A fearless Italian girl risks her life to save precious artworks from the Nazis in a gripping new novel from the bestselling author of The Light After the War.
Rome, 1943: Marina Tozzi adores her father Vittorio and working together in his art gallery is her only escape from the reality of the Nazi occupation of her beloved city. Not only has she inherited her father’s passion for art, but Marina is gaining a reputation as an expert in her own right.
However, Vittorio is keeping a deadly secret from her. He has been hiding a Jewish artist in their basement and one day she returns home to find her father has been brutally murdered by a German officer. Devastated, Marina flees to Florence to seek help from the man who owes Vittorio his life.
Renowned American art expert Bernard Berenson offers Marina sanctuary in his beautiful villa outside Florence and puts her in charge of cataloguing his vast art library. As Marina gradually begins to heal, she becomes obsessed with finding a way to avenge her father. As the Germans and partisans fight for control of Florence, Marina discovers that Bernard is helping to save precious art from the Nazis. When handsome young artist Carlos approaches Marina to help the partisans by using her expertise to value artworks for the cause, she has at last found her purpose.
In one daring act, Marina risks her life to save a priceless painting from falling into Nazi hands and proves herself to the partisans. But falling in love with Carlos was not part of her plan. When Carlos suddenly disappears, Marina’s dreams about life after the war with him turn to ash – and she’ll have to travel halfway around the world to unravel the truth.
If you read Anita Abriel’s The Light After the War, you’ll know how excited I felt when I got my hands on her latest novel, The Italian Girl. Abriel’s ability to immerse us in her stories is superb. Getting lost in a novel has never been easier. Her comprehensive and detailed settings, coupled with dynamic characters makes for some of the most engaging historical fiction I’ve read in a long time.
Abriel’s greatest strength is how she’s able to connect the reader with the historical period. The majority of us have no idea what it was like to live during WWII, however, through Abriel’s writing, we’re able to live and breathe in this time period. Protagonist Marina struggles greatly with her journey to defy the Germans, and through her, we see first-hand the courage and bravery that everyday people endured during the Nazi occupation.
Inspiring, heartbreaking and full of courage, The Italian Girl is a stunning work of historical fiction. Abriel has delivered a compelling story that you won’t be able to put down. With complex character work and an engrossing Italian setting, this is one WWII historical you won’t want to miss.
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