Spoiler alert! And trigger warning.

Early on in this episode we talk about the horrors of war, including rape and murder, so do please skip past this episode if that’s not what you need to hear about right now.

We also talk about the impact of a novel being based on real people, with details drawn from their memoirs. Take Juana for example… do we truly understand her thoughts and feelings when her character seems to be based on the writings of her husband, rather than her own words?

And Harry? Do we really need to know so much about his boils??

And then there’s the whole thorny issue of Juana being 14 when she marries. That’s a tough one for most readers to stomach, especially when you know it actually happened, so we dig into that too.

Overall there’s lots to unpick in The Spanish Bride, but we’ve got the tragically heroic Daniel Cadoux to keep us company at least. Also, apologies in advance for the very poor pronunciation of Spanish names, places and phrases. It’s even worse than our French if you can believe that.

“Kincaid felt his heart ache for her weariness after long days in the saddle; Harry never weakened her by showing his sympathy. When he came to her with his duty done, he was her lover, but at all other times he was commanding officer, treating her much as he treated his young brother”

Instagram: @georgetteheyerpodcast

Twitter: @heyerpodcast