Couldn't put it down

I've just finished reading Or I'll Dress You In Mourning, the biography of Manuel Benítez, El Cordobés, the bullfighter I mentioned in a previous post.  It didn't take me long to read it (it has actually taken me longer to get around to writing the review).  Plainly said: this was one of the most compelling books I have ever read.  I could hardly put it down (only a year of sleepless nights with an infant was enough to get me to turn the light out each night).

This book tells the story of Manuel Benítez, a peasant born on the eve of the Spanish revolution.  He grew up in a region with only three landholders who paid next to nothing to the local field hands, and the promise of a socialist republic was a popular concept.  His father was quick to join the socialist militia when the fighting started and was imprisoned until his death when the war finally ended.  His mother died quickly after a brief illness and he and his siblings were left to be raised by his oldest sister.  Determined to become a bullfighter like most other peasant boys, he demonstrated a dedication to his cause that few people have, until he finally broke into the big time at an age when many bullfighters are considered washed up.

Despite knowing the fate of El Cordobés, which you can quickly gather from the captions on the collection of pictures, I found it difficult to put the book down for want of knowing what would happen next.  The only disappointment is that the book ends in 1964, at the start of his illustrious career that still continues, 40 years later!