Orange Bitter, Orange Sweet

Seville Trilogy, Book 1

By: Anthony McDonald

Narrated by: Anthony McDonald

Seville, late '70s. This first book in Anthony McDonald’s Seville Trilogy follows the intertwined relationships of six young people - a potent mix of nationalities and sexualities - as they embark on adult life.

Richly imbued with the sights, scents, and sounds of Southern Spain, this haunting, deeply felt novel explores the sharp sweetness of youthful love, the bitterness of betrayal, and its aftermath.

©2001, 2016 Anthony McDonald (P)2019 Anthony McDonald

Don't pass by this one!

About two years ago I read this book and continued to read the whole trilogy. This is a very different experience in audio book form. First, there is the marvelous story, which in McDonald's typical fashion, feels more an account of real life than fiction. But as told here by the author, you hear an objective but engaging narrative that draws you in with the truth and authority of one who may, just perhaps, actually have lived this story. There is something wonderful in listening to his lovely British accent (just slightly left of posh) delivering this tale in a way that I never heard my own voice in my head as I read it. And you WILL feel you know each of these characters (and they are characters you would really like do know), by the time you reach the final pages.
Then there is the fascinating idea of including little musical excerpts between chapters (can't do that when you're reading!) Are they random? No. They are wisps and snatches of music heard by the characters. Music that floats in and out of the story, music that characters play or hear. There is always a substantial amount of music in McDonald's books. To be able to hear it, more or less as you read it, is surely a minor miracle. The music is played by the author/narrator. Now that is a rare jewel indeed in my audio book experience.
It is certainly difficult to say which of McDonald's 30-some books is the finest, but this trilogy is the one I shall return to time and again, as one does with great literature that moves one to the very core. And how much more authentic coming, as it is here, from the source's mouth.