Hello there, bookworms. Happy Wednesday (what’s left of it). I just got in from another long work day and I’m all settled in with a Doctor Who marathon while I anxiously await the arrival of lucky number thirteen, but I wanted to drop in with a book review because 1) it’s been a bit, and 2) because I’ve just been so utterly shattered by a book that I just had to get on here and tell you all about it while it’s fresh in my brain. Please bear with me because I honestly feel like I’m a total mess of emotion. I know I have books from May I still have not reviewed, but I promise that they will be up shortly. Tonight, let’s talk about Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan.
Like I said in a past post, I write all day at work. I write copy for major online retailers for a home goods/textiles company, so while I do, I listen to music, but on days I do mindless things like putting things into Excel sheets, I catch up on some reading via Audible. My most recent selection was Beneath A Scarlet Sky, and let’s just say that I spent my entire afternoon holding back tears in an office full of people while I listened to the last handful of chapters.
“Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours.
Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. He’s a normal Italian teenager—obsessed with music, food, and girls—but his days of innocence are numbered. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six years his senior.
In an attempt to protect him, Pino’s parents force him to enlist as a German soldier—a move they think will keep him out of combat. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at the tender age of eighteen to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitler’s left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third Reich’s most mysterious and powerful commanders.
Now, with the opportunity to spy for the Allies inside the German High Command, Pino endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by fighting in secret, his courage bolstered by his love for Anna and for the life he dreams they will one day share.
Fans of All the Light We Cannot See, The Nightingale, and Unbroken will enjoy this riveting saga of history, suspense, and love.”
I am completely blown away by the remarkable, tragic, heroic, story of Pino Lella and everything he did/was put through during the war. He was a kid at the time and was so damn brave and quick on his feet, I almost couldn’t wrap my head around it all. I know portions of this story were exaggerated to fit everything together the way Sullivan wanted, but regardless, this is a fascinating story that you almost can’t believe is real.
My heart broke (and still breaks) for Pino. Seeing the things he saw and witnessing the things he did during his few years helping with the war effort. Yet, he never broke. He went into survival mode for the greater good over and over, and I kept waiting for the moment when it all reached its crescendo, but when it all explodes, it was not what I expected would happen, and I broke too. I am left so devastated and moved by this story and its events that as much as I’m reviewing how much of an impact this book made on me in such a short time, I somehow feel like the words aren’t there. What happened to Pino over and over again in war are things that could destroy a person. I’m replaying moments from this story over and over in my head and I can’t imagine if I had to deal with any of it when I was 16-18 years old and then continue to carry it in my heart or my mind for the rest of my life. Pino, his brother Mimo and the whole cast of rebellious characters were brave beyond words and left me feeling like a member of a very strong but very broken family, ravaged by the perils of war and destruction.
Reading this, just as with any World War II novel, brought me back to being a young girl and listening to my grandparents tell me stories of fighting the good fight and all they encountered during their times in the army. I think about both of my grandfathers often and at times like this, when I finish such a touching story, I wish I still had them around to talk about such events so I can remember and be part of the chain that keeps it going, and keeps history alive. I especially loved the afterward to find out what happened to everyone who was left from such devastation.
I want to thank Mr. Sullivan and of course, the incomparable Mr. Lella for such a remarkable and touching tale that has shaken me to my core and will stay with me for quite a long time. I know it was published in 2017, but this book has just skyrocketed to the top of my list for 2018. Thank you for returning to memories, especially since so many were so painful to have someone write them all down and tell a harrowing tale that, until recently, wasn’t well known. Now, us readers can shoulder some of the burden that comes with pain and keep it all going, especially through some of the hard times we’re having now in the world.
I need to go decompress from this book and savor the words of Mr. Sullivan.. and realize the sacrifices people like Pino and his family made at a time when being on the right side of history could have gotten you killed.
Please do yourselves a favor and read this book if you haven’t yet. Click the book below to get your copy now. I can’t properly say enough about it that will do it justice to the overwhelming emotions I’m feeling about what I’ve just read.
Until next time, bibliophiles!
My Final Rating: five out of five stars
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