It's hard to separate my feelings about how well the book is written from my dislike of the hero. Add to that the specter of plagiarism the book was enveloped in when first published. (I believe I was reading an original version since I managed to find offending text noted in an article about this.) It was a compelling read with a few extraneous side-trips thrown in. Not really an in depth look at the Spanish Civil War, more so about English views on homosexuality and how far a man goes to shed his natural desires and the tragic consequences of his efforts.
