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El tiempo entre costuras

3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 · rating details · 4,185 ratings · 907 reviews

Una novela que avanza por los mapas de la memoria y la nostalgia, transportándonos al Marruecos colonial, al Madrid pro-alemán de la primera posguerra y a una Lisboa cosmopolita repleta de oportunistas, espías y refugiados sin rumbo. Una apasionante mezcla de ficción y realidad en la que las conspiraciones clandestinas se funden con el glamour de los talleres de costura, l...more

Hardcover, 638 pages

Published June 1st 2009 by Ediciones Planeta Madrid, S. A. (first published 2009)

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Nov 06, 2011 Liviu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011_release_read, review_fbc, mainstream, read_2011, t1_recommended_2011

I will have a full review on FBC in early November and I will c/p it here so for now several quick points:

- the book is indeed a page turner and you never really know when time passes reading it; I was shocked to see it ending and I could have read another 600 pages easily - the ending is good and satisfying but the book could have gone on for a while more for sure

- a first narration and the voice starts a bit slow - one thing I cannot abide is silly narrators and for the first 70-80 pages Sira...more

8 likes · like · see review

Dec 22, 2012 Gaile rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: wwii, espionage, recommended-2012, emery-s-2012-challenge-gaile-kenne, early-20th-century, rhfl-2012-challenge

This is a poignant book featuring a child raised in a dressmaker's shop until the Spanish Civil War causes then shop to close. Engaged to one man, Sira leaves him for another only to be betrayed and left penniless in Morocco. In her efforts to excavate her mother from Madrid, she meets Marcus Logan but is too afraid to trust him and as more and more Germans pour into Spain, she finds herself recruited into espionage for the west keeping her ears out for information from her customers to pass to...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, spain, mtbr-challenge-2013, hf-world-war-ii, civil-war

Read by Zilah Mendoza
Length 21.8 hrs
• UNABRIDGED

This is the story of a young seamstress and her mother during the Spanish Civil War. After being engaged with a government clerk, Sira falls in love with a salesman and decides to fly with him to Morocco.

In the meantime, she met the father she never knew.

By returning to Spain, she then becomes an undercover agent for the Allies during World War II.

This is a story with a first-person narrator which makes the narrative quite long and too boring in...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love a good historical novel. This one has elements I am familiar with; Germans and Nazis, mixed with elements I knew little about - the Spanish Civil War, the leadership bought by the Nazis and how the Allies dealt with attempts to keep Spain out of WWII.

There are four parts to the book but all are told by Sira's perspective. Sira is a humble seamstress in Madrid, helping in the shop where her mother works. She learns skills, is promoted, meets a nice boy, gets engaged then runs off with anot...more I love a good historical novel. This one has elements I am familiar with; Germans and Nazis, mixed with elements I knew little about - the Spanish Civil War, the leadership bought by the Nazis and how the Allies dealt with attempts to keep Spain out of WWII.

There are four parts to the book but all are told by Sira's perspective. Sira is a humble seamstress in Madrid, helping in the shop where her mother works. She learns skills, is promoted, meets a nice boy, gets engaged then runs off with another man who is not a good man and leaves her to fend for herself. This part is setting the stage for what Sira does next and explains her reasons for not seeking romantic involvement, and explains how she winds up in Morocco.

Meanwhile, back in Spain, a horrendous war is raging between two factions. One political party has the money and support of the Nazi party, which I was unaware. When the war ends and the dust settles, the citizens of Spain are war weary, hungry, and desperate. The political history of this part of Spain was new information to me. I had a difficult time keeping all the characters and their affiliations straight but this is key to Sira's endeavors.

The author uses actual people who were instrumental to the rebuilding of Spain after this war and the beginning of WWII. Sira opens a dress shop and becomes good friends with Mrs. Rosalinda Fox, the mistress of a high ranking political figure in Spain. She rubs shoulders with Franco and his brother-in-law, overhears conversations not meant for her ears and eventually this comes in handy.

It is an interesting book because it is so well researched and includes information on the role of Spain and the political pulse at the time of Hitler's rise. It is also quite human in that Sira comes alive within the pages of the story and her struggles with her own identity are realistic. The characters from both Morocco and Madrid are well developed and entertaining (Candeleria and Felix).

Good, educational, and solid writing.(less)

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Sep 14, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of The Far Pavilions, Perfume, The Book Theif

Shelves: mena, spain, fiction, portugal, morocco

Wow. I devoured this book. It pretty much hit all the right notes for me: exotic places, a little romance (but not too much), spies, MI6, deception, and fashion. I always seem to resonate with the international bestsellers. The Far Pavillions is a favorite, as is Perfume. Anyway, I recommend this book highly. With two full time jobs, a child, and a novel that I'm revising, the fact that I finished it in three days should sufficiently recommend it.

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May 12, 2013 Ella rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Onvoorstelbaar dat dit een debuut is van deze schrijfster. Het gaat over de dochter van een naaister die doordat zij japonnen aflevert bij de hogere klasse van Madrid om weet te gaan met de mensen van een hogere stand. Ze wordt verliefd op de verkeerde man die haar meeneemt naar Marokko maar haar zwanger en met zijn schulden in de steek laat. Ze krijgt een miskraam en wordt opgepakt door een sympathieke politiecommissaris in het Spaanse protectoraat in Marokko. Ze weet haar schulden af te lossen...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Ingrid Verschelling rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Sira Quiroga werkt al vanaf haar twaalfde jaar in een van de beste naaiateliers van het Madrid in de jaren dertig van de vorige eeuw. Ze is verloofd met een nette jongen en hij vindt, dat ze moet leren typen, zodat ze ook ambtenaar kan worden, net als hijzelf. Daarvoor gaan ze naar een winkel, waar ze typemachines verkopen en daar gebeurt het ongelofelijke: Sira wordt verliefd op de verkoper. Ze zegt haar voorgenomen huwelijk af en gaat er vandoor met haar minnaar naar Marokko, omdat in Spanje d...more Sira Quiroga werkt al vanaf haar twaalfde jaar in een van de beste naaiateliers van het Madrid in de jaren dertig van de vorige eeuw. Ze is verloofd met een nette jongen en hij vindt, dat ze moet leren typen, zodat ze ook ambtenaar kan worden, net als hijzelf. Daarvoor gaan ze naar een winkel, waar ze typemachines verkopen en daar gebeurt het ongelofelijke: Sira wordt verliefd op de verkoper. Ze zegt haar voorgenomen huwelijk af en gaat er vandoor met haar minnaar naar Marokko, omdat in Spanje de burgeroorlog uitbreekt. Daar geniet ze van een leven vol feesten en luxe. Na een paar maanden wordt het haar minnaar Ramiro te heet onder de voeten en hij vertrekt naar Argentinië, haar berooid achterlatend. Hij heeft de erfenis, die ze in Madrid van haar pas ontdekte vader heeft gekregen, gestolen en laat ook het verblijf in het hotel op haar rekening achter. De politiecommissaris bemoeit zich met Sira. Ze moet binnen een jaar de schuld terugbetalen aan het hotel in Tanger. Hij plaatst Sira in een pension in het stadje Tetouan in het Spaanse protectoraat. De pensionhoudster Candelaria zoekt voor Sira allerhande baantjes, maar nergens wordt ze aangenomen. Tot Sira een keer aan het naaien is en Candelaria dat ontdekt. Met pistolen, die ze op een kamer gevonden heeft wil Candelaria de nieuwe werkplek van Sira financieren, maar dan moeten eerst de pistolen verkocht worden en dat is een hachelijke onderneming. Sira krijgt belangrijke klanten en maakt ook goede vrienden, zoals Felix en de Britse Rosalinda. Via de laatste komt ze in contact met de geheime dienst van de Britse overheid. Rosalinda haalt haar over om weer in Madrid te gaan werken en daar als een spionne informatie over haar clientèle te vergaren. Sira vindt dit erg moeilijk, omdat ze net haar moeder naar Marokko heeft gehaald. Zij houdt het atelier in Tetouan draaiende en Sira gaat met een andere identiteit naar Madrid wanneer de Tweede Wereldoorlog uitbreekt, na advies van haar moeder. Zij vindt, dat Spanje niet nog een oorlog aankan. Sira opent in Madrid een naaiatelier en zoekt haar clientèle zo veel mogelijk onder vrouwen van hoge nazi-officieren, zodat ze ongemerkt vertrouwelijke informatie kan ontfutselen. Maar als ze dan voor een speciale opdracht naar Lissabon moet, wordt het toch wel heel gevaarlijk voor Sira. Gelukkig komt ze iemand tegen, die ze kort in Marokko heeft leren kennen en op wie ze toen verliefd is geraakt. Ze durfde hem niet in haar leven toe te laten, omdat hij als journalist vast snel weer weg zou gaan. Nu redt hij haar uit een heel penibele situatie, waar ze bijna het leven liet. Niemand kan ze meer vertrouwen.

Het geluid van de nacht is het onvergetelijke verhaal over een vrouw die met vallen en opstaan leert dat ze alleen kan vertrouwen op haar eigen kracht. Het voert je door de aangrijpende geschiedenis van Spanje, Marokko en Portugal en de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Het verhaal van Maria Dueñas over Sira Quiroga, die uitgroeit van eenvoudige naaister tot vrouw van de wereld is een verslavend verhaal, omdat de sfeer in de diverse landen erg goed wordt beschreven. Ik heb op internet al gekeken waar Tetouan ligt in Marokko. Het lijkt me heel leuk om daar eens een vakantie te houden. Ik heb gelezen in een recensie, dat de titel van het boek in het Spaans El tiempo entre costuras wat zoiets betekent als 'De tijd tussen naaiwerk'. Het geluid van de nacht is dan een niet zo goede titel, vind ikzelf ook. Vijf sterren voor dit mooie verhaal over Sira. (less)

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Mar 30, 2013 ★Loredana★ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ho fatto fatica a staccarmi da questo libro e dalla sua protagonista, l’avrei portata sempre con me, tra le mie cose da fare, tra i miei giorni da riempire… per darmi coraggio, per farmi dire “guarda come ero, guarda a cosa ero destinata io, e guarda cosa sono diventata, guarda dove la vita mi ha trascinata”… un’eroina che sa di “Via col vento”, sa di Liala, sa di romanzo d’appendice d’altri tempi, di quelli che ormai consideriamo banali perché esageratamente finti e romantici, costruiti apposta...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Normalmente no soy muy fan de las novelas históricas, entre otras cosas porque confían demasiado en el interés que el lector ya tiene en ese período histórico/personaje. Reconozco que en muchos casos eso que me aleja es mi propia ignorancia, si me supiera la historia en ciernes de pé a pá, disfrutaría de los detalles adicionales. Pero resulta que soy una lectora que se niega a leer partiendo de su propia información. O sea... una novela es una novela y un libro de historia es otra cosa.

Esta, en...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Maggie Bramley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lost in translation? Not a bit of it.

I often find that books written in another language are never quite the same when translated and when I first began to read this book, it seemed a little flat, even though the story was moving on quite quickly. However, after a very short time, things really started to pick up and from then on, I couldn't put it down.

Set in the time of the Spanish Civil War and the run up to World War II, the book is set partly in Spain and then in Morocco and follows the for...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Kara Jorges rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sira Quiroga grew up in Madrid, the daughter of a single, working woman. As Sira’s mother was a seamstress, she also sews for a living, and hers is an unassuming existence. She is engaged to a steady civil servant, until the day dashing Ramiro Arribas sweeps her off her feet. Spain was on the eve of a civil war, so Sira follows Ramiro to Morocco, where they live a life filled with parties and fun. One day, Sira wakes up very much alone, pregnant and penniless, as Ramiro had relieved her of her m...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Arantxa Baños rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Comencé el libro con dudas, ya que ni el título ni el resumen me llamaron especialmente la atención, pero las buenas críticas pudieron con mi curiosidad.
Me enganchó desde el principio, las historias de amor siempre lo consiguen. Sin embargo, me pareció que poco a poco se iba haciendo muy lento, y cada vez más necesitaba que pasase algo realmente importante. Esta sensación se invirtió al final cuando me pareció que iba todo realmente rápido.
A pesar de ese ritmo poco equilibrado, me gustó. La tra...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Janice Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, world-war-ii, literary-fiction

Mario Vargas Llosa, recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature, is the first endorsement listed on "Praise for "The Time In Between", just inside the cover of this 612 page paperback: "A wonderful novel, in the good old tradition, with intrigue, love, mystery, and tender, audacious, and well-drawn characters."

From the publisher: "The Time In Between", an international bestseller, spans the years between the Spanish civil War and World War II. This beautifully spun novel tells the story of a...more Mario Vargas Llosa, recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature, is the first endorsement listed on "Praise for "The Time In Between", just inside the cover of this 612 page paperback: "A wonderful novel, in the good old tradition, with intrigue, love, mystery, and tender, audacious, and well-drawn characters."

From the publisher: "The Time In Between", an international bestseller, spans the years between the Spanish civil War and World War II. This beautifully spun novel tells the story of a seamstress who rises to become not just the most sought-after couturiere [dress designer/seamstress] in Madrid and Morocco, but an undercover spy who passes information about the Nazi regime to the British Secret Service by means of a secret code hidden in the patterns of her dresses."

My thoughts: This is one of the best books I have ever read, and I will be sure to read it again and again. Duenas is a masterful storyteller. As reader and a writer, I began to eagerly anticipate how she ended each chapter, because the plot is woven in such a way that the reader feels they must keep reading. Her sentences are beautiful, but never filled with extemporaneous words. (The book was written in Spanish and translated to English by Daniel Hahn.) The historical events that took place in Spain during this period were unknown to me, and the push and pull between German and British interests was intriguing. I have the feeling Duenas could write about ANYTHING and make a completely captivating story.

The main character, Sira, is a compelling woman who, at the start of the story, is like many young women, considering marriage to a local boy and longtime friend, working with her mother in a dressmaking shop, but a choice she makes alters the course of her life. The way the author tells the story is so authentic in how many women's lives are...full of variety and up-and-down phases, and coincidence and the bad and good will of other people... Honestly, this is one of the best-told stories I have ever read.

If you are looking for a gift for someone who loves to read and perhaps they are having surgery and need something completely captivating to escape into... If you are looking for something yourself to read that will stand heads above much of the "women's fiction" on the market today, then "The Time In Between" is the book for you. Adult women of all ages will enjoy this book.(less)

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Sep 21, 2012 Penny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

A Spanish seamstress relocates to Morocco just before the Spanish civil war, and ends up being the dressmaker to the wives of the Nazis and Spanish power elites. The story is slow to start and would be better as a tight 350 p. novel than the rather wordy 600 pages.

That said, however, I persisted, and my efforts were repaid. After the first 200 pages or so, the story finally picks up and the narrator becomes more interesting as she learns how to cope with the strange world she's landed in. The b...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Jacqie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: didnt-finish

So, I actually got 400 pages into this one before deciding to put it down for good. Why didn't I finish?

The book is 600 pages long, and the action part of the book (spying ) doesn't get started for 350 pages. The first half of the book is all character development and set-up. Unfortunately, 400 pages into the book, I really don't have a good idea who our heroine is. She says she's uneducated, yet is some sort of social chameleon who gets by on faking her way through everything. And you know, tha...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Annie Modesitt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical

It wasn't that the book was bad, it was an interesting story. But the author teased out elements of the story in such an unsatisfactory way that it was painful. Then, breathlessly, she'd practically leap over the pertinent piece of information in a coy manner;

[paraphrasing]
"I looked through the peep hole, and saw the person I expected to see. I let them in [blah, blah, blah]"

And then just before the end of the chapter she'd FINALLY toss in who'd been at the door. Just odd.

The whole book had this...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Mardel Fehrenbach rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book. It is a wonderful story, well told, with of course special interest for anyone who is interested in clothes and fabric and sewing. It is a gripping story set in a time a place and time defined by turmoil, but it is also a story of growth and finding one's own strength and purpose in life. Dueñas masterfully blends historical reality with the completely fictional story of Sira and ties it all together seamlessly in a rather gripping read.

It is not a coming of age story. The...more I loved this book. It is a wonderful story, well told, with of course special interest for anyone who is interested in clothes and fabric and sewing. It is a gripping story set in a time a place and time defined by turmoil, but it is also a story of growth and finding one's own strength and purpose in life. Dueñas masterfully blends historical reality with the completely fictional story of Sira and ties it all together seamlessly in a rather gripping read.

It is not a coming of age story. The protagonist, Sira, is physically an adult, although her potential remains unrealized. And yet it is a story of a young woman growing and learning to take responsibility and control of her own fate. In the beginning of the novel Sira seems to be particularly vapid, self-absorbed, shallow and uninteresting, someone whom one could easily dismiss. The young Sira makes terrible mistakes, mistakes that seem obvious to the reader, and make Sira seem oblivious and unsympathetic. One realizes, however, if one perseveres, that Sira herself, through the circumstances of her upbringing and the characters of the particular people who surround her in her youth, has just drifted through youth, unchallenged and untutored. I ended up forgiving her her mistakes, realizing that she truly was naive in the truest sense, existing in the world but really with no cognizance of it, and her parents, although probably doing the best they are capable of, do nothing to help or guide her, sending her on her way with vague admonitions as if sense and caution are innate and not learned, assuming that docility and good behavior imply understanding, or perhaps not even recognizing that Sira herself is capable of making leaps unrecognized by her parents. Sira does learn to rely on herself. She finds she is strong and resourceful, and eventually she learns confidence in her own strength, her own judgement, and she takes control of her life on her own terms. Oddly enough, or really not so oddly when you think of it, others initially see her as having more control than she herself feels, and she lets them use her until she realizes that she is stronger and more competent than she has realized. Sira eventually recognizes her own strength and realizes that she must seize control of her own fate, or forever let others control her.

I felt the conclusion of The Time In Between was completely satisfying although in terms of the historical story it could have gone on for a while longer. But this wasn't really the story of Spain, the Civil War, and World War II; it was the story of Siri Quiroga and the time in between the innocence of youth and the adult realization that, no matter how little we control the events of the world, we control our own role in that world. I could read it again.(less)

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Jun 30, 2012 Will Lock rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Time in Between: A Novel, by Maria Dueñas. Original in Spanish. A gift from a friend in Barcelona, this is not a novel I would pick myself, but I’m glad I read it. A harmonious blend of several genres: bildungsroman, historical fiction, spy story, romance. While it is none of these in full, Dueñas artfully makes them work together. The novel is set during the Spanish Civil War, my knowledge of which is limited pretty much to footnotes, Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls and the movie Pan’s...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Ellen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novel

As it takes place during the Spanish Civil War (albeit seen from the distance of North Africa)and World War II, I was very interested in the setting of the book, as I don't know much about what was going on in Spain during this period. The premise is very promising: a young, poor Spanish seamstress is ruined by love and has to create herself anew as a seamstress to the high society of Tunisia. I was interested during the first two parts of the book, especially as world events start to creep into...more

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May 24, 2012 Petit-lips rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://lectures-petit-lips.blogspot.f...

- Ce livre a été une excellente surprise ! Sira Quiroga quitte une Espagne instable lorsqu'elle a 20 ans. Elle part au Maroc, à Tétouan, avec l'homme qu'elle aime. Après quelques semaines de rêve, elle se retrouve dans une fâcheuse position : sans amis, sans argent et trahie par l'homme qu'elle aime. De fil en aiguille, son métier de couturière lui sauvera la vie autant qu'il va la mettre en danger.

- Grâce à la plume de Maria Duenas, j'ai été tenue en hale...more http://lectures-petit-lips.blogspot.f...

- Ce livre a été une excellente surprise ! Sira Quiroga quitte une Espagne instable lorsqu'elle a 20 ans. Elle part au Maroc, à Tétouan, avec l'homme qu'elle aime. Après quelques semaines de rêve, elle se retrouve dans une fâcheuse position : sans amis, sans argent et trahie par l'homme qu'elle aime. De fil en aiguille, son métier de couturière lui sauvera la vie autant qu'il va la mettre en danger.

- Grâce à la plume de Maria Duenas, j'ai été tenue en haleine jusqu'au bout. En effet, elle a su créer une histoire originale, riche et prenante ; avec des personnages auxquels on a envie de s'attacher.
Je pense que l'auteure a bien retranscrit l'ambiance pesante de l'époque. J'imagine que dans ce climat de guerre et d'insécurité, il était difficile de s'y retrouver au milieu des partisans de l'Axe et ceux des Alliés.
Dans « L'espionne de Tanger » nous voyons la Seconde Guerre Mondiale d'un nouvel œil L’Espagne, le Maroc et le Portugal n'ont pas eu la même façon d'aborder les problèmes connus à cette époque.

- J'aurai souhaité que la partie consacrée à l'espionnage soit un peu plus conséquente. Néanmoins, l'intrigue n'en est pas moins passionnante. J'ai adoré "voyager" dans ces divers pays, découvrir le contexte espagnol et marocain avant la guerre, dans les années 1930. Les six cents pages du livre se dévorent très facilement, j'ai tout de suite été embarquée.

- On assiste tout au long du récit à une véritable transformation du personnage principal. Sira, au départ jeune femme apeurée et un brin naïve ; deviendra une femme forte, indépendante et pleine de caractère. Au début du roman Sira est assez éloignée et peu concernée par la guerre (ou alors elle ne se rend pas compte de tout ce que cela implique à son échelle) mais finira par plonger les deux pieds dedans et ne pourra plus faire machine arrière.

- Parmi les personnages secondaires j'ai eu un coup de coeur pour Candelaria la contrebandière. C'est un personnage incroyable, avec beaucoup de culot et une philosophie de la vie assez particulière. Bien d'autres personnages peuplent la vie de Sira, et ils m'ont tous séduite : la fraîcheur de Rosalinda, la gentillesse de Félix, le mystérieux Marcus...

- « L'espionne de Tanger » est un roman que je vous recommande. Je comprends tout à fait son succès dans les autres pays. A mi chemin entre fiction et roman historique, tout est réuni pour passer un excellent moment.(less)

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May 19, 2012 Barbara Bryant rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This novel was recommended to me and it gave me several hours of reading pleasure. I was very excited about it in the beginning, especially--it was to be a saga in the life of a young Spanish woman, traversing Spain, Morrocco, Portugal and the high and low life in these countries. It was nice change to read something exotic, to have a chance to look up the real-life history of the time and sort out the framework for the events here. It is a novel you can slip yourself into, imagining the horror...more This novel was recommended to me and it gave me several hours of reading pleasure. I was very excited about it in the beginning, especially--it was to be a saga in the life of a young Spanish woman, traversing Spain, Morrocco, Portugal and the high and low life in these countries. It was nice change to read something exotic, to have a chance to look up the real-life history of the time and sort out the framework for the events here. It is a novel you can slip yourself into, imagining the horror and wonder of the hardships, the romances, the poverty and wealth, the challenges, successes, betrayals and, above all, the wonderful mix of characters, both historically real and fictional.

Our heroine, the lovely Sira, is, at first, the innocent victim of a life of fatherless poverty in Madrid, where she struggles to learn the trade her mother is engaged in--fine sewing and, eventually, design. Her first love, Ignacio, and his promise of a steady but ordinary life, must be put aside too soon as Sira falls impetuously in love with the willful and cosmopolitan man who will start her on the years of being a strong but passive woman pulled by one tide after another into a series of bleak and later successful lives that she is weak enough to fall into but strong enough to adapt to and win success.

The years follow the Spanish Civil War and the opening of World War II, and it was fascinating to read history with which I was not very familiar. In an interview, the author herself, Maria Duenas, points out that many people know little of the role of Spain in the second World War. Also, the locales used were suitably exotic and strange to me, and the world of wealth and power happily entrancing and frightening.

If the book had been about a girl who became a famous couturier, I would have liked it almost as much. This is a little disappointing, as I think that there may have been a little overreach in the later chapters that became a bit tiresome to me. At about the time Sira reaches the point that I realize that little she has done has been at her own impulse but rather at the will of a stronger person, whether Ignacio, her mother, Rosalinda, Ramiro or others, the book flatly states the same and "announces" that Sira is starting to think for herself. This should have been the best part of the book for me but it wasn't. Making a choice removes all the other choices from the table, and the possibilities that spread in front of Sira are narrowed, leaving one to just watch, finally, and see what happens. My little fond hopes of possible other outcomes are dashed, although all are treated fairly in the excellent characters who might have made her life different.

I can still wonder where Commissioner Claudio will fall in her life, if she will rejoin her father and claim her inheritance, if the wayward Ramiro truly loved her after all and if Ignacio will reappear as a stronger former love. This book is a bestseller around the world and I can fairly say it is a thumping good read by an new novelist who is an academic with not much publishing experience even in that world. It's a lot of fun. Still, I can't give it four stars--it is not so much more than a really good romantic/spy novel enhanced by the clever inclusion of fascinating real-life characters. But read it-you'll like it! The Madame Defarge-like coding in the book is one of the treats.(less)

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Apr 22, 2012 Raewyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

609 pages and translated from Spanish, it is testimony to the craft of Maria Duenas to keep me engrossed.

The superbly stitched story of a young Spanish girl with a gift for sewing but too naive to spot a rogue. He sweeps her off her feet and away from a young man who loves her. Although Sira ignores the wisdom of her mother her legacy of courage and tenacity under duress do not fail her daughter. As Sira faces the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and the approaching forces from Europe heading...more

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Apr 13, 2012 April Hochstrasser rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sira, the heroine, falls madly in love. She can't see that her lover is taking her for everything she has until she is abandoned and pregnant in a foreign country. She awakes in a hospital, being informed by the police that Ramiro has taken all of her inheritance and left her with a huge hotel bill that she is responsible for. While we, the readers, see immediately the type of man Ramiro is, poor Sira is taken in. She goes with him to Morraco. After he abandons her she gets a painful dose of rea...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book begins with Sira as a young girl, daughter of a single mother earning her living as a dressmaker. As Sira grows older, she takes on more responsibility until she becomes a talented dressmaker herself. One day her father summons her and her mother accompanies her. Her father gives her some jewels and money and documentation stating he has done so. She shares her inheritance with her lover and they travel to Algiers because of the political unrest in Spain. There, he leaves her penniless...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Dee rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is several things: It is a coming-on-age story. It is a Romance. It is a spy novel and it is a first-person "memoir."

I didn't like it very much. The author's style is not very polished. Duenas never seems to get her character into the action in such a way that the reader is there with her. She describes the action rather than having the characters inhabit it. The plot is certainly ingenous and appears to be based somewhat on facts. At least the Acknowledgement at the back of the book...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Danielle Rossman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I admit that when I received this very well touted novel The Time in Between, I was inately curious. I also admit, despite thinking I was well studied in European History, I realized that I truly did not know much about the Spanish Civil War beyond a few odd dates and events. Thus my curiosity was even more stirred by Maria Duenas because after some research it seems that she is very well written and published on this event. I also do have a lot of faith in offerings from Simon and Schuster beca...more I admit that when I received this very well touted novel The Time in Between, I was inately curious. I also admit, despite thinking I was well studied in European History, I realized that I truly did not know much about the Spanish Civil War beyond a few odd dates and events. Thus my curiosity was even more stirred by Maria Duenas because after some research it seems that she is very well written and published on this event. I also do have a lot of faith in offerings from Simon and Schuster because they produce such quality fiction that so often treats the intellectual mind to stories and situations that are truly fascinating. When I started this huge tome I was challenged, but as I read on I was capitivated by Duenas' story of Sira Quiroga, a modest seamstress from Madrid who seems destined for a simple marriage and simple career as a dress maker. Yet all of a sudden, a fiction book morphed into a fascinating history book spanning from 1935 to 1941. It moves from the ateliers of Madrid, to the Protectorate of Spanish Morocco to the streets of upscale Lisbon Portugal. As if from oblivion, the father she has never known mysteriously summons her and her Mother to his fine home. Due to the turbulent political situation, he is fearful of his life and is prepared to flee from Spain. He gifts her an incredible amount of money and jewellery to take care of her future. But Sira ventures away from the mediocrity of her life and runs away with her fiery Latin lover named Romero who will sweep her away to Morocco as part of an investment scheme that turns bad as she finds herself abandoned emotionally and physically....but most of all he steals all her gifted money and jewels...and her pride. But Sira is merely down, but not truly beaten. Her life will turn once again to sewing as a career and as her business blossoms after some clandestine adventures she will be launched into a world of espionage, spies and romance. This is where Duenas' 600+ page novel will shine to the extent that the adventurous tone will leave you wondering if it truly was all that long. Duenas voices the culture of Morocco down to the sights and smells, while at the same time she communicates the culture of a war torn Madrid with all the anguish that true poverty and suffering brings. It is this impressive use of voice and tone that makes this novel race to its stunning denouement. As this novel moves forward we are introduced to a number of characters, both fictional and real life. These include Rosalinda Fox Powell, who is an enigma in her own right, crossing the globe to be with her lover Juan Luis Beigbeder. Beigbeder becomes a pawn of the Franco government and its politics which leads to his political demise. As a result, Rosalinda befriends Sira and leads her into a world of international adventure. Duenas manipulates history and Fox's place in this time to introduce Sira into situations which really occurred while she is mostly a fictional element. Duenas's weaving of true history and Sira's fiction is exceptional. Fortunately or unfortunately, this also brings us the truth of violence and upheaval experienced by the Spanish in the war which has been called the dress rehearsal for World War II...I do not want to spoil this read for the literary consumer, so I will tell you that Sira will at some point assume a new identity and in this manner reshape history on her own, but will leave you to your own personal enjoyment. I will say that Duenas will lead you through the peril and deception that moves this book so quickly through its largish looking tome and in the end will leave you only wanting one thing...a sequel...(less)

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Dec 29, 2011 Lauren Murphy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

This review was first posted @ The Australian Bookshelf

This is a brilliant story that follows a young woman before and during the war and her escapades across the globe in Spain, England and Morocco. At over 600 pages, it is quite a lengthy novel but completely engaging, set in the 1930s and 1940s.

The protagonist, Sira is a naïve, passive young woman early in the story. She leaves behind a comfortable existence with her fiancé and her doting mother and flees the country with her new lover as the...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Jaylia3 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Could not put this down!

After making disastrous romantic choices an impoverished and unpretentious young seamstress from Madrid is forced to metamorphose herself completely. First Sira Quiroga transforms herself into a high-end haute couture dress designer in Teutan, a cosmopolitan palm tree filled city just across the Strait of Gibraltar in Morocco, in order to pay off debts she and her lover ran up before he stole her inheritance and fled. It's a façade Sira is never completely at ease in. Lat...more

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Dec 07, 2011 David Peters rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am going to be honest. I said I would read this book because I think I need to read more women authors and more foreign writers, just to get out of my comfort zone. But when I finally got the book in my hands and read the synopsis I was scared because it was hitting a lot of things I tend to avoid. What will I have in common with a pre WWII seamstress as she deals with love and intrigue in Southern Europe. A dressmaker for goodness sake! But being the dutiful guy that I am I took it to work wi...more I am going to be honest. I said I would read this book because I think I need to read more women authors and more foreign writers, just to get out of my comfort zone. But when I finally got the book in my hands and read the synopsis I was scared because it was hitting a lot of things I tend to avoid. What will I have in common with a pre WWII seamstress as she deals with love and intrigue in Southern Europe. A dressmaker for goodness sake! But being the dutiful guy that I am I took it to work with me to read on break, to at least make a start. That was a mistake, a big mistake, because

BLOODY HELL THIS BOOK ROCKED!!

I was distracted at work for the rest of the day and immediately devoured this book as soon as I got home – all 600 pages of it. People like to talk about the skill of the writing as if that is what made a good book, but in reality it is voice (flow) and story and María Dueñas has this in spades. The story is so compelling and slowly grabs you that you do not notice how tightly it has you trapped. Think of flow as notes in a piano recital; bad flow jars you just like an off note. The time in between just flows beautiful y as the pages go by. Very smooth without any off notes at all.

What really came alive for me was the society that the heroine had to operate in, pre WWII Spain (& Morocco). It was dedicated to seeing who was loyal to the cause, forcing people to choose sides in a no win situation. But as in all unrighteous dominion situations it rapidly degenerated to a he said/she said scenario. You begin to lose all trust in those around you, even those that are closest. When you can’t trust anyone you have no family (in any sense of the word), and that is the beginning of death for any society. Our heroine survived because in even the worst of situations she was always able to find someone, one lifeline to normalcy, someone to trust. It was that connection that got her thorough and it is a good lesson for all of us.

Do not hesitate to get this book as soon as it comes out (November 2011 – though currently available for the Kindle). It should appeal to everyone, from millions of Europeans where this book was originally released to mystery loving guys living in Minnesota. This book has it all and is at the top of my recommend to friends list.
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Dec 01, 2011 marymurtz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

WOW, I really liked this book!!!

Part Casablanca, part...something else, I don't know, but this book was so engrossing for me. Sira is a beautiful seamstress, the daughter of a seamstress and her married lover. Sira meets her father only once as a child, and is raised to know that her future will likely be limited to sewing in a tiny back room, just as her mother did.

Sira wants more for her life, and soon falls in love with a handsome and fascinating man who sells her a typewriter, which she is...more

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About María Dueñas

María Dueñas es Doctora en Filología Inglesa y profesora titular de la Universidad de Murcia. Nacida en Puertollano (Ciudad Real) en 1964; casada, dos hijos, siete hermanos, un puñado grande de buenos amigos. Reside en Cartagena.

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Quotes from El tiempo entre costuras

“And yet for that, blood is thicker than water, even if the only thing you've shared with your people have been hardships and miseries.” — 3 people liked it

“My fear didn't want to be left behind, so it came with me.” — 3 people liked it

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