Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Misleading, 12 Dec 2002
I have found this book of very little help for those who want to get an idea of how Spain looks like. It seems it was written in the 19th century instead of in the 21st. The authors present (represent) Spain the same way it was pictured in many European and North American books of the 1800's and early 1900's: focusing mostly in the moorish buildings (which are not the majority in Spain)and the drafty rural houses. It seems that mostly shows, except for some pictures of Galicia, the misleading stereotype of Spain as a land of matadors, flamenco and moorish influence.
I can't believe there aren't any pictures of Madrid, the capital of the country and with an enormous cultural heritage, Salamanca, with one of the oldest Universities in Europe, all the incredible cathedrals in Castile, the Renaissance buildings in Andalusia, the Cathedral of Santiago the Compostela and the Pilgrim's Path in Northern Spain (with a tremendous importance in Europe's Middle Age cristianity).
The book omits the legacy of the Roman Empire, the palaces built during the Habsbourgs and the Bourbons, resulting in a very partial way to show the reader a general idea of Spain. It also surprises me that, in a book titled "Spain: Architecture,Interiors, Landscape, Gardens" there are the authors' political references to Spanish history, like when they say "...the infame Pizarro", refering to the conqueror of Peru, Francisco Pizarro.
The conclusion is that most Spaniards will be offended reading this book, the foreign readers that have already visited Spain will think they visited a different country and, if they haven't been here yet, when they first visit, they will most likely have the feeling they arrived to a very different place .
I planned this book to be a present for my girlfriend's family in the US, but I decided to return it because it would have not met my expectations: to show them an objective perspective of Spain's Architecture, Interiors, Landscape and Gardens.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
