I have read many books about WWII, but this is the first one I have read about the plight of the Italian people. It was the forgotten front, but the people who lived it and fought it, will never forget it. When I met a soldier at the Canadian War Museum who fought in the Italian Campaign, I spent a lot of time with him. He said very few people were interested in the events he was involved in. I hope this book opens people's eyes to that.

Seventeen year old Pino Lella and his family live in Milan. Pino's mother and brother leave Milan when the bomboing begins, but he remains with his father. When an Allied bomb hits their home and demolishes it, his father sends him north to Casa Alpina. This is a school where Pino spent much time in his youth and where his brother is living at the time. When he arrives, he assists Father Re in his dangerous missions of transporting Jews to safety in neutral Switzerland. Near Pino’s eighteenth birthday, his father sends an urgent message to return home. He is in danger of being drafted and sent to the Russian front. His father, mother and uncle want him to enlist in the German Army to avoid being drafted. Pino becomes the chauffeur/translator for General Leyers, Hitler’s left-hand-man in Italy. Using this position, he is able to give information to the resistance about the German plans.

This story is based upon a real person and their experiences. Of course research is not always able to find everything, so the author had to add some narration and conversations that might have happened. Pino was a teenager, his emotions and actions were always in line with his age. This is a wonderful book to add to the WWII genre. It is a great read for adults as well as Young Adults, being as the main character is a teenager when the story opens. This is an easy-reading, fast-paced book about how war brings out the worst and the best in people.

What a privilege to read an advance copy of “Beneath a Scarlet Sky”! This gripping tale of a young man in wartime Italy reads like a thriller, but is the true story of “Pino” Lella, a young teenager in Milan at the start of the war. Pino’s exploits, along with those of his family and friends are told in a matter-of-fact voice, but the drama of the time speaks for itself. I came to care deeply about this young man, and shared his joys and his griefs as he stands up for his people and beliefs through the war.

Fast moving, very well written story about Milan during WWII. I learned so much from this book. I recommend it highly.

Not my favorite WWII novel (such a popular genre of late) but a solid, enjoyable read.

This is probably the closest truthful book written on the atrocities of World War II ~ at least that I have ever read. From the preface- where the author describes where he was at the lowest point of his life when this story came to him, to the Aftermath when Pino Lela talked about "the happy part of a long life". And "the song toe sung", this has been one of the most interesting books I've read in a long long time. It is the story of young Giuseppe Lella. Everyone calls him "Pino". He lives in Milan Italy with his family as the war starts spreading to Italy. Pino is 17 years old and just wants a girlfriend. His father wants to send his sons out of Milan for the duration of the war but Pino refused to go ~twice. But the third time his Father gave him no choice and he was sent to Casa Alpina in the Alps north of Lake Como. At times it was much more dangerous than being in Milan for Pino. I'm not going to try to tell the entire story but I felt that I was on the mountains and cliffs with Pino. The way his story was told made the horrors of the war very real At times I read late into the night to find out what came next and was never disappointed. A very good book. I have already recommended it to family and friends. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

I've read many books about WWII, but this is the first one I read about the Italian resistance and the horrible things that occurred in the country. Pino Lella is indeed a hero, even though he spent most of the war in conflict about his part in it. I simply cannot imagine what this man went through, even after reading the book! The strength of the human spirit is an amazing thing, and Mr. Lella has that strength in abundance. His life was at imminent risk for years, yet he still carried on. He witnessed horrific things multiple times, yet he carried on. He saw his first, true love murdered, yet he carried on. How he found that spark, when all seemed so dim is a testament to his courage.

One of my favorite quotes from Pino Lella is this, said decades after the war ended: "Life is change, constant change, and unless we are lucky enough to find comedy in it, change is nearly always a drama, if not a tragedy. But after everything, and even when the skies turn scarlet and threatening, I still believe that if we are lucky enough to be alive, we must give thanks for the miracle of every moment of every day, no matter how flawed. And we must have faith in God, and in the Universe, and in a better tomorrow, even if that faith is not always deserved."

I'm glad Mark Sullivan brought his story to life. It is one I won't soon forget!

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an e-copy of this book.

Amazing book. Sullivan wrote it as a story and took liberties to create dialogue for the "characters." It works really well in making this a page turner I couldnt put down. It's a bit clunky in parts, but overall I was blown away by the story and the courageous actions of Pino Lella. It was also so informative about WWII in Italy and the fate of the Jews and the resistance fighters who helped bring down the Nazis. The extensive research that Sullivan did to tell this story is impressive. I'm sure this will be made into a movie and it has the potential to be outstanding.

What I liked most about this novel is the look at WWII in Italy. I've read a few books that has skimmed over it, but Beneath a Scarlet Sky, gave me a much better sense of time and place. Every country has different stories to tell about it's unique experiences. I liked that this was mostly based on a real life person, as I would have thought that there was too much happening if it was fictionalized, but as we know truth is almost always stranger than fiction. I also liked that Pino was portrayed as a young boy, his emotions and actions were always in line with his age. The only reasons I did not rate this higher, is that I normally prefer HF that is more literary and slower in pace. I do however think that many, many people will disagree with me and prefer this action adventure style. I am adding this to my son's reading list, and I think this is the perfect book to introduce non-HF to the genre.
This is an easy-reading, fast-paced book about how war brings out the best in some people.

The Story: When an Allied bomb wrecks his family home, Pino’s parents send him north to Casa Alpina. There he assists Father Re in his dangerous missions of transporting Jews to safety in neutral Switzerland. Near Pino’s eighteenth birthday, he’s recalled to Milan, his father suggesting enlistment in the German Army to avoid being drafted. Pino becomes the chauffeur/translator for General Leyers, Hitler’s left-hand-man in Italy.

I believe that I am writing this short review about a gem written by Mr. Sullivan. Mark has been a star on the literary scene for many years, written his share of good books, including many in collaboration with James Patterson. But with almost raw emotion he presents us with a true story about an unsung hero of the Italian resistance during the ending of World War II. The setting is in Milan and the circumstances are the recent stationing of German troops to prevent an uprising against Mussolini the fascist dictator that has kept Italy in the war and allied with the Axis.
Pino Lella is a teenager wanting nothing more than to enjoy a life filled with food, good music and girls. But circumstances change when the allies begin bombing Milan and his parent's house is destroyed. He takes a giant step forward in joining an underground railroad dedicated to helping Jews escape from their Nazi oppressors. In the course of this work Pino meets Anna who will become the love of his life.
As the work in guiding Jews away from danger progresses it becomes more and more dangerous for Pino. His parents think of an extraordinary way to keep him from being drafted and fighting for Germany on the Russian front. He is directed to enlist in a section of the German army which will keep him from being subjected to fighting in Russia. There fate takes a hand in his life when injured he becomes the personal driver for General Hans Leyers who is in actuality the Left hand of Hitler in Italy. Fate fills his plate when it comes out that General Leyers' mistress has Anna as her personal maid. This circumstance allows a great love to develop between Pino and Anna.
With the chance to work for Leyers Pino seizes the opportunity to become a spy against Leyers and getting important information to the Italian resistance.
The novel is filled with the raw emotion experienced by people facing an enemy in their midst and always under the possible sentencing of death for the work they do. These are real people facing horrific hardship and a stress that cannot possibly be described via words on a page. But Mark Sullivan does succeed in making his characters live, feel, fear and love during an indescribable period of war and its winding down.
By the necessity of using real people during the most stressful period of their lives there is little probability of writing a sequel. Certainly, though, this book stands out as a watermark in Mr. Sullivan' literary career.

Wow! An amazing true story of Pino Lella, an Italian teenager, who at the age of seventeen, began sneaking fleeing Jews over the Alps to safety during WWII. He then enlisted as a German soldier and became an Allied spy as he was the personal driver for one of the most powerful, yet mysterious, Nazis in Italy, General Hans Leyers. Well-researched and written, with enough excitement to keep readers up late at night, this book is thrilling and heartbreaking at the same time. This book is a must read!

3.5 stars. Beneath a Scarlet Sky gets high marks for telling an interesting story about Italy at the end of WWII. It gets middling marks from me for the delivery. Author Mark T. Sullivan has written a fictionalized account of Pino Selle's Iife during the last year of WWII. Pino was an 18 year old Italian boy compelled to enlist as a German soldier by his family in occupied Milan -- this is how they thought he could stay safe. He ended up working as a driver for a high ranking Nazi officer stationed in Milan -- and also working as a spy for the Italian resistance. Sullivan had the benefit of first hand interviews with 89 year old Pino. As I say, it's a fascinating story. But the delivery could have been better. The writing is very simple and straightforward, which is not necessarily a flaw but may be off putting to some readers. To me, the book did suffer from being longer than necessary. I also felt that Sullivan paints Pino as unrealistically heroic -- he comes across as larger than life and as having emotions that are much simpler than he likely experienced at the time. Whether you are bothered by the weaknesses in the delivery will likely depend on what you are looking for. Great story but simplistic delivery. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

I accidentally added this, sorry! It was through an email invite and I just wanted to see what it was about.

A remarkable story of courage, dedication, love, and determination to survive, that left me once again in awe of the quiet heroism that was demonstrated during the direst times in the European history.
As much as I have read about the second World War in Europe and the devastating events that occurred, I hadn't even realized how the Italian viewpoint to the war was often missing. To see the desolation and ruin the war left in Italy itself and to the minds of the Italians, by the eyes of Pino Lella, was an honor and humbling experience.
As a story based on real people and true historical events, the author has built a well-organized timeline that was easy to follow. I got lost in the story with the images painted in my mind by the author's words. The feelings are strong, the emotional connection to the tale impossible to ignore. The decisions people had to make during the war were not black and white, you had to do what was needed to survive. Reading Pino Lella's story was like watching the hand of destiny, or God, work in every step he took during the war. If you have ever looked into the eyes of a person who witnessed the atrocity of the war, you might get a hint of the pain those people have to live with. Here we get a rare and raw look at the destruction the WWII left behind.
As I was reading the story hours went by that I wasn't aware of nothing else but Pino's life. The admiration I have for him, and people like him, who fought the insanity by risking their own lives left me in amaze.
Yes, the writing was rough at times, and yes, the book could have used a little better editing. Yet the contents of the story and knowing it was based on true events, true heroism, a real terrorizing fear and constant threat to the lives of everyone involved made the technical issues of the story irrelevant. The love Pino had for his family, friends, and especially for Anna was boundless, and it became the force to aid the survival. The meaning of life was to live just a moment longer, to see the loved ones again. The loss, the pain, the tragedy of the war, the guilt of survival and decisions made when life was on the line left a permanent mark on everyone, as the author demonstrates in the completion of the tale.
There are things that have happen in our history that we should never forget. Thank you for giving us the story Pino Lella, a young man with a fearless courage and noble spirit, who is an inspiration and example of bravery still needed today.
~ Five Spoons

5 stars

This book is based on a true story. It tells the experiences of Pino Lella, and Italian youth during the occupation of Italy during WWII by the Germans. Seventeen-year old Pino dreams of girls, movies and skiing. When the Germans invade Italy and more specifically Milan, he grows up fast. Along the way he meets Alberto Ascari who teaches him to drive and later becomes a world famous race car driver.

He is sent away to safety in the mountains with Father Re. Here he risks it all leading Jews to safety over the mountains to Switzerland. It’s a dangerous trek not only for the mountains, but also because of the thieves and criminals who haunt the trails. Called back to Milan by his parents, they plead with him to go into service with the Nazis as an engineer of sorts to protect him from being sent to the Russian front when he turns eighteen and is eligible for the draft. Reluctantly he joins. A fortuitous meeting lands him a position as a drive for Major General Hans Leyers, second in command only to Hitler. Pino is now a spy.

He meets Anna-Marta again and they fall in love. She is the maid to the mistress of Leyers so Pino gets to spend a bit of his free time with her. Pino sees Leyers do many questionable and reprehensible things while he is his driver. But he also sees flashes of humanity. With his role as a spy secret, he is much misunderstood by his friends and family. They sling slurs and call him names for they perceive him to be a traitor.

When the war winds down and the Germans begin to leave Milan, there is great celebration – and violence in the city.

This is a remarkable novel. While based in fact, it is not dry and overladen with minutiae. It is a human story told with care and not a little love. This book is very well written and plotted. It is exciting, suspenseful and filled with drama. This is my first Mark Sullivan book, but it won’t be my last. I absolutely loved it!

I want to thank Netgalley and Lake Union Books for forwarding to me a copy of this most wonderful book to read.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book one of the most fascinating historical fiction stories I've ever read. I'm very interested in WWII history, and this book tells a story of the war and resistance in Italy that is not well-known and is rarely discussed.

Unlike in other European countries, present-day Italy does not acknowledge WWII very much, because of the role Mussolini played in allying the country with Germany. However, that discounts the brave work done by so many to save Italy's Jews from slaughter.

Beneath a Scarlet Sky tells the true story of Pino Lella, an Italian boy from Milan who was sent away to school in the mountains with his brother Mimo when the Allies starting bombing Milan. With training, they led parties of Jews refugees over the Italian Alps and into Switzerland. Pino eventually became a spy for the Italian resistance and the Allies, and Mimo went on to play a part in the Resistance. There are more heart wrenching stories, intrigue and romance but you need to read the book!

This book is beautifully written. The story is gripping and I read it in one sitting, I quite literally couldn't put it down The characters are very real and so developed, which is quite a feat considering that Mark Sullivan wrote this book after many of the main characters were already dead. He did interviews, researched and read documents and created the very real world we read about.

I loved this book and highly recommend it, especially to fans of historical fiction.

Pino Leila is a typical Italian teenager, more interested in girls than the war raging around him. Still, he gets swept up in the conflict when his family’s home is destroyed by Allied bombs. Realizing he cannot sit idly by, Pino begins helping Jews escape Italy through the Alps and that’s when he meets and falls in love with Anna, a widow a few years older than he. He’s content to carry on with his work, but his parents, worried for his safety, enlist him in the German army. After he’s injured, Pino is assigned to be the chauffeur for one of Hitler’s top men in Italy, General Hans Leyers. He now has access to information directly from Nazi High Command and is able to get crucial information to the Allies, but his work will not come without cost and Pino may have to decide between the woman he loves and the fate of the free world. Based on a true story, this is a tale of honor, courage, love and the ultimate sacrifice. Highly recommended

This is one of the best books about the Italian part of WWII that I have read.

http://girlsjustreading.blogspot.com/2017/04/julies-review-beneath-scarlet-sky.html

This is a title I was invited to review.
I clicked on the widget link in error when I was trying to discern what the book was about.
My apologies.
Thanks for the invitation. I appreciate your offer, but feel I must decline in order to apply myself to the books I have already committed to reviewing.