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Diario Euskadi

Rosa Díez Novelizes the Lives of Women Who Passed Through Fraisoro Foundling Home

The author will present her latest book on April 16 at the Tolosa Cultural Center, revealing the stories of women who lived at the Fraisoro foundling home.

Generic image of a library interior with wooden bookshelves, a microphone and empty chairs, in a cozy reading atmosphere.
IA

Generic image of a library interior with wooden bookshelves, a microphone and empty chairs, in a cozy reading atmosphere.

Journalist and writer Rosa Díez Urrestarazu will present her second novel, Cuando brillan las manzanas, on April 16 at the Tolosa Cultural Center, recounting the stories of women who lived at the Fraisoro foundling home.

Journalist and writer Rosa Díez Urrestarazu has novelized the lives of thousands of women and children who passed through the Fraisoro foundling home in her latest work, titled Cuando brillan las manzanas. The book exposes the double standards prevalent in Spanish society during the more than 90 years of the center's operation, from 1903 to 1994, which forced thousands of women to conceal their motherhood.
The novel tells the story of three young women: Alejandra, Luciana, and Jimena, who meet at Fraisoro while awaiting childbirth, despite coming from very different social strata. They must confront unexpected pregnancies in the midst of the Francoist dictatorship, a period dominated by national Catholicism, where it was unthinkable for an unmarried woman to give birth. Abortion was punishable by imprisonment, and every year, many young women went to foundling homes, most of them to give their babies up for adoption. Fraisoro was a place hidden from the eyes of society.
Since its publication in October 2025, the novel Cuando brillan las manzanas is already in its second edition. Focusing on Zizurkil, Rosa Díez-Urrestarazu has chosen to present this work in Tolosaldea. The event will take place at the Tolosa Cultural Center on Thursday, April 16, at 7:30 PM.
The apple orchard of Fraisoro becomes, in this novel, a silent witness to the confidences exchanged between the protagonists as they await childbirth. Despite the difficulties, they demonstrate resilience, which allows them to rebuild their lives. They are strong women, capable of moving forward, although the wound caused by that silent pregnancy will mark their existence for the rest of their days.
The situation of the three young women intertwines with that of post-war Spain. Alejandra Abaria will begin a new life in Biarritz, where she will find love and also learn another version of the Civil War in which her family did not play fair. The novel includes references to daily life, with familiar settings from Tolosaldea-Goierri, such as the Ordizia fair, which reflects market life, and how clandestinity was experienced during the Civil War in some farmhouses and homes.

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