Reviews

Eternal by Lisa Scottoline

emilydoehrman's review against another edition

4.0

I read a lot of WWII books and yet I have never read one with characters under the leadership of Mussolini and/or in a Fascist country. History was never a strong suit for me in school simply because I would get so bored, so reading historical fiction that pays attention to including accurate facts and details is a way of learning about these events that actually holds my interest. This is a lengthy book, but it covers everything from childhood pre-war for the three main characters to adulthood. I felt that there were no holes left in the storyline, and I appreciated that I wasn't able to predict where the story was taking me or where it would end due to the the number of twists thrown in. Another thing I liked was that the author was not scared to take a difficult turn with a character in order to accurately write on the harsh reality of WWII.

bonniereads777's review against another edition

2.0

I could not finish this one. I just could not get into it. The physical descriptions of the characters read like an obligatory list of facial and body parts, and the interactions between characters are wooden and forced. This is just not for me.

marie20067's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

aellereads's review against another edition

4.0

4.5✩
The Eternal City. Lisa Scottoline's latest novel is an emotional story of friendship, courage, love, loss, and family set during the Second World War in Rome. Eternal is about three main characters Sandro, Marco, and Elisabetta, coming of age during these difficult times.

Scottoline's historical fiction is stunning, touching, and heartbreaking. The author beautifully depicts the fate of Italy through the stories of the Simone, Terrizi, and D'Orfeo families. While I read many WWII stories set in France, Germany, and the United States, it was my first time reading a novel about Fascism, the rise of Mussolini, and the anti-fascist resistance.

Despite illustrating a tumultuous and horrendous time in history, Eternal also celebrates Italy and being Italian. Scottoline masterfully brings her characters, the people, the food, the culture, the art, and the country alive in each chapter.

*I would like to thank Penguin Random House International for gifting me a free copy in exchange for my honest review!

shayner's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? N/A

5.0

barbaraf's review against another edition

4.0

The main character, Elisabetta, reminds me of Francie, one of my favorite characters, from 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'. That was probably my favorite childhood novel, which I have been meaning to reread. Maybe that's part of the reason I enjoyed this book.

Needless to say, there is a lot of stuff going on in this story. From beginning to end, there is action, drama, tragedy, and romance. Lots of tragedy as expected...

There are some unlikely scenarios and dialogue, but the pace makes up for that. Most of the events that took place in this novel, as well as many of the characters, were real.

If you liked this book, I would also recommend 'Beneath a Scarlet Sky' by Mark Sullivan and 'Under the Light of the Italian Moon' by Jennifer Anton, which are also great WWII historical fiction novels set in Italy.

asalzano9's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? No

4.0

hippiechick56's review against another edition

3.0

Slow to start and drawn out tbroughout. Lots of details on Italian life just before, during and after the war and too many points of view. If it'd been a bit more concise, it would've been a better book but still worth a read.

katlashw's review against another edition

1.0

I can’t help but notice the inspiration between the novel and the true story of Gino Bartali. If this is the case, it’s a disgrace to the real hero.

pinkydink70's review against another edition

5.0

I rate simply: 5 = liked it, 3 = meh, and 1 = didn't like it.