I received this book from Harper Collins.

World War II books seem to be flooding the market. There are books about the Nazis, the prisoners, the German people, the Jewish people, etc. This book is unusual in that it is the viewpoint of a young Italian girl living in Venice and the part she plays in the Resistance. This story is told from the viewpoint of Stella Jilani during WWII and her granddaughter Luisa Belmont.

Luisa’s mother dies and while cleaning out her mother’s home she stumbles upon an old typewriter and pictures of her grandmother with people she has never seen. The discovery of letters and documents shows Luisa that her grandmother had a hidden life. Could the mystery explain why Luisa’s mother was so emotionally distant? Luisa wonders what these pictures and the typewriter signify.

Stella is a young girl when Mussolini takes power. As the Germans control Venice, behind the scenes the Resistance is hard at work. Stella was working at the local newspaper but with the German occupation, there is no need for reporters. The Resistance places Stella in the office of the German commander as a translator. She passes along any information that she sees to the Resistance. At night she travels to a secure location and writes articles for the underground newspaper.

The underground newspaper is important to the Venetians. It communicates information about the war, which citizens are currently in German custody for questioning, and provides encouragement to everyone. Another part of Stella’s work with the Resistance is transporting items past the German soldiers. She passes information along and even transports the components to build a contraband radio. There are times when she is nearly discovered but somehow she evades capture.

In addition to the newspaper, Stella writes a story in chapters that is included in the underground newspaper. It becomes very popular with the Venetians. The Germans vow to capture the person writing this story. No one will give up the identities of the newspeople and the Germans become more desperate. They finally receive a tip that puts Stella’s life in danger.

Luisa begins searching for information about the pictures she has found. She discovers more information than she expected, but can’t seem to discover her grandmother’s true identity. She travels to Venice to see if she can find anyone that might be able to help her search. Through persistence, she finally learns of her grandmother’s name and actions during the war.

There is so much more to this story. Stella is a warm and determined young woman. She wishes to sacrifice everything if it will help free Venice. The story shows the oppression of the Germans, the continuing effects of occupation by a foreign army and the bravery of the Resistance. Mandy Robotham describes the beauty of Venice as only someone who has been there can. She is dedicated and works hard to convey the story. While the story is sad at times she doesn’t sensationalize or overdramatize.

At the conclusion of the book, the story is complete. Luisa learns about her amazing and fearless grandmother and why her mother was so emotionally distant. Stella steps toward her future and life without the influence of Hitler or Mussolini. This is a truly fulfilling book.

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Additional Thoughts: My father-in-law John is Italian. I found myself smiling throughout this book as I read about how people were all sitting down after dinner drinking grappa. My father-in-law would often talk of grappa and it wasn’t something that you find in the local liquor store. In another passage, they talk about the smell of garlic cooking. I remember being told that only using two cloves of garlic in my cooking was silly and that it took at least 6 to get the flavor right. Not that this matters to anyone else, but to me it proved that Mandy Robotham understands the simple things that are meaningful to Italians.

It’s wonderful to read a story rich with detail and appreciation for culture. This was a new look at a topic that has been covered from many different angles. The story is excellent and the author is extremely talented. I encourage you to read this book and enjoy the trip to Venice.