The Time In Between: A Novel [Hardcover]

Maria Duenas (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 8, 2011

The inspiring international bestseller of a seemingly ordinary woman who uses her talent and courage to transform herself first into a prestigious couturier and then into an undercover agent for the Allies during World War II

Between Youth and Adulthood . . .

At age twelve, Sira Quiroga sweeps the atelier floors where her single mother works as a seamstress. At fourteen, she quietly begins her own apprenticeship. By her early twenties she has learned the ropes of the business and is engaged to a modest government clerk. But everything changes when two charismatic men burst unexpectedly into her neatly mapped-out life: an attractive salesman and the father she never knew.

Between War and Peace . . .

With the Spanish Civil War brewing in Madrid, Sira leaves her mother and her fiancé, impetuously following her handsome lover to Morocco. However, she soon finds herself abandoned, penniless, and heartbroken in an exotic land. Among the odd collection of European expatriates trapped there by the worsening political situation back on the Continent, Sira reinvents herself by turning to the one skill that can save her: her gift for creating beautiful clothes.

Between Love and Duty . . .

As England, Germany, and the other great powers launch into the dire conflict of World War II, Sira is persuaded to return to Madrid, where she takes on a new identity to embark upon the most dangerous undertaking of her career. As the preeminent couturier for an eager clientele of Nazi officers’ wives, Sira becomes embroiled in the half-lit world of espionage and political conspiracy rife with love, intrigue, and betrayal.

Already a runaway bestseller across Europe, The Time In Between is one of those rare, richly textured novels that enthrall down to the last page. María Dueñas reminds us how it feels to be swept away by a masterful storyteller.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books; 1 edition (November 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451616880
• ISBN-13: 978-1451616880
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (157 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #334,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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Amazon Exclusive: Félix J. Palma Interviews María Dueñas

Félix J. Palma has been unanimously acclaimed by critics as one of the most brilliant and original storytellers of our time. His devotion to the short story genre has earned him more than a hundred awards. The Map of Time, his first book to be published in the United States, received the 2008 Ateneo de Sevilla XL Prize and is being published in more than thirty countries.

Félix J. Palma: The Time in Between features many real life characters. How did you ensure that these individuals were accurately portrayed? I imagine that you had to be especially careful given that people who knew them are still alive.

María Dueñas: Some of the characters in my book belong to our recent history and played a prominent role in the Spanish Civil War and WWII in Spain. Ironically, however, a few of them have been obscured by time, and so my task was to bring them back to the forefront in order to recreate some significant events during those febrile years. For this purpose, I used a wide variety of sources: academic works, archives, old newspapers and even interviews with people who personally knew these people. I was very thorough in my research, and I think the outcome has been positive. Many readers finally get to meet these historical figures and no one has complained that the personalities I've managed to reconstruct are inaccurate.

FP: It's unusual to come across a heroine who is a seamstress. How did you decide upon this occupation for Sira?

MD: I needed an independent female character who was able to support herself so that she could move about freely without depending on a man. In the late thirties and early forties few occupations offered women this ability, but a seamstress was one of them.

FP: Many novels take place during World War II and yet you've done a wonderful job of taking a fresh approach. Can you tell us about it?

MD: WWII took place when Spain was immersed in post-Civil War reconstruction so many people think that the war had no effect on Spain. But this is not true. Our territory was coveted by Britain and Germany, and there was a lot of espionage in the country at that time. I also added a new ingredient to the traditional view of this period by incorporating a female character into the war game. I think the combination of both these things--an unexplored environment and a new type of heroine--is what sets The Time In Between apart.

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Review

A wonderful novel, in the good old tradition, with intrigue, love, mystery and tender, audacious and well-drawn characters." --Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel Prize Laureate

“It's exciting to find a deftly paced first novel with an engaging heroine, satisfying historical detail, and emotional balance. Love it!” --Esmeralda Santiago New York Times bestselling author of Conquistadora and When I was Puerto Rican

"The Time in Between is an epic novel with an unlikely Spanish heroine, Sira Quiroga, that takes us through one of the most turbulent times in Europe: the onset of World War II. Sira travels on a journey through romance, love, loss, and intrigue, all while discovering traits that she never dreamed she had. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, and once I reached the end, I couldn't wait to start it all over again!" --Daisy Martinez, author of Daisy: Morning, Noon and Night and Daisy's Holiday Cooking

“Maria Dueñas is a true storyteller. She weaves a spell, conjuring the heat and the glamour, the hardship and the thrill of Morocco and Spain in the late 1930s. The world of Casablanca comes to life as war breaks and Sira Quiroga, a beautiful and betrayed seamstress, is forced to discover her own strength. At a time when everyone must do what they can to survive, some will go beyond. Resistance will be formed and history will be written. Read this book and prepare to be transported.” –Kate Morton, New York Times bestselling author of The Distant Hours

"Engaging, romantic, vivid and captivating. Who knew a story about a seamstress in Spain could be so intriguing and captivating? If you love thick, juicy female-led novels that sweep you away from all sense of time and responsibility, you need to read The Time In Between by María Dueñas." - Kathy Cano-Murillo, author of Waking Up in the Land of Glitter and Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing

"Evocative, tender and lush; a wonderful experience of times and lives in turmoil." --Diana Gabaldon, author of the New York Times bestselling Outlander novels

“This thrilling debut is marked by immaculate prose and a driving narrative, establishing Dueñas as a writer to watch.” --starred Publishers Weekly review

"Packed with engaging characters, flawlessly researched, and breathlessly paced." --starred Booklist review

"It is no surprise this debut novel was a runaway success in Europe. American fans of historical fiction looking for a dramatic, uncomplicated escape will be similarly entranced." --Library Journal

"From a terrific opening line to the final page, chapters zip by at a pulsing pace." --USA TODAY

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books; 1 edition (November 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451616880
• ISBN-13: 978-1451616880
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (157 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #334,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maria Dueñas holds a PhD in English Philology and is currently a professor at the University of Murcia. She has also taught at American universities, is the author of several academic articles, and has participated in various educational, cultural, and editorial projects. She is currently writing her second novel.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 68 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Unique view of Spanish Civil War and WWII November 8, 2011

By sjr

Format:Hardcover

This is historical fiction, with a larger than usual dose of history, but that history is woven in well at least partly because it's history that's not well known even to the Spanish, and hardly known at all by English speakers. Set in Madrid, Spanish Morocco, and Lisbon from 1935 into 1941, the story centers on Sira Quiroga, daughter of a single mother who works as a seamstress in Madrid. She learns the trade as well, which is fortunate when she finds herself without resources in Morocco just as the civil war in Spain breaks out. How she manages to overcome legal obstacles and flourish amid political intrigue involving Spaniards, Germans, and the British is the heart of the story. There is romance as well, but it takes a backseat to Sira's growth from insecure working-class girl to woman of the world who takes charge of her own life. And the central role played by real-life characters may send you to Google and the library to find out more.

If there's a flaw, it's the occasional overwriting -- judicious editing could have pruned the 600+ pages down to 500. Despite that, I couldn't put it down, and even missed my subway stop one morning, I was so absorbed.

78 of 87 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Starts with a whimper, but ends with a bang November 8, 2011

By Susan Tunis TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I have to admit that Simon and Schuster piqued my curiosity about this title simply because they promoted it so heavily prior to its publication. In my mind, that's a huge vote of confidence from the publishing house. And, apparently it has been a bestseller in Europe, where it was originally published. Alas, my own response to The Time in Between was mixed. It got off to a rocky start, but ended much stronger--which is a better situation than had it been the other way `round.

With regard to the "rocky start," the first-person narrator of this 600-page epic is Sira Quiroga, a young seamstress from Madrid with a modest background. Unfortunately, she makes a terrible initial impression. Virtually the first thing we learn about her is that she is an inconstant woman. She behaves deplorably towards a man she's supposed to love, and then runs off to Morocco with a man slicker than Teflon. On many, many levels, her behavior is unforgivably stupid. Truthfully, I wanted to slap her. (Note to Authors: Having your protagonist repent and/or wise-up eventually does not justify making us hate her in the beginning.) And this whole opening drama takes up about the first hundred pages of the novel.

Which leads us to issue number two... God, I felt like it took forever for this story to really get going! No way did this novel need to be over 600 hundred pages long. I would have written a far more positive review had it been condensed by a good 200 pages. The overly drawn out introduction (that made me sort of hate the heroine) could have been condensed so that we could get to the meat of this story so much sooner. As it is, the plot described in the jacket copy of this novel doesn't even come into play until well past the half-way point of the novel....

And that plot involves Sira working on behalf of the British Resistance in the early days of WWII. But, given that that doesn't even get broached until page 355 of my galley, there's a whole lot that goes on before the excitement kicks in. And I don't mean to imply that it's all bad or boring. I think that Ms. Dueñas is going for a picaresque quality to Sira's story, with a series of episodic adventures. Some parts were more successful than others for me, but stuff does happen. I wouldn't call it fast-paced. What I liked much, much more than the drawn out plot were the many supporting characters that bring life and interest to the story. They're an excellent and entertaining supporting cast.

And as the novel goes on, the pace does pick up, the main plot kicks in, and from there on out it's a different book. There is romance, excitement, suspense--all the things I would have enjoyed seeing more of in the first half of the novel. So, The Time In Between ends on a high note. Heck, the door is even open for a sequel. By the end, Sira is a far more appealing protagonist. The prose throughout the novel is acceptable, but not what I'd consider a selling point. The North African setting of much of the tale, however, is unusual and adds its own level of interest.

I would recommend this debut to readers who are fans of long novels, and who are willing to have a little patience. I would also recommend it to fans of these types of stories--of the time, the place, the war. If the flaws I described sound like deal-breakers, you're probably better off skipping The Time In Between. Read more ›

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written story that I really enjoyed November 9, 2011

By AnneB

Format:Hardcover

This is the story of Sira Quiroga, she leaves her fiance and her mother in Spain and runs off with a man she thinks she is in love with. The man leaves her, steals her money, and leaves her responsible for paying the bill for the hotel they had been staying in at the time. For the first time in her life Sira is lost, desperate and does not know what to do. From here Sira finds her way in the world on her own terms, she begins a career sewing beautiful clothes for important woman and eventually uses this skill to spy for the British Secret Service.

Wow! This book was an amazing read, I enjoyed every page of it. The first thing that impressed me was how the writing flowed throughout the book, it made it such a pleasure to read. I love historical fiction and reading about WWII so I was thrilled with all of the history put into the book. I have to say that I have never really looked at what happened in Spain during this time so this book gave me a whole new perspective. All of the spying of course added lots of excitement and tension. Sira gets herself into some pretty dangerous situations and at times I could not put the book down until I found out how everything turned out.

Sira was a wonderful main character. At first she is shown as a selfish young woman who leaves her family for a man who is obviously not good for her. After this we watch her mature and grow into an intelligent woman able to take care of herself and use her skills in unusual but successful ways.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of this time and to anyone who enjoys reading about espionage. Both aspects are well detailed in this beautiful book.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars If you like the main character, you'll probably like the book November 10, 2011

By Cathy G. Cole TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

First Line: A typewriter shattered my destiny.

Sira Quiroga is the daughter of a humble seamstress in Madrid, Spain. From sweeping floors and running errands, Sira grows into an apprenticeship. By the time she's twenty, she's learned her trade and is looking forward to marriage to a government clerk. However, she hasn't learned to resist charismatic men. The father she never knew and a handsome salesman turn her world upside down.

Abandoned in Morocco by the man she loves, the only way Sira can survive is by using her needle. Through hours of hard work and determination, she becomes a respected modiste in Morocco. Catering to the collection of European expatriates trapped there by the war in Spain and the worsening political situation in the rest of Europe lays the groundwork for the next stage in Sira's life. She returns to Madrid, opens an exclusive couturier for Nazi officers' wives, and becomes an undercover agent for the Allies.

This was a very uneven reading experience for me. Its length (624 pages) is not for the weak of heart (or for those with weak wrists). If a story holds my interest, I don't care how long the book is, but this one only held it sporadically.

In many ways, I enjoyed the first section of the book the most. My interest was fully engaged as I learned how Sira grew up, how she fell in love, and how she had to fight hard to make a living after being abandoned in Morocco. The reader's opinion of Sira will make or break this book since she is the narrator. At times I found that her naivete and impulsiveness made me want to slap some sense into her.... However, she is honest about how she abandoned a good man for a bad one, and her friendships with Rosalinda and Candelaria as well as her descriptions of starting out in business definitely strengthen the narrative.

But Sira tells us something very important: she is carefully picking and choosing each fact in her story. Some of her choices weaken the book for me. When she becomes couturier for the Nazi officers' wives, it is a case of too much reporting and not enough doing. We're told more about the days the coded messages are delivered and very little about how the information was gathered. It would have added so much to the story to have a scene at the shop when the wives were gathered, relaxed and being served tea, gossiping away, with Sira working-- and listening-- diligently. I wanted to see it happen, not be told about it later.

It also came to the point where the political segments made my eyes glaze over. Sira purposely avoided many areas of Madrid because she didn't want to see what had happened to the city of her birth. There was too much in this book that Sira didn't wish to see, and I didn't appreciate being forced to wear blinders. Moreover, it felt as though Sira kept me at a distance-- as if she didn't really trust me. Granted, being a spy would make a person extremely distrustful, but when that spy is the narrator of a huge novel, distancing the reader can be very off-putting.

When all is said and done, your reaction to the main character of this sweeping historical novel will determine how much you enjoy it. I found much in the book to admire, but in the end, I felt as though Sira had led me down the garden path. Read more ›