This is an account of Spain and what it meant to be Spanish as witnessed through the eyes of James Michener during his visits from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Just like Jan Morris in her account of a similar time period in 'Spain', Michener's views may seem outdated now. However, it is fascinating to read about a Spain that no longer exists.

He had an intense love for the country, which is evident in his writing. Besides his observations on the cities he visited, there is a wealth of information about Spanish history, especially its kings and queens.

There are also excerpts from various Spanish plays, but I mainly skipped them as I didn't find them particularly interesting.

If you had to choose only one book to read about Spain, I would recommend this one over Jan Morris' 'Spain'.

It offers a unique perspective on a bygone era and provides valuable insights into the culture and history of Spain.

Despite its age, the book still manages to capture the essence of what made Spain so special during that time.

Whether you are a history buff or simply interested in learning more about different cultures, this book is definitely worth a read.

I didn't realize that this was non-fiction until I started reading.

It contains fascinating tales and experiences of his travels in and love for Spain.

The book is quite a large one, just like many of his other works.

I read it in pieces over time, savoring each chapter and the unique insights it offered.

The author's vivid descriptions brought the landscapes, cultures, and people of Spain to life in my mind.

It was as if I was traveling along with him, experiencing the joys and challenges of his adventures.

His love for Spain was palpable on every page, and it made me want to visit the country myself and discover its beauty and charm.

This non-fiction work is not only an interesting read but also a source of inspiration for those who dream of traveling and exploring new places.

I would highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in Spain or in travel literature in general.

I'm excitedly planning a trip to Spain and Portugal. Having recalled my previous enjoyment of Michener's works, I believed this particular book could be a great addition to my pre-travel preparations.

However, upon reading, I found that this book is quite different from his novels. It is a memoir centered around a country he deeply loves. At first glance, it seems there should be much to like.

Unfortunately, as I delved deeper, I realized that it was overly detailed. A good editor really should have trimmed it down. What compounded the issue was the extremely slow narrator. I had to increase the reading speed to 1.5 times to make it somewhat bearable. This adjustment helped me reduce the listening time from approximately 40 hours to about 30 hours.

Nevertheless, there were still parts that I did enjoy. The sections about the people, the city of Toledo, the museums in Madrid, the picnics in the countryside, the cork trees, the food, and the descriptions of the churches were all quite interesting. However, Michener's huge enthusiasm for bullfights was something that I could have completely skipped. Overall, the book had its highs and lows.

There, I've finally read my first Michener book, albeit at an advanced age. He is truly an erudite scholar and a world traveler worthy of admiration. Who wouldn't trade their life for his?

Iberia was a great choice for me as it offers insights into the man. About 700 pages in with 200 to go, I thought, given his deeply sympathetic descriptions of Spanish religious sentiments, this man must be Catholic. But then he discloses he's a Quaker! Nevertheless, his Christian leanings are clear. At times, they can be disturbing. For example, perhaps accidentally, he fills a page with quotes from a 20th-century Spaniard who refers to a famous case of Blood Libel during the Inquisition as "a hideous Jewish crime and one of many." The Jew in question was tortured to death for allegedly eating a Christian child (though the body was never found). Michener fails to dispute and rather supports Dr. Silio's general defense of the Inquisition as "not that bad." Silio's book was published in 1945, probably written during the fascist 1930s in Spain, while Iberia was written in 1968.

I suppose I should read Michener's The Source. He is not anti-Semitic, but he is certainly an admirer on aesthetic levels of Spanish Catholicism, with its great art, festivals, architecture, and the soulfulness of its culture. He comments, accurately I think, that the great mistake of the Republicans in the Civil War was their failure to realize the inseparability of Spain from its Catholicism.

Can I complain some more about this honored traveler, writer, and student of history? Another tone-deaf remark lies on a page where he praises St. James' role in Spanish history. Michener goes on to explain and more or less celebrate how James appeared in legend on a white horse to reclaim Spain from the Moors, then spiritually guide Spain to expel its Jews and move on across the Atlantic to "evangelize half the globe." This is a deep-seated notion in Spanish pride. I have a good Spanish friend who explains to me that the adventure in the New World was faith-driven, not gold-driven. But how does he explain Columbus' reported policy of cutting off the hands of natives who did not return with gold? How do we explain the enslavement of the Incas? How do we process the elimination through disease of 90% of the native population of the Americas? Ah! It was God's will, clearly. Again, in Michener's tone-deafness, we can see how far Western consciousness has come in the last 50 years. Or maybe it's just me.

For instance - ah, the bullfights! - he writes quite casually about the craziness at Pamplona, where some guy puts his hand up a young girl's skirt and the cops look on tolerantly. All part of the Pamplonamania, I guess. But Michener is definitely an aficionado and an expert one. It's an art, dude. You eat beef? Yeah? Then STFU. Seriously, when you read his accounts, his description of the bravery and the drama, it's hard to raise an argument, especially in the context of Spanish machismo.

Iberia is too long! It's dated in certain ways. But you will definitely know Spain better and probably long to see the places this man has been and see what he has seen. (On page after page, I went to the Internet to see images of the places he described.) He is honest and often critical of Spain's follies, cruelties, and inflexibilities. He describes forthrightly its perverse historical oppression of the lower classes at the hands of the triumvirate of the church, the army, and the landowners and explains that this is why the people have repeatedly risen up to suddenly kill scores of priests.

Michener is all right by me. I plan to read another of his 900-page exercises, but probably later in the decade.