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A review by nicjohnston
My Father's House by Joseph O'Connor
4.0
4* My Father’s House tells the (partially fictionalised) story of an eclectic group,
known as the Choir, who enabled significant numbers of people to escape from occupied Rome from 1943 onwards.
Led by Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty and boasting an ambassador and a countess among the ranks, this brave group supported the provision of money, clothes, routes and a means to escape, despite them being holed up in the neutrality of Vatican City for some of the time.
This is a a tense and detailed telling of a remarkable point in history. Pitted against Obersturmbannführer Paul Hauptmann, local Gestapo chief, the Choir have to be tenacious and adaptable to overcome many obstacles, many of which could not be second guessed. There is also a welcome recounting is post war events, including what happened to all of those involved.
This is an informative and intriguing tale of a lesser-told part of WWII, the occupation of Italy. As a reader I completely bought into the endeavours of O’Flaherty and his team, albeit there were times when the author was too keen with his research and the details slowed the narrative down more than I would have liked.
Overall a superb read. Thanks to Harvill Secker, Penguin RH and Netgalley for an
ARC.
known as the Choir, who enabled significant numbers of people to escape from occupied Rome from 1943 onwards.
Led by Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty and boasting an ambassador and a countess among the ranks, this brave group supported the provision of money, clothes, routes and a means to escape, despite them being holed up in the neutrality of Vatican City for some of the time.
This is a a tense and detailed telling of a remarkable point in history. Pitted against Obersturmbannführer Paul Hauptmann, local Gestapo chief, the Choir have to be tenacious and adaptable to overcome many obstacles, many of which could not be second guessed. There is also a welcome recounting is post war events, including what happened to all of those involved.
This is an informative and intriguing tale of a lesser-told part of WWII, the occupation of Italy. As a reader I completely bought into the endeavours of O’Flaherty and his team, albeit there were times when the author was too keen with his research and the details slowed the narrative down more than I would have liked.
Overall a superb read. Thanks to Harvill Secker, Penguin RH and Netgalley for an
ARC.