Quince

In 1936 Stephen Faith, a young student, goes to Spain to teach English to Pablo, the seventeen-year-old son of the Mayor of Zahara de los Membrillos, and he finds himself falling in love with his pupils older brother. The beginning of the Spanish Civil War, however, interrupts this idyllic period of his life; Pablo is murdered and his brother, the leader of a group of daring Anarchists, inflicts a horrible revenge. Increasingly Stephen becomes involved in events outside his control as Zahara is besieged by the Fascists; on the wrong side of the lines eventually, he is deserted by his lover, tortured, and sentenced to death. His escape from prison is the exciting climax to this immensely readable, fast-moving story of love, war, betrayal and murder. It is without doubt the finest novel David Rees has written. In 1936 Stephen Faith, a young student, goes to Spain to teach English to Pablo, the seventeen-year-old son of the Mayor of Zahara de los Membrillos, and he finds himself falling in love with his pupil's older brother. The beginning of the Spanish Civil War, however, interrupts this idyllic period in his life; Pablo is murdered and his brother, the leader of a group of daring Anarchists, inflicts a horrible revenge. Increasingly, Stephen becomes involved in events outside his control as Zahara is besieged by the Fascists; on the wrong side of the lines eventually, he is deserted by his lover, tortured and sentenced to death. His escape from prison is the exciting climax to this immensely readable, fast-moving story of love, war, betrayal, and murder It's 1936 and Stephen Faith, a young English schoolboy arranges to spend the summer in Zahara Spain with the family of the mayor. A friend of his father's from their school days, the mayor has invited Stephen to come and tutor his youngest son in English while offereing him a chance to improve his Spanish. Stephen learns more than Spanish that summer beginning with his liaison with Pedro the mayor's older son and then with Pablo the mayor's youngest. While both boys are homosexual and willing to teach Stephen a thing or two, the Spanish civil war erupts and soon Stephen is learning about things other than love. Kort voor het uitbreken van de spaanse Burgeroorlog in 1936 geeft een jonge Britse student les aan een 17-jarige Spaanjaard en wordt verliefd op diens oudere broer; deze wordt actief in een anarchistische organisatie en de Brit raakt betrokken bij de gruwelen van de oorlog