At the close of World War II, London is in ruins and Rose Daniel isn't at peace. Eight years ago, her brother disappeared while fighting alongside Gypsy partisans in Spain. From his letters, Rose has just two clues to his whereabouts-his descriptions of the spectacular south slopes of the Sierra Nevada and his love for a woman who was carrying his child.
In Spain, it has been eight years since Lola Aragon's family was massacred. Eight years since she rescued a newborn girl from the arms of her dying mother and ran for her life. She has always believed that nothing could make her return...until a plea for help comes from a desperate stranger.
Now, Rose, Lola, and the child set out on a journey from the wild marshes of the Camargue to the dazzling peaks of Spain's ancient mountain communities. As they come face-to-face with war's darkest truths, their lives will be changed forever by memories, secrets, and friendships.
***
The snow has lingered longer than usual this spring. CHAPTER 1, SPAIN, APRIL 18, 1938
***
(Lake Union Publishing, 1 February 2019, 329 pages, ebook, borrowed from @AmazonKindle, #PrimeReading)
***
***
I've wanted to read this book for ages. It was a #AmazonFirstReads choice the month before its release. A different book temped me but this has been on my radar since. I'm glad I finally got to read it. The Snow Gypsy was well worth the wait. I've noticed that I've started to read a lot more historical fiction this year, a genre I used to read a few times a year now I read a few titles every month. I've read other books set in the same era but the location was a new one for me. The author does a good job of bringing historical Spain and the Gypsy communities to life. I got a real sense of place reading the book. Rose and Lola are fantastic characters; I loved them, feisty yet vulnerable, strong yet human and fragile. This is an incredibly sad book at times as both women face hatred and prejudice due to their Gypsy heritage and tragedy tears through their lives. I didn't want to stop reading once I started.