This historical fiction novel is a departure for author Lisa Scottoline. Set in Italy during the Fascist regime and subsequent Nazi involvement, it is a solid dose of important history told through the lives and loves of characters who are personally affected by the politics. The impact of decisions and the efforts of individuals to change the course of their country and their lives are vividly portrayed. The slippery slope of granting authoritarian power is a cautionary tale. Characters we can love and understand make this novel real and very readable.

Set in Italy during WWII at the height of Mussolini's rule. Close friends, Sandro, Marco, and Elisabetta find themselves at odds with each other when Sandro and Marco both declare their love for Elisabetta. The divide between friends increases as Italy enters the war on the side of Germany. Marco is climbing the ladder of the Fascist government, while Sandro and his Jewish family become enemies of Italy. Elisabetta's life is falling apart around her, and admitting to loving one of her friends over the other has caused an even bigger rift in their relationship. The three friends find themselves alone as Italy is becoming a country they don't even know anymore. It was a book that was hard to put down, because I just wanted to find out what was going to happen next.

What was it like to live in occupied Rome during World War II? How did the people see the relationship between Benito Mussolini and Hitler leading up to Italy's alliance with Germany? How does the insidious Nazi blame of the Jews for everything look to the average Italian? And finally, what is it like to love two boys who have been your best friends since childhood? These questions and more are asked and answered in this novel of love and hate, for your friends and for your country. A cross between Kate Quinn spies and Ruta Sepetys teenagers, this book delivers history and romance in one package.

I was so excited to read this book as I absolutely adore anything by this author. This book was a little bit different than her other books.

The story is set in Italy at the very beginning of World war II. The main characters are Elisabetta, Marco and Sandro, who are like the 3 musketeers in high school. Unfortunately the world is about to be changed for each of them in the midst of fascism and anti-Semitism.

There are so many lessons to be learned about bravery, friendship and loyalty.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I love to read historical fiction, particularly tales of survival under the harshest conditions during the holocaust. Survivors of that experience continue to inform us to this day about the atrocities of Hitler and Italy’s Race Laws. This novel shows the intersection of three families in Rome during pre-war and wartime Italy. Two families were Roman Catholic and one Jewish. Despite Mussolini’s Race Laws the families and the young of these three families continued to care for each other and develop relationships and love during this darkest period of their history. A worthy read of this period and a reminder of the importance of retaining our humanity in the face of despots.

This was such a different book for this author who typically writes legal books or thrillers.

In Eternal, she tells the story of three young people, Elisabetta, Marco and Sandro against the Facisim that was eventually Italy's downfall during WWII. Marco started a job with the Facist part while Sandro its Jewish. Of course, both are in love with Elisabetta.

I really liked the book.

Eternal is Lisa Scottoline's historical fiction debut. Clearly her heart and soul went into this novel that is set during the Italy's holocaust which saw the deaths and degradation of the their Italian Jewish citizens. Her research is meticulous.. I was fascinated by this little known part of WWII. She also writes beautifully of Italian culture, food, and landmarks. It's a shame that the story itself isn't as engaging as her narrative. In fact, the best part of the book was the last third of the book that allows Scottoline to bring her sharp skills as Thriller writer when two of the main characters set out to rescue their Jewish friend from being transported to Auschwitz. The first half it's share of moments, but I found most of it contrived, dull, and predictable. I also found the resolution of the love triangle completely unrealistic. Eternal does stand out from other WWII fiction from the past few years because of its setting, but the story is as standard as a WWII film that you find on Turner Classic Movies.

This was an interesting and engaging read by Lisa Scottoline. I really liked reading about other areas that WWII affected - especially reading more details about Mussolini.

However I feel like this book drug a bit by getting bogged into the details (like the places that most won't know) and the book suffered for it.

Overall though I found it hard to put down and the story riveting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very different sort of Lisa Scottoline work. I've read many of her thrillers and was thrilled to have this opportunity to read and offer my review. Thank you NetGalley!

In a WWII Italian locale, spanning several years and featuring two families, Eternal was a sound piece of historical work from LS, easily accessible to the average reader. You don't have to be an expert on the time, setting or locale to get a good feel for what the Italian Jews and partisans suffered prior to and during the invasion of Rome by the Nazis. It was eminently visible through the eyes of Marco, Sandro, Elisabetta and their families. Each lost materially, but worst of all emotionally! It can be no wonder that this time period permanently marked those who lived through it.

Not to be nit-picky, but I did find one thing a bit difficult to follow and that was the mention of the streets, bridges, buildings etc. All were identified using the Italian language. I'm sure the intention was to add to the realism, but it did make it a little harder to follow. I found it necessary to look up many of the names, which took my concentration away from the story.

While I'm a fan of many of Scottoline's psychological thrillers and would recommend them as 4-5 star reads, Eternal fell a little short of that for me. Perfectly enjoyable, just not the same caliber.

Elisabetta, Sandra, and Marco are childhood best friends living in Rome. But the growing Fascism in Italy and looming war threaten their friendship and ultimately their lives. Different from Scottoline's usual novels, this historical fiction opens up the horrors of anti-Semitism in Italy and the roundup of Rome's Jews from the Ghetto in 1943.under the Nazi occupation, as well as the struggles of 3 young people who must answer the question "what will I do to protect those I love?"

Eternal
By Lisa Scottoline
I received this Arc from Netgalley

This book is quite different from all the Lisa Scotoline’s books that I have read. This work is historical fiction based on true events and is a heart-breaking love story.
The setting is Rome, Italy during World War II and leading up to the war. The story revolves around three families and three childhood friends, Marco, Sandro and Elizabetta .
Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro grow up as the best of friends despite their differences. Both Sandro and Marco are hoping to win Elisabetta's heart. The author draws a happy carefree picture of the three friends but that would all change when in 1937 Mussolini and Fascism gripped Italy and the Jewish question. Mussolini asserts his power, aligning Italy's Fascists with Hitler's Nazis and altering the very laws that govern Rome. In time, Marco was a loyal Fascist, while Elizabetta was not interested in politics. Sandro the gifted mathematician was Jewish, and his family and all Jews were moved into the Ghetto .His parents, his mother a doctor and his father a lawyer were not allowed to practice their professions. Scottaline describes the horrific daily lives of the Jews.
Some of the Jews were sent to concentration camps and this included part of Sandro’s family, the events that follow and the heartbreaking ending came as a surprise to me.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm definitely a fan of Lisa Scottolini's other books and was excited to get this one. It's totally different - a work of historical fiction set in Italy during WW2. It's an epic tale of love and loss, and I could not put it down. I loved this book and am devastated to have finished it. One of the best books I've read this year.

I really wanted to love this book. I was so excited to read it as I love WWII historical fiction and the storyline was fascinating; I loved the glimpse into life in Italy during the time of Mussolini and the parallels with what was happening in Germany. I usually don't mind the alternating narrators but the chapters were so short, it actually made it more difficult to follow the story. Also, while some Italian words sprinkled here or there would be expected in a book set in Italy, it seemed like there were so many that didn't need to be there and it took away from the flow of the story for me. But the characters were wonderful and I enjoyed this book.

What a surprise for the reader who is used to Scottoline’s many novels to find this fascinating story of Italy during WW II. Scottoline centers it around the lives of 3 young people, Sandro, Marco and Elisabetta.
It not only tells the history of Italy during the war, but focuses on the lives of the Italian Jews living in Rome’s ghetto. For those of us who enjoy stories about the war years, this is a very different look back.
Not since The Garden of the Finzi-Continis has a book focused on the lives of Italian Jewry.

This was a really beautiful novel of historical fiction, centered around a less examined chapter. I highly recommend this to reading groups who will find lots to discuss. I am pulled to continue the research triggered by this book and continue learning about Italy and the Holocaust.

Bravo Lisa Scottoline and thank you Netgalley for this fascinating read.

Very powerful! I love historical fiction that incorporates real historical facts. Although the main were fictional, the facts around them, and many of the people, were real. When you connect with the characters of a book, you feel you’re a part of the story. This is what happened to me while this. I was transformed into the past during the atrocities that Mussolini and Hitler instilled on the Jews. It gave up close up view that no history book could ever do. I was emotionally riveted. A must read! Provided by NetGalley.

Heartbreakingly beautiful, epic story of finding love and hope during a time of fear and terror. For her first novel of historical fiction, Lisa Scottoline delivers a beautifully written story with vivid details of the people you will meet and places you will visit as you follow three young Italians during the Fascist rule of Italy prior to and during World War II. Well paced beginning chapters introduce the characters and their everyday lives and relationships, leading up to a highly dramatic, suspenseful journey of survival of horrific and impossible circumstances. A must read for fans of Lisa Scottoline and lovers of historical fiction!

I'm so glad that Lisa Scottoline is writing historical fiction! You never know what to expect when an author chooses to write in a genre that she is typically not known for, but this book shows that Lisa Scottoline is a master of many genres! This is a novel set in Italy during WWII, and it is evident that a lot of research went into the writing of it. The story of love, family, and survival will keep you engrossed and wanting to read more. I have read a lot of WWI historical fiction, but this one stands out as one of the best. Highly recommend this book!
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance e-copy!

WOW.

Wow, wow, wow!

I have had a LOT of time at home, between Thanksgiving break and my son being quarantined for C19 (which means we are ALL quarantined for two weeks at home)

But what kept me company?

The sweeping historical saga Eternal by Lisa Scottoline!

Italy is near and dear to my heart as I lived there for three years in my early teens. However, even with that. I learned so much from this well researched novel about the WW2 period. The characters and their development, while initially slow at first, was beautiful and heartbreaking.

A big departure for Ms Scottoline indeed and she did so very well!

OH. MY. GOD.

I cannot sing enough praise for ETERNAL by Lisa Scottoline. This is Scottoline's first foray into historical fiction and boy did she enter with an audible BOOM. The setting is WWII in Italy. This novel tells the story of three best friends: Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro.

This novel is unique in that it takes place in Rome. Usually, WWII novels are set in Germany or somewhere like Poland. I truly appreciated the fresh perspective that was portrayed in ETERNAL.

Anyone who is a historical fiction fan or a person who just wants to begin reading historical fiction will appreciate this.

I was so excited to see a new book by Lisa Scottoline but this book was not for me. It was a much different genre than the one she normally writes and I could not get into it at all. It’s more of a historical fiction about World War II Italy. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.