To War in Spain

This Penguin 60 combines extracts from Laurie Lee's autobiographies As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning and A Moment of War. For me the two excerpts run together seamlessly, so I am a bit confused how they came to be from different books!

In the first excerpt we pick up with Lee as he has returned to the UK from fighting in Spain. He explains his guilt at living his life while others continue to fight, and makes his preparations to return. Returning to Spain is not easy, and after travelling to France he sets out to cross the Pyrenees in winter, alone on foot.

The second excerpt reads as a follow on from his arrival, but perhaps it is a different time? (Half a star off for the confusion here.) He is not welcomed to Spain as he expected - it was far from friendly, as he was considered a spy. This story tells of his incarceration, and how close he came to the firing squad!

Well selected excerpts, very enjoyable short read.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars