You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
sad
medium-paced
A nice story, though the writing is not the best and some of it felt very embellished. The first half of the book is great.
The first 2/3 of this book are great. The climax let me down a bit. And I'm not sure what I think of the novelization of a true story—what was real and what wasn't. Etc.
But I really enjoy Italy in World War II stories.
But I really enjoy Italy in World War II stories.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was an incredible story. I would have given fewer stars for the writing, but the story was so engaging I could not put the book down!
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
A very interesting read about a part of World War Two not often talked about including the Catholic underground railroad that hid and ferried Jewish Italians out of Italy to Switzerland. A tale of personal courage and love in devastating times. The writing and dialogue were a bit simplistic, which I think is why this didn't hit 4 stars for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE AUDIOBOOK VERSION
The story was amazing. But I couldn’t tell if it was just the narrator that made it sound juvenile or the actual writing. The sad thing is that this is a TRUE story, and a story that should be told and heard! I know Mark Sullivan spent YEARS researching and writing this book, but the narrator, Will Damron, took it and made it a YA novel. And with his narration and lack of depth to the characters, it became a cheesy one. He didn’t even attempt to do an “Italian accent”, so throughout the book, Pino just sounds like some American kid. When I hear Cassandra Campbell in [b:From Sand and Ash|29638166|From Sand and Ash|Amy Harmon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465348530s/29638166.jpg|47395935] and [b:The Women in the Castle|30653967|The Women in the Castle|Jessica Shattuck|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472678686s/30653967.jpg|51198912] and Jennifer Wydra and Kayla Garcia in [b:The Orphan's Tale|29239940|The Orphan's Tale|Pam Jenoff|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477339189s/29239940.jpg|49482555] (I read all 4 of these books back to back in the same month) and their amazing narrations and voices and characters that draw you in, I find myself disappointed in Will Damron. I almost want to call him lazy, for lack of a better word.
Also, while I understand foreshadowing, but Sullivan overplayed his card. From the first time we meet a certain character, you can already expect it to not end well.
I’m wondering if I had physically read the book, would still feel the same way?