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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
We are halfway through the work week and I’m excited to share an amazing historical fiction book that came out yesterday, Courage My Love by Kristin Beck. This is a beautifully written story about the Nazi occupation of Rome and the resistance that fought them. I love WWII historical fiction that places female resistance members front and center, which is exactly what Courage My Love did.
Our two main characters Lucia and Francesca come from different backgrounds, but the one thing they have in common is their strength and bravery. The story is told from each woman’s POV and Kristin Beck did an incredible job seamlessly weaving the two storylines together and joining them at the perfect time. I enjoyed seeing each character come to their own realizations about the occupation and decide what role they wanted to play. I appreciated that Francesca, a Polio survivor, was portrayed as a powerful contributor to the resistance.
The secondary characters were just as amazing and well developed as our main characters. Each one served a vital role in the overall story and contributed to Lucia’s and Francesca’s decisions. I especially loved Signora Bruno and admired her courage and her cheerfulness during such a dark time.
So much of WWII historical fiction is set in France and Britain and I love finding new locations to read about. Reading about the war and occupation of Rome was new for me and I had no idea how Italians, especially those in Rome, were impacted by the battles between the Allied and Axis powers. I found the background on Mussolini and his relationship with the Nazis to be interesting because I didn’t realize he was removed from power and then restored by Hitler.
If you’re a fan of historical fiction, but looking for a change of scenery I highly recommend Courage My Love! It is an emotional story, but one of resilience. Bravo Kristin Beck for such an incredible debut!
Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Pub for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Our two main characters Lucia and Francesca come from different backgrounds, but the one thing they have in common is their strength and bravery. The story is told from each woman’s POV and Kristin Beck did an incredible job seamlessly weaving the two storylines together and joining them at the perfect time. I enjoyed seeing each character come to their own realizations about the occupation and decide what role they wanted to play. I appreciated that Francesca, a Polio survivor, was portrayed as a powerful contributor to the resistance.
The secondary characters were just as amazing and well developed as our main characters. Each one served a vital role in the overall story and contributed to Lucia’s and Francesca’s decisions. I especially loved Signora Bruno and admired her courage and her cheerfulness during such a dark time.
So much of WWII historical fiction is set in France and Britain and I love finding new locations to read about. Reading about the war and occupation of Rome was new for me and I had no idea how Italians, especially those in Rome, were impacted by the battles between the Allied and Axis powers. I found the background on Mussolini and his relationship with the Nazis to be interesting because I didn’t realize he was removed from power and then restored by Hitler.
If you’re a fan of historical fiction, but looking for a change of scenery I highly recommend Courage My Love! It is an emotional story, but one of resilience. Bravo Kristin Beck for such an incredible debut!
Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Pub for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.