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dtwigg410's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
cari1268's review against another edition
3.0
A by-the-numbers WWII fiction novel with nothing wrong but nothing special to make it stand out. I was entertained enough.
The heroine, Nina, was too much of a shrinking violet for my tastes. She seemed stronger without her romantic interest than with him.
3 Stars.
The heroine, Nina, was too much of a shrinking violet for my tastes.
Spoiler
She always did as she was told without question. When she realized that Nico was helping Jews, she never asked what she could do to contributeSpoiler
I was evilly rooting for Nico to stay dead.3 Stars.
melg14's review against another edition
3.0
Alma and I felt a bit disconnected. I don’t think third person narrative worked because things would happen but not in depth of how Nina felt. It was like “this bad thing happened. Here is how others reacted. Then we moved on to another thing.” No time for processing.
Another issue for me was that we didn’t get enough moments of Nico and Nina bonding. We got details about her chores, Nico leaving for x amount of days, and then months would go by and suddenly they are confessing their feelings. I, as a reader, shouldn’t be the one filling in those moments of development when I have nothing to build it on. It could have been the littlest details, like them inching towards one another in bed over time and then finally cuddling to stay warm, and I would have been happy.
Another issue for me was that we didn’t get enough moments of Nico and Nina bonding. We got details about her chores, Nico leaving for x amount of days, and then months would go by and suddenly they are confessing their feelings. I, as a reader, shouldn’t be the one filling in those moments of development when I have nothing to build it on. It could have been the littlest details, like them inching towards one another in bed over time and then finally cuddling to stay warm, and I would have been happy.
susanp's review against another edition
5.0
During WWII in Italy, a young Jewish woman poses as a Christian farmer’s wife. The book is a well-written and good historical novel, but I did feel character development could have been a bit better.
brinysea's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. Engrossing read. A little formulaic at the end. Realized that I knew little about Italian civilian life during WWII so made me want to read some non-fiction as well on the topic.
hornista's review against another edition
5.0
Whew. What a journey. I lost track of all the tears, both happy and sad, and flew through this book in barely 36 hours.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
5.0
I was nervous that this book wouldn’t be able to live up to the extremely high standard Robson set with her last novel, The Gown (one of my favourite books from 2019). Boy was I wrong! Warning there are spoilers ahead so don’t read to the end if you want to be completely surprised. At the core of her newest book is perhaps the most moving love story of any two fictional characters I’ve read. Catholic farmer Nico and Antonina (Nina), the daughter of a famous Jewish doctor pose as a married couple in order to protect Nina in Nazi occupied Italy. The first 70% of this novel is a charming, detailed look at the Gerardi family and life on their farm outside a small Italian village. Life on a farm is a big adjustment for Nina, a city girl from Venice, but she eventually gets the hang of the multitude of chores that need doing; slowly coming to fall in love with both Nico and his whole family. Their idyllic country life is not to last when a local Nazi official sets his sights on both Nico and Nina (him for his resistance work and her because of her religion). As the war winds down Nico and Nina get torn apart by the most tragic of circumstances only to ultimately find their way back to one another. Not a typical WWII historical fiction - the Italian setting was fun to learn more about and I also didn’t miss having a dual timeline - the story is set exclusively in 1940s Italy. This book was 10/10 for me - both heartwarming and heartbreaking - affecting my emotions as only the best writers are able to do.
dennasus's review against another edition
2.0
I adored Robson's "The Gown ", so I started this with one with high hopes and have to say, it didn't live up to my expectations. Neither the characters nor the plot really hooked me and I thought the characters weren't really fleshed out. I was pretty sure I knew how it would end, which didn't make it too exciting either. An author's note at the end explains why she decided to write this story and while I understand what prompted it, the execution fell flat for me. Sorry.