Hell and Good Company

Christian Coulson offers an evenhanded narration of this history of the Spanish Civil War. But given the subject matter and the author's approach, a little more enthusiasm would have been appropriate. The work, which includes Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and the birth of modern warfare, seems more like historical fiction than historical fact. The reading should reflect the excitement. Coulson handles foreign phrases and places nicely, with no hesitation, which keeps the narrative flowing. But overall, the work has a sense of potential unrealized. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine