Student Blogs

Merce Rodoreda’s ‘This Time of the Doves,’ originally published in Catalan, is a novel that masterfully intertwines the personal and political turmoil of Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War, seen through the eyes of the protagonist, Natalia. The text captures the essence of human endurance, the intricacies of love, and the bittersweet taste of circumstantial […] read full post >>

 The Time Of The Doves was probably my favourite book we have read so far in this class. The book covers some dark topics and is not a particularly happy one and shows a resilient protagonist who is brought to her breaking point, who is then able ... read full post >>

 The Time Of The Doves was probably my favourite book we have read so far in this class. The book covers some dark topics and is not a particularly happy one and shows a resilient protagonist who is brought to her breaking point, who is then able ... read full post >>

When I first read Mercè Rodoreda’s novel The Time of the Doves, I initially thought it would be somewhat wholesome and heartfelt — based on the name and love story presented. However, I was thoroughly mistaken. Similar to the other texts in this class, it made me feel many overwhelming emotions: sadness, shock, and anger. The main character […] read full post >>

Tuesday, February 27th This week’s read was quite fascinating in my opinion. I found myself thoroughly intrigued by Natalia’s character and her voice throughout the novel. Right from the start Natalia portrays this image of naïveté and innocence, with her white dress and “shoes like two drops of milk”. Rodoreda depicts this woman in her […] read full post >>

Hi everyone,    This week we all read Time of the Doves written by Mercè Rodoreda. I quite liked this novel even though I found it difficult to start, it discusses important themes about war, love, gender, life and family. I would like to discuss the main character, Natalia and her growth.    In the […] read full post >>

Rodoreda's The Time of the Doves was a very interesting read. The pacing was a little bit fast at times which threw me off and got me lost sometimes but overall, I enjoyed the book. The themes I picked up from this book were love, war and family.&... read full post >>

Rodoreda's The Time of the Doves was a very interesting read. The pacing was a little bit fast at times which threw me off and got me lost sometimes but overall, I enjoyed the book. The themes I picked up from this book were love, war and family.&... read full post >>

This book was a great read but also was very challenging due to the subject matter. “The time of the doves” is considered as a classic of Catalan literature and provides an incredible insight into daily life during the Spanish Civil War. Through the me... read full post >>

This book was a great read but also was very challenging due to the subject matter. “The time of the doves” is considered as a classic of Catalan literature and provides an incredible insight into daily life during the Spanish Civil War. Through the me... read full post >>

Mercè Rodoreda’s “Time of the Doves” is a whirlwind of a novel surrounding the life of a woman. This young women goes through a journey and this novel follows her through first person narrative and shows what is going on in her head. Starting out Natalia is an ordinary girl who falls in love with […] read full post >>

After a long (but much-needed) break, I, Giaan Deol, am back to talk about the crazily depressing, but nonetheless beautifully written, The Time of the Doves by Mercè Rodoreda. And, surprise surprise, I am again in complete awe of the talent, range, story-building skills, structure, tone, and so much more exuded by another brilliant female author. […] read full post >>

I found this week’s book “The Time of The Doves” by Merce Rodoreda to be very clearly and literally written which made it easy to follow. Although told in first person, I felt that that the writting, because written so literally, lacked emotion that is usually shown through the character. As a potential result of […] read full post >>

The Time of the Doves, originally published in Catalan, written by Mercè Rodoreda. On introduction to this book, I was reminded of a short story I had studied in high-school – Old Man at the Bridge by Ernest Hemingway. Immediately apparent why, this short story follows a solider during the Spanish civil-war, as he encounters …

Continue reading "Week 7: The Time of the Doves"

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“Some things it was better not to say” (106)  Unfortunately, I am going to have to disobey this quote as well as the famous saying “if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all”… because if I didn’t say anything then I wouldn’t meet the contract ha!  In case you can’t […] read full post >>