I’ve been contemplating taking a trip to Portugal, so naturally finding a good book that takes place there it part of the planning process.
Luckily, if you’re looking for books that take place in Portugal, there’s a range of genres and variety of stories to choose from. Here’s some of the best. Happy reading, and please feel free to share your thoughts if you end up reading one of these!
What It's About: Sebastião Raposa is only thirteen when his parents are unjustly imprisoned by the Inquisition, and he is forced to flee Portugal or face the same fate. But a decade in exile only whets his appetite for vengeance—transforming a once frightened boy into a dangerous man, determined to right unforgivable wrongs with unrelenting fury.
Well schooled by his benefactor, bounty hunter Benjamin Weaver, in the use of wits and fists alike, Sebastião returns to Lisbon—in the guise of English businessman Sebastian Foxx—to stalk the ruthless Inquisitor priest Pedro Azinheiro. But in a city ruled by terror and treachery, no enemy can be underestimated, nor any ally trusted. As Foxx is drawn into the struggles of old friends, confronted by new foes, and forced to play a game of deception, he finds himself befriended, betrayed, tempted by desire, and tormented by personal turmoil. And when a twist of fate turns his plans to chaos, he must choose between surrendering to bloodlust or serving the cause of mercy.
Publication Date: September 22, 2015
What It's About: Klaus Felsen, forced out of his Berlin factory into the SS, arrives in a luminous Lisbon, where Nazis and Allies, refugees and entrepreneurs, dance to the strains of opportunism and despair. Felsen's assignment takes him to the bleak mountains of the north where a devious and brutal battle is being fought for an element vital to Hitler's bliztkrieg. There he meets the man who plants the first seed of greed and revenge that will grow into a thick vine in the landscape of post-war Portugal.
Investigating the murder of a young girl with a disturbing sexual past, Inspector Ze Coelho overturns the dark soil of history and unearths old bones from Portugal's fascist past. This small death in Lisbon is horrific compensation for an even older crime, and Coelho's stubborn pursuit of its truth reveals a tragedy that unites past and present.
Publication Date: October 5, 2000
What It's About: Cork Boat tells the story of Pollack’s improbable quest. Overcoming one obstacle after another, he convinces skeptical bartenders to save their corks, corrals a brilliant but disorganized partner, and eventually cajoles more than one hundred volunteers who help build the boat until their fingers bleed.
Ultimately, Pollack completes his vessel of 165,321 corks and sets sail on a fantastic voyage down the Douro River in Portugal, where the Cork Boat becomes a national sensation.
Publication Date: January 6, 2004
I love reading books set in different countries, but it can be difficult to find them in English (and affordable – lol). Thanks for sharing these; I’m going to go look for them and possibly recommend some to my library!
That’s great to hear — and yes, I love when books really make a location come alive, though it always makes me want to travel more, haha
Great post :)
Thank you!
No problem :) check out my blog when you get the chance 😄
Wow I never would have guessed there were so many books set in Portugal
Haha, yeah, it’s nice to have a variety of options!
Yes I love having options