. The author's passion for the Spanish Civil War made me want to read it.
The book is told in third person from three points of view, each character interlinked within the story. Felix is the main character - she is a passionate young girl who is easily led by her feelings. She falls quickly for Nat, who has powerful views on the unrest in Spain, resulting in her following in his footsteps and rushing off to join the medical team there. Felix is followed to Spain by George, who was on the verge of asking Felix to marry him before she ran off. His rash decision to chase her changes his life forever as he comes in contact with such devastation.
The book follows these three characters over a period of three years, gently weaving their stories together as their paths cross on numerous occasions. One chance meeting changed the lives of these three characters for ever.
I did find this book a little slow to get into but I'm pretty sure that is because this isn't the style of book I would normally read. However as the story progresses, I found myself completely swept away with the romance and relationships between the three characters as they struggled through adversity . It was like watching one of those epic war movies from my child hood. Simply beautiful.
I loved the contrast between life in England and life in Spain during the Civil War, it made you appreciate how very different the countries were.
I warn you now the ending of the book will require hankies. It was extremely poignant and not the ideal book to read in company if you get embarrassed by blubbering.
On reflection, I feel this book would appeal to any age. It is definitely a cross over novel which adults would enjoy just as much as teenagers. I am not sure younger teens would enjoy it as much as the older teens.
The book feels as though it is historically accurate because the information provided is very detailed, although not too much that it distracts you from the story.
Summing up, I felt that this book was beautifully written, carefully crafting fact with fiction to create a memorable story. It brings history alive, making it real for future generations. (less)

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Oct 14, 2012 Stacey (prettybooks) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-after-university, read-in-my-twenties, young-adult-fiction

A World Between Us is an epic romance and historical adventure set during the Spanish Civil War, a period of history I am ashamed to say I knew almost nothing about. It was something I certainly hadn't come across before in young adult fiction. I am all for fiction that provide us with an educational experience as well as tell us a compelling story. I think it's essential in books if 'the whole world's inside them' (Cornelia Funke, Inkheart); not talking about history does not mean that it didn'...more A World Between Us is an epic romance and historical adventure set during the Spanish Civil War, a period of history I am ashamed to say I knew almost nothing about. It was something I certainly hadn't come across before in young adult fiction. I am all for fiction that provide us with an educational experience as well as tell us a compelling story. I think it's essential in books if 'the whole world's inside them' (Cornelia Funke, Inkheart); not talking about history does not mean that it didn't happen.

A World Between Us takes place between October 1936 and April 1939. Felicity, or Felix, as she likes to be known, is training as a nurse, unaware of what impact Fascism will have upon the world, until she meets a young rebel called Nat in the East End of London. Felix is captivated by Nat's relentless passion for justice. During a trip to France with her brother Neville and admirer George, in a fit of unusual spontaneity, she follows Nat to Spain, where she begins her new life surrounded by chaos and war.

Felix is a complicated character. I was frequently frustrated by her inability to make decisions - her inability to choose between the familiar long-time family friend and the mysterious boy who changed her world view. Even at the end (don't worry, I won't ruin it for you!), I'm not entirely sure she fully knows what she wants. Yet I couldn't help but find her to be a convictive character. Felix did something that most of us wouldn't have done - leave her relatively safe, sheltered existence to work in a battlefield, constantly at risk and saving lives. But she's often naive and lacks curiosity, struggling to see the bigger picture, even though her defiance against the Fascists and determination to save complete strangers is unwaning. Throughout the novel, we feel Felix's inner turmoil as she switches between both stances, and it certainly is an eventful journey.

A World Between Us is full of passion and fight - shattering, heartbreaking, and immensely enjoyable. A compelling love story, but one that never takes priority over showing the realities of civil war - the tragic violence and what it's like living in the unknown, showing how life can change in an instant. It's a wonderful addition to the historical fiction genre, a brave tale of triumph over adversity, but never making it look easy, that I hope more writers will tackle.

You can read the first chapter here.

Thank you Hot Key Books for providing this book for review!(less)

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Mar 26, 2013 Mark Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars

Exciting, moving and detailed. I've always been interested in the Spanish Civil War and this book really brings it to life, wrapping it around a love story. Left me wanting to find out more about the war and the characters. As a book should.

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Oct 16, 2012 Victoria rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teenage-young-adult

A gripping story of love and war.

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Dec 11, 2012 Olivia added it

Shelves: books-i-own

Review to come :)

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Jan 09, 2013 Gill rated it 5 of 5 stars

A well-researched, beautifully-written book about an interesting, but often overlooked, period of history. Some wonderful evocations of the East End and Civil War Spain with some really engaging protagonists. I am disappointed that this novel has not been included in the 2013 Carnegie longlist.

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