Scan barcode
bookedbymadeline's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Head of Zeus for the proof copy! All opinions expressed are my own.
Interesting piece of WW2 history I didn’t know about-I’ve never read a story set in Italy during world war 2 as most novels are set in Paris or London so I loved learning about Italy’s history. They were originally Allies with Germany however they end up separating, and instead being occupied by the Germans in 1943, which is where the novel focuses its story.
Bit of a slow start but the tensions and plot twists build throughout the novel which pulled me further in! It’s one of those books where when I’m reading it I didn’t want to put it down but I didn’t have motivation to pick it up often.
Beautiful writing really made it feel as if I was there in the village! The book did a wonderful job of showing resilience and grief-there were a few parts that were very emotional and made me cry. The food descriptions made me hungry and I marked any passages which mentioned the recipes they were making 😅
I loved the characters, especially Elena! They were all well written and complex, although I would’ve liked a little more background on some of them which were introduced and important but then weren’t given as much detail as others. I also enjoyed the integration of Italian phrases throughout the novel!
My one negative was that I hated the ending 🙈 It’s open ended to the point where it felt abrupt and there was at least one unresolved/unanswered major plot point. Part of the open ending makes sense given its a novel set in war time and you can’t always have a happily ever after, tied in a bow end-of-story.
That’s more of a personal preference of mine; what I hated was the not resolving a major plot point, because why introduce it otherwise? How do you end the story without giving any indication what happens with it, it just made the story feel unfinished. The only way it makes sense is if the author turns it into a series which so far there’s been no indication of that.
This was a 4.5 star read until that ending which for that I’m dropping half a star. Otherwise, it’s an enjoyable page turner of a historical fiction novel. I recommend for any HF fans and for anyone who wants to read a different kind of WWII story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Violence, Death, Gun violence, Sexism, and Grief
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent and Racial slurs
More...