Homage to Catalonia Review

George Orwell with his master (Orwell was really a dog)

     I started this book last winter, but had to return it to the library before I could finish it and thus have been in suspense for about six months as to who would win the Spanish Civil War. If you are looking for a deep account of that conflict, this is probably not for you. It is half a journal by Orwell about his time in the war and the other half is some commentary about the events of the war, with his putting great focus on how the war and the socialist party were distorted by the press of other countries.
     One of Orwell's key distinctions as a writer has always been a very journalistic form of description. This serves him well here, as he is able to make even the seemingly mundane conditions of trench warfare fascinating. It also works quite well when he is writing his commentary on the situation as it makes his complaints seem well founded and not petulant.
     The story is most interesting when Orwell writes of the inter-workings of the three sides of the resistance. The Spanish Civil War was such an odd conflict, with Anarchists, Socialists, and Communists teaming up to try and stop Franco and his fascist army, yet the conflict among the three groups of resistance seems to overshadow the actual war, with the Communists slowly wresting power away from the others before turning on them while soldiers from all three were still at the front seeking to halt Franco.
     Some of Orwell's opinion pieces do get a bit long however. They are certainly interesting, but always seem to be interrupting the actual plot and I frequently found myself skimming over these parts. They are not bad, but are just lesser.
    The book is a pretty good account of both war and politics, though not history. Orwell's style works well here, and the book reads quite well, though occasionally it gets a tad boring. Probably not worth waiting six months for, but a good book nevertheless. Overall: 7/10
-Captain Joshua