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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
If this was my only five star read this year, I would end the year happy. As an Italian, I never knew this history & was educated on every page.
reminded me a little of Unbroken, not necessarily because of the time frame and same war (different fronts), but because of all the seemingly unlinked and random things that Pino did over the course of his life, much like Louie, that it was like reading several books at once.
I wish the writing had kept me engaged. The story seemed heroic.
I liked this book but it wasn't one of those that I couldn't put down. It is about an Italian boy during WWII so I did learn about aspects of the war that I did not know before.
When I turned the final page, I look at my husband with a tear in my eye and said "I wish I could read this for the first time again". This was heart-wrenching, beautiful, tragic, romantic, uplifting, and extremely sad all at the same time. I couldn't recommend this book anymore!!
The true story of Pino, a 17 year old Italian boy during WWII, is pretty remarkable. He helped Jews and other oppressed people out of Italy by taking them over the Alps into Switzerland. Once he turned 18, he enlisted and became a driver for one of the most powerful Nazis stationed in Italy, and so he became a spy. Some of this book is very painful to read. At one point I had to close my eyes and stop reading for a bit. At other times the story drags, mostly due to an overabundance of descriptions of environments. But overall, it's an amazing story of an amazing person.
Amazing story of Italian Catholics helping Jews and Italians fighting Nazis
Books about WWII are difficult for me. The stories of death and destruction and the horror of what humans can do to one another are sometimes too terrible to hear. But within this story we meet the unsung hero, Pino Lella and how he manages to endure the losses to war that he experiences. This was a compelling tale of faith, despair, hope and love. The narrator telling the tale and feeling the emotions of this amazing character. A little too long, and I wish it had been edited a bit. But all in all a beautiful, bittersweet tale.
