I had a hard time getting into this book as there were so many characters and a lot of the names sounded similar. Confusion over who was who reigned until I decided not to worry about it. The story of the Italian resistance rang through loud and clear. The amount of detail pulled together and woven into the narrative made the book a good read. I could see the mountains, the villages, the town, the tattered people. Most of the litereary attention has been on Britain, northern Europe and the Soviet Union with only a little time spent on the south, or Africa, so to read such a detailed account of the last years of the war in Northern Italy was very interesting and informative.

The intersection of the different groups of people interested me as well, especially the Jewish and Catholic communities. The author creates each community in such a way that it seems she must have lived several lives, growing up in each community, to know such details, dialects, and cultures. It reminded me very much of the stories my grandparents used to tell, of their struggles, grief, and the general fear and confusion in Yugoslavia during and immediately after WWII. It was a terrible time. The book's stories ring true. Also she adds to the story, by alluding to the nuances between different individual Catholics or different individual Jews (or even different atheists). She shows her knowledge that each Catholic, or each Jew, has some human difference in carrying out their belief, though they all reverently bow to the same creed of their religion. This adds a human element; a true, kaleidoscope factor, which is a refreshing and reassuring change from our current secular society's views on religious groups as thoughtless followers. Her novel deals with a very complicated time in Europe, and expounds on history that is not usually taught in schools, likely for the simple fact that it is complicated, and that many of the facts have still not been documented. The only drawback (besides a few too many allusions to sex), was that the author seemed to paint the Partisans in a positive light. Knowing what I know from my grandparents own lives and my own study, when the Communist Partisans took over, the fear, bloodshed and mass killings only got worse. I am eager to read another of this author's books.

gals walk grp bookclub

Russell mines a little knowm nugget of Italian and Jewish history in this tale of the intersection of partisans, Jewish immigrants, Italian peasants and Nazi aggressors in the late stages of WWII. There is a lot to learn here about guilt and redemption. The author bravely goes where most others wouldn't and the final pages are a testament to her unique vision of these events.