Under the Blue Catalan Sky - Malcolm E. Brooks

To most readers this would seem like a sequel to 'Beyond the Meander' and I suppose this was my first thought but many readers of my first book told me how they were so pleased that I did not compile it as a DIY, but told of the joy they drew from the location and the stories that we told of our Catalan neighbours who became friends. So I decided that although we had to build on the success of the fishing lodge, there are details of anglers pursuing their dreams, but with Peter and Craig on board to take the reins, we ventured further afield exploring south to the beautiful mountain regions a little inland in the provinces of Castellon and and the Valencian community.

As Flix played an important part in the Spanish civil war and the Rio Ebro acting as a strong defensive line that had to be taken by the Franco republican forces and the way the war pit family against family and neighbour against neighbour, I researched and recount some of the enormous casualties that both sides lost in the battle for the Ebro, which happened in the local villages and towns that we now wander around and enjoy.

"Well, that was like slipping into a warm bath of bubbles. I started reading around noon and couldn't put it down. I've no criticism to offer. It was smooth and tight, not a word wasted or out of place, just perfect. Loved the verisimilitude, the attention to detail. especially around Juan Ramon's Christmas visit and how he seemed a fish out of water. Immediately identifiable but there was so much to enjoy I was definitely reading more for pleasure than as a critical friend." Amanda Bourne