I read María Dueñas The Time In Between (Atria Books) in 2012 when it first came out and I loved it. A seamstress who doubles as a spy in World War II, hiding messages within the dots and dashes of her pattern making? Count me in! Granted, at 615 pages, it’s heavy reading, but I promise you’ll become absorbed in the melodramatics.
Set in the late 1920s to early 1940s, we meet Sira Quiroga, humble daughter of her dressmaker single mother. Right away it’s easy to see that Sira is going to make her own pattern for life and ditch her working class Madrid upbringing. She is set to marry a stable (but boring) suitor, but one shopping trip for office supplies and she falls for a slick salesman. Ay, he is no good, we can all see it right off the bat, but Sira dives right in, leaving her family in the dust. Her story of heartache, trickery, adventure and self-discovery is set into motion.
I have to admit, early on, there were times when I wanted to grab Sira right out off the dang page and give her a tough-love lecture. Bad decisions come in rapid fire succession, sometimes almost unbelievable. It makes for juicy reading, albeit, but I did cut her some slack because her character grows tremendously throughout the chapters. It’s a great tale of fashion, friendship, trust, deceit, suspense and even love – without ever being overly cheesy or cheap. Romance is on the back burner, and Sira’s confidence and empowerment takes center stage. Dueñas delivers nail-biting and often lush scenarios throughout Madrid and Morocco that will make you feel as though you’ve been transported in time. And I was so happy about the ending. It offered just the right amount of closure, but still left the gates open for more intrigue!
If you love reading books about sewing and fashion, and you love the era of 1930s Spain, you will love The Time in Between!
This book became one of my favorite reads that year, so imagine how excited I was to learn that The Time In Between has been made into a Spanish-language TV series! You can find it on DramaFever (I’ve never heard of it either), but also on Hulu.
THEY DID SUCH A GREAT JOB!! The series really brings the book to life, just as I imagined! This series is a perfect bonding-time activity for mothers and daughters, nanas, friends, etc.
P.S. Can I just add that after checking out DramaFever, it looks pretty cool. It’s like a NetFlix or Hulu for international TV shows and series…
Oh my goodness!!! I read and loved this book also!! I saw the first 10 minutes and I am hooked. I really want to re-read the book! Thanks Kathy for posting this!!! I’m so excited!!! iUna novela nueva!