WWII romane set in Italy during the resistance.
This was the first WWII fiction novel I have read that was set in Italy. It was definitely this fact that first drew me to this book - it was new, uncharted territory and I was excited to dive into it. However, it didn't completely meet my expectations. I loved the setting but a lot of other stuff disappointed me. It wasn't a bad book, it just didn't live up to its potential either.
"I wanted him - I could no longer deny the fact that I wanted Peter and he
wanted me - but the war held us in its claws and would never let go." - Franca
👍 What I Liked 👍
Italy: WWII fiction set in Italy is uncommon, so I really liked getting this new point of view. WWII fiction has been done pretty much every which way, so it was nice to see that there are still avenues and stories left to be explored.
Peter: Our male lead, Peter Weimer, is a German soldier who defects when faced with the inhumanity of his fellow German soldiers. I really liked how much heart he had, how much conscience. I liked what he represented - the 'everyday' German, who didn't support the Nazi party or the war, but who had next to no say in their own fate.
"The innocent suffered the most on both sides
of the war and in the greatest number."
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Franca: While I enjoyed the our male lead, our female lead, Franca, was not to my liking. At first I didn't understand her at all. I couldn't fathom why she did what she did. I couldn't see through her motivation for her actions. I got her better later on, but not enough for me to actually like her.
"The war may control my circumstances,
but it could not control my heart." - Franca
Flow: There was something really off about the flow of the book. It felt choppy and weird.
Writing: The writing wasn't really bad, but it definitely had flaws that I had a hard time getting past. Especially when Sanchez introduced 'surprises' to the story. Every time a surprise occurred I almost missed it - it had no build up and it was hidden in a block of text. They didn't stand out and had very limited impact on me.
Read it if you like: WWII fiction, Italian history, enemies turned lovers
⭐⭐⭐
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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