This is the story of Stephen Faith, a young English schoolboy who is caught between love and the Spanish Civil war. At first the summer guest of a socialist mayor in the small Spanish town of Zahara, Stephen falls for the middle son, a car mechanic who is also a revolutionary. When the revolutionary is called away in the opening days of the war, Stephen finds himself handed down to the youngest son. The struggles, the deaths, the halcyon moments and the tragedies make this a compelling read.
The Quince of the title refers to the fruit that is abundant in the trees of Zahara. The quince is an ancient fruit that many feel has been confused in literature with the apple. It may well have been the Quince that was involved in man's expulsion from the garden of Eden. It was also most likely the quince that was involved in the beauty contest that started the Trojan War.
The quince in this story plays a slightly less prominent role but the story is just as doomed and just as tragic.
Unlike so many gay-themed stories, the main dangers here are not from homophobia. That the main characters here sleep with men is obvious, and it does play a role in this sad tale, but it by no means the main danger.
This book is well written and compelling and the story draws the reader in, but it is a sad story of a sad time. The history revealed and the lives and struggles of the main characters make it well worth the read and its not all tragedy. There is also growth and acceptance and message for those that want something beyond the typically self absorbed gay-themed novel.
Frequently as I read bits of this I had to remind myself that elsewhere, at the same time, Charles Ryder and Sebastian Flyte were living their considerably less harrowing story at the same time.
Just as The Merchant of Venice allows us a glimpse of what being Jewish in the age of Shakespeare was like this book gives us a glimpse into the tragedy that was the era Fascism and the Spanish Civil war.
The Quince of the title refers to the fruit that is abundant in the trees of Zahara. The quince is an ancient fruit that many feel has been confused in literature with the apple. It may well have been the Quince that was involved in man's expulsion from the garden of Eden. It was also most likely the quince that was involved in the beauty contest that started the Trojan War.
The quince in this story plays a slightly less prominent role but the story is just as doomed and just as tragic.
Unlike so many gay-themed stories, the main dangers here are not from homophobia. That the main characters here sleep with men is obvious, and it does play a role in this sad tale, but it by no means the main danger.
This book is well written and compelling and the story draws the reader in, but it is a sad story of a sad time. The history revealed and the lives and struggles of the main characters make it well worth the read and its not all tragedy. There is also growth and acceptance and message for those that want something beyond the typically self absorbed gay-themed novel.
Frequently as I read bits of this I had to remind myself that elsewhere, at the same time, Charles Ryder and Sebastian Flyte were living their considerably less harrowing story at the same time.
Just as The Merchant of Venice allows us a glimpse of what being Jewish in the age of Shakespeare was like this book gives us a glimpse into the tragedy that was the era Fascism and the Spanish Civil war.
