Guernica was made famous by Pablo Picasso in his huge painting of the devastation that the small Basque town in Spain endured during the Spanish Civil War. The Germans destroyed Guernica and slaughtered men, women, children and animals at the behest of the rebel forces led by the military. At the start of THE GIRL FROM GUERNICA, Karen Robards takes us there the night before the horror that is a central part of the novel to witness the violence and wanton cruelty through the eyes of Sibi.

Sibi grows up in Germany where her German father works as a scientist. Sibi’s Basque mother pines for her native Spain, and when her mother (Sibi’s grandmother) becomes ill, she returns to her hometown of Guernica with her four daughters. At 16, Sibi is the oldest. Luiza is barely a teenager at 13; Jo is nine; and Margrit, the baby, is five. Sibi sees the Republican soldiers leaving Guernica and heading for Bilbao, which makes her urge her mother to leave for somewhere safer, but unfortunately she doesn't listen.

"Robards' skill as a storyteller is apparent as she develops a uniquely constructed timeline in the novel.... THE GIRL FROM GUERNICA is beautifully crafted, the narrative is heartrending, and the historical events are accurately rendered."

It takes a strong stomach to read the descriptions as we experience, vicariously, the devastating bombings and the small German fighter planes that literally chase civilians through the streets, taking them down with machine guns. Later, when many of the residents have died or are trapped beneath the destroyed buildings, more war planes drop bombs that will burn down what is left.

Sibi and two of her sisters are rescued from the ruins by an American military attaché named Griff. He sees them to safety, and then their father comes from Germany to take them home. Accompanying them is Ruby, a small dog Jo rescued, who in turn saved her by finding her buried beneath the rubble. Ruby is a heartwarming character in the novel. Diminutive as she is, she fiercely guards the girls from danger. But we see and feel the story through Sibi's eyes, and she's a fascinating and powerful protagonist.

Sibi’s intelligence and commitment to her family are evident from the first page as she works with her father in his lab. She loves physics and math, and when she has a chance to spy on the Nazis, she grabs that opportunity with both hands. While her father is unable to leave the country because his work is considered top-secret, she realizes that she can help defeat the Nazis by acting as a spy --- gathering information and sharing it with Griff, who is really with the OSS, the precursor to the CIA.

Robards' skill as a storyteller is apparent as she develops a uniquely constructed timeline in the novel. She begins the story in Guernica in 1937 before moving the action to Berlin several weeks later. Fast forward five years, and Sibi’s father has been working on aircraft and rocketry in a town called Peenemünde, which is at the northern point of Germany. While a five-year gap might be awkward in the hands of some writers, Robards creates a seamless transition as she fills in the missing time.

From the first page to the last, there is barely time to breathe as we witness one tragedy after another. We see Sibi's family bereft because of the deaths at Guernica, but also Sibi's strength and her determination to keep her remaining family members together and safe. Robards not only shares history about an almost unimaginable event and details of a horrific war, she presents an exemplary hero with an iron will who will do anything so that her loved ones can survive the war.

THE GIRL FROM GUERNICA is beautifully crafted, the narrative is heartrending, and the historical events are accurately rendered. In the author’s note, Robards explains that she had "done exhaustive research." Such attention to detail effectively and excitingly evokes the feeling that we are in the middle of the action, so be prepared. Also, be sure to have a few tissues on hand at the end. I can't imagine anyone not tearing up at the emotional close of the story.