Week 7: The Time of the Doves

The Time of the Doves, originally published in Catalan, written by Mercè Rodoreda. On introduction to this book, I was reminded of a short story I had studied in high-school – Old Man at the Bridge by Ernest Hemingway. Immediately apparent why, this short story follows a solider during the Spanish civil-war, as he encounters an old man attempting to escape the brutality in his small town by making the arduous trek across a pontoon bridge, into Barcelona.  I enjoyed this book thoroughly, while not loving it, I thought it was an interesting read. The style of narration of this book was very captivating and associative. The book follows Natalia, the protagonist, as she narrates her life, one thing after another, constantly building on the last thought. The basic plot follows Natalia, as a young woman, in Barcelona during the Spanish civil-war. The story offers a look into the struggles of survival, resilience and grief during the war and how a woman with children would attempt to navigate this. It’s a story of the melting of the political and the personal, how war and strife affect people. Natalia is a simple woman and this is evident from the first few pages. Natalia’s narration in the beginning is uncomplicated, yet descriptive. It is important to note that Natalia’s uncomplicated narration does not indicate a lack of quality from the author, rather the opposite. Despite having simple narration, Rodoreda does an excellent job of keeping the reader hooked and following the story.  Furthermore, we see this maintained throughout the story, where Natalia consistently attempts to just roll with the punches. This is certainly a story set during a war, not one of the army and its battles, but one of the populace and its battles. This choice of the author, to represent the reality of the struggles of the people, further manifested itself in the ignorance of people, even in the face of war.  Overall, this book is one chocked-full of heart-wrenching emotion.

Question: Did you appreciate the narrative style, how we follow the flow of thought of Natalia, or do you prefer something we encountered in a previous book?