I loved that this book focused on a part of WWII that is not often covered in historical fiction. The setting is mostly Rome just before and during WWII. I love Italy and Rome and it was great to have that be the setting. Three friends, one of whom is Jewish and how their friendship and lives are torn apart as Mussolini and the fascists start controlling the country. I was fully invested in these characters. They felt completely real to me as I read. I often found myself Googling the names of places, buildings mentioned to see if they were real or where they were located. I shed more than a few tears, because of the story of what happened to the families of these 3 friends. I want to find someone to do a tour of Rome for me, next time I'm there, that will show me the major sights mentioned in this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read this important story.

a great WWII story from Lisa Scottoline, best known for mysteries. This was very readable and full of interesting plotlines. Highly recommended.

I love historical fiction and this novel by Lisa Scottoline was no exception! This was the first book, written by this author, that I have read, and it did not disappoint. Great story of three childhood friends growing up during World War Two, in Mussolini’s Italy! Thank you!

What could be better than having vastly talented Lisa Scottoline turn her warm, insightful, and deeply resonant storytelling to historical fiction, focused on the intersecting lives of three teens and their families all swept up in the onset of WWII. Mussolini, after waffling between treaties with England and Germany, takes up with Hitler and the Nazi, and Fascism ultimately embraces the Nazi’s antisemitic laws. Caught in the middle are Santos, a rising Jewish mathematical wiz and member of thousand-year Roman Jewish family, Marco a charismatic athlete who starts working for the Fascist brass and has a deeply Fascist Dad, and Elisabetta, the beautiful and brave girl they both passionately love whose Dad is a dysfunctional alcoholic and whose Mom walks out on the family.

Lisa has set her sweeping saga in the late 1930’s, amid the quick-moving dramatic events leading to Italy’s plunge into the Second Great War. Her fictional characters face the fracturing of their beloved country along political lines, the turning of a beloved leader into a feared Dictator, and the turmoil that destructively spills out across the magnificent, centuries-old, beloved city of Rome. There’s budding romance, families finding their members ending up on differing sides of an ever-widening abyss between the Fascists and the liberals, and the emergent horror of increasing restrictions and oppression of Rome’s longstanding Jews who consider themselves Roman and Italian first and foremost in their identities.

The best historical fiction plunges you into the sights, sounds, flavors, and ambiance of a time such that it simply comes alive for you. In Eternal, you find yourself savoring bicycle rides on cobblestone streets, freshly crafted pasta variants, the hubbub of popular café, the stars beaconing over the Tiber river, an Italian family sitting down to a Friday night dinner of fried artichokes and fresh fish, pastel painted small houses, and myriad other details of daily life pre-War. You’re then thrown into the harrowing chaos of a piazza overrun in the unleased anger of a political mob, the meeting of rebels in Rome’s underground catacombs, and the takeover of gorgeous, marble and art-strewn mansions to serve as headquarters for the Fascist regime.

As the interwoven stories unfold and war looms closer, the book transforms into an un-put-downable page-turner in which you feel deeply vested in and deeply worried about the teetering futures of the characters, as well as majestic Rome itself. While shining a light on one of Italy’s darkest moments, the book holds out faith that the best of Roman culture will prove resilient and transcendent.

Most touchingly of all, in telling the story of Rome’s Jews, their persecution under the Facists and then the Nazis, Lisa pays vast tribute to her professor Phillip Roth from whom she took a seminar at U. Penn.

More please!!

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy of this novel.

What an incredible book! This book of historical fiction brings additional knowledge to the literature of the Holocaust. The role Italy played is examined in such depth. How Italy's involvement with the Holocaust occurred and how its citizens reacted to its horrors are so well defined.
The relationship between 3 close friends growing up during World War II Italy, is juxtaposed against the growing threat of the Nazis and Mussolini. The writing is so engrossing and you can't help but become completely entwined with the characters against the backdrop of the inhumanity so aptly described. Such an important book-

I am a huge historical fiction fan and this book hits all the marks. You will fall in love with the characters, root for them and have your heart broken with their struggles under Fascism. The book is richly descriptive of place and time.. You will learn about the Italian Holocaust. A departure from her mysteries, this is a must read.

I had the great honor of reading this book before the publication date in order that I could interview the author following. I have been reading World War II based books for as long as I can remember. It is a time in history that I have always had a great interest in, and yet the Italian holocaust has never been at the forefront of my research. The novel has a slow start, and it took a bit for it to wrap me up in the story. Elisabetta is a girl living through extraordinary times, but her dreams and goals are reflected in the eyes of women still today. She will stop and nothing, and deserves a place at the table of beloved female characters. The amount of research that Scottoline did in order to bring this world, these people, and this time period to live is undeniable and incredible. The final 40% of the book had me so enraptured, I had to finish it in one sitting, often with tear streaming down my face and my heart filled with admiration.

I’ve read a number of books of this era and genre the past year and didn’t know if I was quite up to yet another one with all its heartbreak and inhumanity. Still, it is important that books such as these continue to be written and read….we must never forget and, hopefully, use the lessons from these books to become better human beings….or at least less hateful to each other.

This well written novel follows the lives of a number of characters, but it is never confusing. The characters are so charming that I almost didn’t want to read on because I knew the fate that would await some of them. The story, which stretches in time from 1937 to 1957 is heart wrenching, yet hopeful. Well researched, with a great sense of place… Rome, the Eternal City. It is a long novel, but the story moves quickly. It is a powerful read.

Thank you for the advanced review copy. Eternal is the first Lisa Scottoline novel I've read and it won't be the last. While I found some parts predictable, her writing was a nice change of pace for me, and outside of my comfort zone. We will be adding more copies to the library's collection because our staff has been recommending it to everyone.

Extremely disappointing. Scott online can write so well and I had high hopes for this one. Apparently it was over-hyped.

The Italian Holocaust is not a well-known event in history. But this beautifully written novel tells the story through three teen-agers Marco, Elisabetta, and Sandro, their Jewish friend. The story begins when the three were care-free young people with loving families and their own discovery of the difference between good friends and lovers.. As the story progresses and the Germans invade Italy , Mussolini looks the other way as he wanted his piece of the property and money stolen from the Italian Jewish population- and that was just the beginning. Lisa has superbly interwoven the historic events with the lives of these three teens. Through their eyes and emotions, readers will know that this Holocaust was no less horrific than the one that engulfed Germany. A must read.

I have read other books by Lisa Scottoline but this one is absolutely the BEST! Her themes of family and love resonant throughout this amazing book using the Italian experience of WWII as the background. I thought I knew a lot about what happened but the abhorrent treatment of the Jewish community in Rome, and specifically The Ghetto was enlightening for me. Massimo exemplifies the attitude of the Jewish men and women; they defined themselves as Romans - as their families had been for generations - and as such they thought they would be treated like all other Romans/Italians. It was this naive belief that cost so many their lives, because they simply could not fathom that the Fascist regime would ever turn on them, even before the Nazi's took over. I found the historical aspects of this book fascinating and was pleased to read the Author's Notes which outlined which characters were real and which she created. Her research was clearly extensive and the details added to the story made it come alive. The beginning allows us to see Elisabetta, Marco and Sandro when they are young and carefree before the events took over their young lives. Like all stories and books focused on the War and The Holocaust some of this is difficult to read but it is so important that we never forget this terrible time in history and always remember all those who died. I will definitely recommend this book to everyone and feel so lucky to have received an ARC through NetGalley and the publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Thank you so much Putnam Books for the gifted copy.

All I can say is that this author needs to write more HF books NOW. I was sucked in from the beginning, and got so attached to not only the three main characters, but to all of the secondary characters as well. Most of the WW2 HF novels I have read take place in Germany or Poland, or even England. I haven't read many that are set in Italy, and it brought a whole new look at how mistreated the Jews were all over Europe, not just in Germany. I didn't know about the Roman Ghetto or how the Nazis raided the library there and destroyed so many priceless artifacts.

The story of Marco, Elisabetta, and Sandro was heartbreaking. I grew attached to their families as well, and it was interesting to see different sides and perspectives.

The writing was beautiful, the research was well done, and although this book is long, the flow was perfect and I flew through it. I definitely recommend this to historical fiction fans.

Lisa Scottoline one of my favorite mystery authors enters the world of historical fiction.She wrirtes a fascinating story of Italy during Ww11 of Mussolini and his support of Hitler& of the friendship love of three young friends.I was drawn into the story and enjoyed from beginning to end.Highly recommend.#netgalley#penguinputnam

I have been a long time fan of the books of Lisa Scottoline, so when I had the chance to read a new book by her before it was published, I was really excited. I was also a little apprehensive since this is a big departure for her.

I've read quite a bit of historical fiction and there are a few that really stand out for me, either because of the excellent story telling, or the book offered something different. (Loved the Huntress). Most of them tend to blend together and I will enjoy them and forget them. But this book offered something totally different.

It tells the story of three childhood friends in Rome and only one is Jewish. It's the story of how WWII impacted them, and their friendship. This was truly unlike anything I had read before, and I really loved it. I was all wrapped up needing to know what happened next.

I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC - this did not impact my review.. (Trust me, you should see some of my reviews).

As a long time fan of Lisa Scottoline, I was excited to hear she was writing historical fiction. I wasn't disappointed. Her story of the treatment of Jews in Italy under Mussolini is well researched, with excellent characters, and an engaging plot. She presents the horrors of that period in history through the lense of families, friendships, young love, and heartbreak. Highly recommended..

Bestselling author Lisa Scottoline says that "Eternal is the culmination of a lifetime of my work." It is a story she has wanted to write for some forty years since she was an English major at the University of Pennsylvania and one of her professors was none other than acclaimed author Philip Roth. It was during that first semester of study with "Mr. Roth," as he liked to be called, focused on "The Literature of the Holocaust," that Scottoline learned of Primo Levi, an Italian Jewish chemist who survived being imprisoned at Auschwitz and wrote Survival in Auschwitz, his memoir. For the first time, she also learned details about the Italian Holocaust and a 1943 event called the "Gold of Rome." Finally, after writing more than thirty novels, and immersing herself in research, she felt ready to pen the story that had been inside her for so many years.

The result is Eternal, the engrossing, emotional saga of three friends who grow up in Rome. Elisabetta D'Orfeo is the story's heart -- a young girl from a troubled family who dreams of being a novelist someday. Her father is an alcoholic, but once he was a painter of beautiful landscapes. After suffering a catastrophic injury that left him unable to paint, Elisabetta has watched his condition worsen and her parents' marriage disintegrate. In order to make ends meet, she works as a waitress at a family-owned restaurant, Casa Servano, where the endearing matriarch, Nonna, serves up homemade pasta and unsparing advice about Elisabetta's love life.

Marco Terrizzi, is the youngest son of Beppe and Maria. Beppe was a champion cyclist and wants his two youngest sons, Marco and his brother Aldo, to train to follow in his footsteps. But neither of them feel called to cycling. Marco, like his father, believes in fascism, and secures a job working for Commendatore Buonacorso, a powerful Fascist officer. Eldest son Emedio is a Catholic priest assigned to work at the Vatican. Aldo is harboring a secret that, if discovered, will endanger him and the family.

Sandro Simone is a kind, introspective mathematician who looks forward to his internship at the university under the guidance of Professor Tullio Levi-Civita. His father, Massimo, is a successful lawyer and prominent leader in the Jewish community, and Gemma, his mother, is a physician. His older sister, Rosa, has entered into a romantic relationship with David Jacobs, a gentile, much to her parents' consternation. After all, faith, family, and history are the most important things to them, and they live immersed in all three in the Ghetto. The oldest Jewish community in Western Civilization, established nearly two thousand years ago, their house has been in Massimo's family for generations. Many Roman Jews with the means to do so moved away, but Sandro's family remains, even though they are financially better off than most of their neighbors and employ Cornelia, their beloved nanny and housekeeper.

Scottoline begins the story in May 1957, as Elisabetta gathers her strength to reveal a secret to her young son with the hope that he will understand her motives for keeping the truth from him. The action then moves back twenty years to May 1937, revealing the story that Elisabetta must relate to her son so that he will understand the things she survived and why she has not previously told him everything.

Eternal is an emotionally enthralling, towering story about the ways in which the three friends' world gradually begins to change. At first, Marco is a true believer in fascism, anxious to do anything to support Italy's government and its agenda. He believes Mussolini to be a great, brave leader and is anxious to rise up the ranks of the Fascist Party. Sandro craves intellectual pursuits -- and Elisabetta's heart. As does Marco, but the competition between them is not malicious or mean-spirited. They are friends first and foremost, and no matter which of them ends up earning Elisabetta's devotion, they vow to remain friends.

With Elisabetta, Scottoline has crafted a strong female protagonist. Elisabetta lovingly cares for her father, understanding how losing the ability to express himself as an artist broke his spirit, just as she is devoted to her two friends and resists being rushed into deciding to which of them she will commit her future. Around them, the world begins to be a dark place as Mussolini and the Fascists begin enacting a series of Race Laws that discriminate against and increasingly dehumanize Jews. Little by little, their rights are stripped away, along with their occupations and professions, financial holdings, possessions, and ability to live anything resembling a normal life. Elisabetta and Marco watch, horrified, as Sandro and all other Jewish students and faculty are expelled from every school and university in Italy, and his parents are prohibited from practicing their professions. Despite the fact that anti-Semitism had never been part of the Fascist belief system, the three and their families are left reeling when Mussolini decides to align with Hitler, adopting the Nazi agenda in a failed power-grab. Things only get worse when the Nazis invade Rome and subject the Jews to unspeakable atrocities that Scottoline depicts through the experiences and reactions of her characters, including the "Gold of Rome" and eventual rastrellamento (rounding up) of the Ghetto inhabitants. As in other parts of Europe, the Nazis' goal was to eradicate the Roman Jews.

Scottoline's decades of research make Eternal emotionally rich and deeply resonant. Real historical figures appear as supporting characters in the story, including Professor Levi-Civita, the "Einstein of Italy," and Dr. Giovanni Borromeo, a physician who devised an ingenious ruse to trick the Nazis and save his Jewish patients, as depicted in the book, as well as Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, the "Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican" who disguised himself and hid Jews from the Nazis. The character of Nonna is lovingly based on Scottoline's own mother, Mary, who was, like Nonna, a pasta professoressa with strong opinions. The story unfolds in the locations where the actual events occurred, all of which Scottoline visited, and they practically become, along with the food that is so much a part of the story, characters in their own right. Scottoline deftly uses the locales and food to dramatically illustrate the profound ways in which the characters' lives change. Sandro and his family go from sitting down to delicious, plentiful dinners prepared by Cornelia, shared at the family table where conversations are had and decisions made, to practically starving but for the generous and risky assistance rendered them by true friends who dare to defy the Nazis and their evil machinations. Likewise, she depicts the difficulty Nonna and other business owners encounter getting supplies to keep their restaurants and cafes operating so that they can provide for their families as Italy inches closer to war.

Scottoline is not a plotter, admitting that when she sits down to write, she does not always know what direction her story will go. That is not evident in Eternal, which is a cohesive tale that proceeds in a linear manner with increasingly difficult to absorb plot twists based on the true history of Rome. Her characters are fully developed, credible, and compelling, especially Elisabetta, strong and determined, and Marco, who undergoes a transformation as the story proceeds that undoubtedly reflects the evolution of many citizens of Rome who were caught off-guard as Mussolini betrayed them and the Nazis gained a foothold in the city.

Fans of historical fiction must read Eternal, not just because it is a unique tale about aspects of World War II that have not been fictionalized before, but because it is, at its core, a well-told, deeply moving story about the resilience of the human spirit. Scottoline's characters love their home, are bound to and committed to it and each other, and determined that injustice and evil will not prevail. There are villains, of course, and there are also heroes in Eternal -- normal, unremarkable people who do exceptional things at great peril in order to help their neighbors and friends. Still, some of Scottoline's plot developments will infuriate and break the hearts of readers but, like any writer, she can be forgiven because she realistically depicts the devastatingly unfair nature of war.

What is evident on every page is the degree to which writing Eternal was a labor of love for Scottoline, an Italian-American who worked tirelessly to get the details exactly right and do justice to her subject matter. She has succeeded spectacularly because Eternal is a monumentally memorable story populated with characters -- real and imagined -- who will remain in the hearts and minds of readers long after they finish reading the book. Indeed, Scottoline bestows her "ultimate acknowledgment" upon the memories of the Italian Jewish victims of the Holocaust and their families, noting, "I hope I have honored them and their story, because that matters the most to me." She most definitely has.

A long time fan of Lisa Scottoline’s enormous writing talent, I was eager to read her first foray into the historical fiction genre. As the author of over 30 thrillers as well as humorous nonfiction, Eternal was a major departure and resounding triumph for Scottoline. What this author has proved capable of time and time again is delivering well written characters that share their stories with themes of love, family, relationships and justice.

Eternal tells the story of 3 close friends who come of age in Fascist Italy. Elisabetta, an aspiring writer, Marco a proud Facist and Sandro a Jewish math scholar have been best friends since childhood. As teenagers their feelings have grown, creating a love triangle where Elisabetta has to choose which one is for her. Set in Rome and spanning 20 years, this emotionally powerful story follows these characters, whose relationships with each other and their families are changed dramatically as they navigate through love and loss during World War 2.

Although the main characters are fictional, the story is rooted in real history. Despite my having read many WW2 historical fiction books this story sheds light on events in Italy during this time of which not as much has been written. Learning more about the Jewish Holocaust in Italy through Eternal has illustrated to me that there is still so much to be uncovered and learned.
This was a sweeping, unforgettable, absorbing and emotional story that was well crafted. Bravo! For a deeper dive into the research and places behind the book don’t miss visiting Scottoline’s website for an interactive map and videos capturing her time in Italy researching. They provide a fabulous insight into the history, food, culture and historic sites in Rome!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.

When I requested Lisa Scottoline's new book, I'm not sure I really paid attention to the description as I've always enjoyed the other books by her that I've read. So I was a bit surprised when I opened the book and saw that that the prologue was set in May 1957 and then the first chapter starts in May 1937.

Eternal is Scottoline's debut in the historical fiction genre. And it happened to be set during my favorite historical period and even more it was set in a place that I have not read much of. From the dates above, you can see that the book spans a few years before the start of WWII until well after the war. It is set in entirely in Italy and focuses on the homefront in Rome. From my other readings that have touched on Italians during the war, I realized I know very little about Mussolini and Italy's position.

Scottoline provided plenty of historical information to show that I knew even less about Italy's role during this period and it whet my appetite for more information about Mussolini, Roman Jews, and Italy during WWII.

At its core, Eternal is a love story. But it is not the typical WWII romance novel. For one we see plenty of politics and resistance action. For another thing, Elisabetta is not the starry-eyed girl besotted with a man. Okay, she is a little bit starry-eyed in the beginning as she is only a schoolgirl, but as grows up rather quickly due to tragedy and necessity she is much more pragmatic and knows her true heart.

In addition to being a love story and providing historical facts, it is also a multi-generational coming-of-age story. It's not just the main characters of Elisabetta, Sandro, and Marco who grow and discover their true selves. It is ironic that it is mentioned on a number of occasions how old Rome is and the long-established Roman ancestry of these families, when it feels like the city (and many of the characters) are coming-of-age through this great time of turmoil. In different ways, long-held beliefs, certainty in how things will be, and even their very identity of each character are challenged and changed.

I thought this would be a relatively quick read as I'm usually sucked into Scottoline's stories. Eternal was a bit different from her other books. While interesting, it was a slow read without much nail-biting action. I just wanted to warn you so you don't give up after a few chapters thinking nothing is happening. It is a slow-burn type novel but your time and effort will be rewarded in the end.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Tuesday, March 30 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/03/eternal-by-lisa-scottoline-review.html

WWII historical fiction written about 3 characters and their families. Elizabetta, Marco, and Sandro. Takes place in Rome during the 1930's-1950's. Such a wonderful new WWII perspective. So well written and researched. Catches your interest early on and holds it until the last age! You really come to care about the main 3 characters and their families. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy