Echoes of War, by Australian author Tania Blanchard, is set in Calabria in Southern Italy, at the “toe” of the country's boot-shaped peninsula. The region is agriculturally rich and devoutly religious. It is also fiercely independent, due to neglect by those in Rome who have long considered the region to be backward and poor.

Calabria is further renowned for its history of healing, where ancient rituals and the “old ways” are passed down from generation to generation, using “a combination of herbal treatments, common-sense remedies, superstition and the power of faith in God, Jesus, the Madonna and all of the saints of the Catholic Church” to help people feel better.

As the first-person narrator Giulia has learned: “There were many ways to treat illness, but if a patient didn't believe in what you were doing, it was much harder – if not impossible – to heal them.” Giulia's dream is to become a healer like her beloved Nonna, but her father's wishes – that she gets married and settles down – cannot be disobeyed.

Thus married at the age of 17 to a man of her father's choosing, Giulia's life is shadowed by other upheavals, from natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis to Mussolini's fascism and Italy's brutal conquest of Abyssinia in 1935. Not to mention the imminent war that will turn the whole world upside down.

Further complicating the survival of Giulia's farming community are the increasingly intolerable demands of corrupt government officials. Then there are the 'Ndrangheta, the powerful organised crime group “more secretive and less well-known than the Sicilian Mafia, but remained a part of the everyday fabric in Calabria”. In Giulia's words:

“The 'Ndrangheta's strict code of honour, loyalty and secrecy made them both a powerful ally and a vengeful enemy. They often gave assistance to communities in trouble... But with every favour afforded, there was an obligation. My parents always told us to stay away from the 'Ndrangheta, no matter what they did for the community. Silence was golden.”

Meanwhile, as the Allied powers and Hitler's Germany fight for dominance over Italy, Giulia becomes involved in the provision of medical assistance in war-damaged towns and the battle zones of both partisan and military forces. It is through her eyes that we observe a country embroiled in war – the brutal destruction and killing, the senseless suffering and death, the reduction of men, women and children to animals whose instinct is to survive at whatever cost.

This is a powerful story sustained by strong female characters, women who emerge from the shackles of traditions to challenge their assigned status within family and community and to strive, with courage and determination, towards more independent futures. The women in Qiulia's life, from her grandmother, mother and aunt to her sisters, friends and mentors, are her role models. Together, they uphold a world full of love, compassion and mutual support.

A book full of universal themes, Echoes of War is inspired by the author's family history. Highly recommended.

Such an interesting premise and element of history. Some of my history kids will really enjoy reading a narrative version of this part of the war.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* 'Echoes of War' is set in Calabria, Italy and the story begins a little bit prior to the start of World War Two. I have read many books set during the war, but Blanchard provided a fresh perspective on the conflict. The protagonist of the story is Giulia Tallariti, a young woman who comes of age during WWII. She is intelligent and headstrong and bucks against the control of her father and traditions and expectations of her village. Giulia is a talented healer and wants to be able to pursue her own path in the world, whilst her father wants to see her happily 'settled down' with a husband and family. I really liked how the different threads of the story were interwoven and played out. On one hand, it is the story of a young woman finding her place in the world. On another, it is a novel about Italy's experiences of both fascism and World War Two. An engaging and informative read. I can't promise that you won't shed a few tears along the way, though.

This was an engaging, but fairly miserable book about a brave young Italian girl living through The Second World War. The atmosphere is colourful and well-researched and the main character is very likeable but there are a lot of deaths in it. Of course, it's wartime and this is realistic.

Guilia, young and ambitious, persuades her father to let her learn to be a healer. She enjoys her studies but she has to obey her father when he wants her to marry an older man. Luckily, they have a happy marriage, but when her husband is killed in an accident, Guilia will have to cope with the ravages of war largely on her own as her father and brothers have joined up. When Italy becomes caught between the Allies and the Axis powers, life becomes extremely difficult for the family.

Although I enjoyed this, I found it a bit hard to read about a family 'on the enemy side'. On the other hand, it was still a bit unusual to read a book set in beautiful Italy during the war, although there seem to be a lot being published now. I am interested in reading more books by Tania Blanchard.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I don't recall previously reading a historical fiction WW2 based story set in Italy.....they are usually Great Britain or France or Germany. And I just loved Tania Blanchard's book "Echoes of War, which kept me captivated from the start, right to the end of the authors notes.
Calabria 1936, finds Guilia and her family gradually becoming more adversely affected by the fascist Mussolini's decision to align with Hitler in the building war....soon to involve the whole world.
Family is super important in Italy. So, Guilia struggles with conflict between what her father wants and what her young heart wants. She is a gifted healer, wanting to find her place in the world, learning more from her nonna.
Guilia's story is a roller-coaster of love and heartbreaking loss.
Tania Blanchard's personal family history, woven into this story, helped make for authentic family dynamics and painted a true picture of the daily colour and rhythm of life in these remote farming/fishing villages of Calabria. This book honours the memories of the authors family, who moved to Australia in the early 1950s.
As well as the WW2 background, the book touches on the internal War of Italy...the Mafia, known as Ndrangheta in Calabria. Guilia's connection can be useful.....but at what cost?
So real and accurately depicted were the occurances in "Echoes of War", I often looked them up on YouTube and saw the reality of the time. Coincidentally I saw a photo today of an old Italian woman showing her gratitude to one of the American soldiers following the liberation of 🇮🇹 Italy1945. The context meant so much to me...thanks Tania.....I've enjoyed a real history lesson reading this book.
Thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Australia and Tania Blanchard's for my copy.

I have read a lot of historical fiction set around WWII, it was so refreshing to learn about Southern Italy during this time, a subject I knew very little about.
Giulia's story from Italy to Australia is at times heartwrenching, though full of strength and courage.
I loved the strong women at the centre of this story and the lengths they had to go to during the war. Absolutely loved it.
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book.

I was fascinated by the family dynamics in this book and deeply enjoyed the description of the use of herbal and traditional healing as it has been learned and applied for centuries. However, while I appreciate the author's authenticity in writing this story, I found that there was little emotional depth to the characters. That said, the story did not pull it's punches when depicting the horrors of WWII in Italy both in the lead up to and in the aftermath of the fighting and was well written

Echoes of War – Tania Blanchard



I received a copy of this book from the publisher in order to give an honest review.

Tania Blanchard is an Australian author who takes inspiration for her stories from the rich cultural stories told by her family and stories told to her as a child about her German grandmother. Tania Blanchard has also written “The Girl from Munich” and “Letters from Berlin”.



Giulia is a young girl who just wants to be able to follow her dreams and not have to follow the strict rules and do what her father and a strict Italian tradition and culture expects of her. She just wants so much more than the simple life of being a wife and a mother. She wants to be able to pursue her dreams and be able to stand on her own two feet, be independent, not dependent on any man.

Through luck and the help of the strong women in her family Giulia is able to begin her studies to become a skilled healer and herbalist. Yet her father won’t give up on traditions and forces Giulia to marry a man of his choosing. Giulia can’t believe her own father would do this to her, the hate and betrayal she feels is overwhelming. Yet, her husband treated her with kindness and let her continue her work as a healer, never trying to control her, just treating her with love and respect.

But soon this was all shattered and disaster struck and her husband was killed and taken away from her by a storm. Now Giulia was all alone. But the hard times for Giulia and her family were far from over. War had started and Italy had become an ally of the hated Germans.

Her brother and his friends were conscripted into the Italian army as was her father. Giulia and the women of her family had to band together and keep the family farm running while the men went off to war, yet Giulia’s skills as a healer grew and became renowned.

Giulia found love again, someone who let her be herself and respected her. She finally had achieved her dream. She had her own patients that she was treating, people respected her and her healings and she had the love of a man who also wanted to heal and help others. But now in the harsh landscape of war, they must find a way to survive and still stay true to themselves and their dreams.



“Echoes of War” is an inspiring tale of strength, determination and what the power of a steely will can actually achieve. You can truly see how the saying – it takes a village – can have such a profound effect on the lives of the people in that village. It saddens me as society today is really isolated, I really think we would be better off getting back to simple and meaningful values such as this. As always Tania Blanchard writes such a realistic picture of what life must have been like for those people suffering and living through such harsh times. It makes you appreciate how lucky we really are now, and what our ancestors truly sacrificed. The story was a good escape from the day-to-day drudgery and struggles – at least for me this week!

absolutely was not the target audience for this book and so my reading experience will be different to those actually looking for a book like this. However, the writing was absolutely stunning and, I did like the Italian setting and Giulia was a compelling main character

In Echoes of War, Giulia lives in Calabria, Italy, during World War Two. Her father is a traditionalist and is wary of her desire to study to be a healer like her grandmother, but the women in the family secretly make it possible and she learns the skills at a convent. The narrative follows the fates of different members of the clan through Giulia’s eyes - the immediate threat to their lives posed by war pulses through the book and kept me turning the pages.

The author weaves in rich Italian culture with descriptions of cuisine, the ancient tradition of herbal healing, and strong, affectionate ties of family which is one of the most important themes in the novel.

I found it an immersive read and was invested in Giulia’s desire to balance making her own choices with fitting into the patriarchal culture she belongs to. The author’s research is extensive, and I felt as if I was spending time in a Calabrian village as I read.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing a review copy.

‘You have to be smart, be realistic, work within the boundaries to find a way to do what you want.’

Echoes of War is the fourth novel by Aussie author Tania Blanchard and I was excited to read it as I have very much enjoyed her previous offerings. On this occasion we have a young girl, Guilia, who just wants to be a healer like her Nonna. However, this puts her at odds with her father who’s only wish is to see his daughters married off as quickly as possible. Add into the mix, the outbreak of WWII and it is a recipe for a drama filled tale.

‘I was finally free of Papà’s controlling ways and about to learn from one of the best herbalists in Calabria.’

Extending from 1936 into the 1950s, the reader follows Guilia’s struggles between her dreams and her family’s wishes. In the background, Mussolini and the world are waging war. Tania does a fantastic job of bringing to life not only this dictatorial government but also the patriarchal society and how life might have played out for someone such as Guilia.

‘The greatest responsibility of all rested on the shoulders of women. We were the ones who kept the family together, kept our farms and businesses running, put food on the table and made sure we all survived. But we couldn’t do it without each other.’

The story is inspired by Tania’s grandparents as mentioned in her Author Notes and she does another sensational job of melding fact and fiction. As in her previous works, Tania blends the events of the war beautifully with a story, in fact, the war most definitely is in the background for this one. With themes of family and ambition, dreams and heartbreak, I recommend lovers of historical fiction to take this journey with all the drama that this period brings with it.

‘Oh, Giulia, you’ve always had a passion for life, a thirst for knowledge and the strength of will to reach for your dreams. You only needed to know how to harness your talents and recognise the strength within you.’




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

This book surprised me, books about WWII are not my usual genre however this book made me cry and get angry at how wars do devest things to peoples lives and communities. While reading this book I really felt like I was in Calabria during WWII and got a sense of how the war impacted the everyday lives of the characters. This book made me think of my old Calabrian neighbours and what they may have gone through to arrive in Australia and it made me see the war from a different perspective and viewpoint. Thank you Tania Blanchard for creating a beautiful book that made me cry.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for the arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Quick thoughts
This was such a beautiful story about finding your place in the world and fighting to keep it once it’s found. I loved the characters and the book really felt like it captured the beauty of Italy.

Why I loved it
Giulia is a very passionate individual and it makes it really easy to love her. From the beginning of this book, she butts heads with her dad who doesn’t want her to learn herbal medicine like her nonna.

Of course, the story is all about her doing just that and doing herself proud, as well as her family. Coming from a poor family, her father is also determined to see his daughters married off so they are safe – something Giulia and her sisters really doesn’t want.

It’s this back and forth tug of war between Giula’s sense of duty to her family and following her own dreams that makes this book so enjoyable. She’s constantly walking the fine line between both in the pursuit of happiness.

Not to mention that the strong family ties in this book are beautiful and something to be treasured. Even more so knowing that the inspiration for this story is based on the author’s own family history.

I also really loved the portrayal of Italy in this story. From the small insertions of Italian words to the food the characters make, this book took me straight back to Italy and its warm, rustic summer vibes.

This book is also very sad, there was a lot of grief and loss in it (being wartime and all) and it was hard to let so many characters go in so many tragic moments.

Final thoughts
If you like your historical fiction and want a book set in WWII without the war actually being forefront and centre, this is for you. The main themes are family and standing up for yourself, but with all the drama that a wartime setting brings.

Echoes of War is set in an Italian Calabrian village in 1936 before the start of World War II and follows the Tallariti family through to 1953.

It is a family drama full of conflict, hope, love, and sadness. It particularly addresses the domination of men over women and how women were subservient to men during this period.

The main character is Guila, the second youngest of a family of five children. Through the support of female family members, she becomes a healer like her Nonna. During the narrative, she rebels, unsuccessfully against her father’s plan for her to marry a man of his choice.

Giulia is a strong-willed young woman who constantly clashes with her father. She has her dreams to heal the sick and is not interested in marrying and having children. Her father believes herbal medicine is witchcraft and women should do what fathers and husbands bid them.

Her eldest brother and aging father are both called up to fight the war but the youngest Antonio heads to the mountains to avoid conscription. He later joins the resistance. This leaves the women of the family, led by her sister Paolo, to run the farm. It was not an easy life for them with a fascist government and struggling to survive.

She is widowed due to a natural disaster but later finds true love in the arms of Stefano, a childhood friend. Stefano is studying medicine at the beginning of the war and with the help of the ‘Ndrangheta, the Calabrese mafia, is treating wounded allies in Naples and later Rome through to the end of the war.

By 1953 farming life in the south became even more difficult for survival and many emigrated to Australia. While there is a gap in Guila’s story in the latter part of the book it does cover the drive to seek a better life in another land.

I am always keen to read books by Australian authors, but I was particularly drawn to Echoes of War. My Dad served in the RAF during WWII and told me how readily the Italian soldier surrendered to allied troops. It wasn’t until I married my Italian husband, I learned how many of the Italians were against the alliance with Hitler and later with Mussolini as the war progressed. Throughout the book, I discussed the historical aspects of the story with him, and he confirmed it was accurate.

I can therefore say it is well researched and interesting how Blanchard blends in her family history.

I didn’t warm to Guila. While she was a strong character and I admired her tenacity to be her own woman and desire to help people with her healing skills, I felt she lacked compassion and caring and, at times, headstrong and selfish to the point of her stubbornness became irritating.

By comparison, the other characters were more likeable and believable.

Overall, I found parts slow going and some sections repetitious which prevented me from being completely drawn into the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

I normally love historical fictions and while acknowledging that the author brought a whole new aspect of understanding to what went on during those times in Italy pre and during WWII was enlightening. I found the story dragging and a little repetitive especially with regard to the treatment of women by their male family members.

This book explored the way herbal medicine is used to treat ailments which date back hundreds of years which, for me, was of little interest. The focus on Giulia’s coming of age, family and romantic relationships, and dissatisfaction of her situation showed her as rather shallow and a little arrogant.. Her insistence on following her perceived vocation is commendable but in my opinion taken too far and involves her family lying for her.

In saying this, I think I was expecting more from this book so was a little disappointed but am very certain that many readers will enjoy this book immensely.

I always love a good Tania Blanchard book and this one is no exception. Another great read by such a great author.

Set in Italy 1936 during a tumultuous time and based on true events (I love stories like this) our main character Giulia is a strong willed, ambitious and determined young woman. I love all the historical aspects of this book and the fictional aspects bring it to life. It is a story that makes you feel great sadness at times but gives you hope at other times. It proves that in hard times we can rise above and get things done.

I also enjoyed the setting, the emotion it provokes, the storyline and the characters. It is very well written and researched and I enjoyed reading about the culture and lifestyles of the Italians as with many a good historical fiction they are usually set in England, France or Germany so this was a different aspect.

Great book, great author and I highly recommend.

Inspired by her own family history, Tania Blanchard’s novels always give readers a picture of life from the perspective of the “other side”. Echoes of War is set mainly in Calabria in the toe of mainland Italy in the years leading up to and during World War Two. This book is exceptionally well researched and gives a clear picture of just how challenging life was for the Calabrian agricultural community, who suffered from government corruption, demands that they meet increasingly challenging quotas of product for the government, droughts, earthquakes and more. It is clear that these were exceptionally resilient people. Giulia, a gifted healer, is the central character and through her eyes we see this remarkable story unfold. battling against tradition, poverty, corruption and war, Giulia grows from the petulant teenage girl she is at the beginning of the book to a woman of great resilience and strendthby the end. Her story is gripping and definitely worth reading.

The Echoes of War an Historical Fiction set in Italy which tells the story about Giulia Tallariti, her parents, her siblings, nonna, aunt and community along with other people she has come across in her lifetime. The story tells of what life during “Mussolini’s timeline,” rural Italy during times of Italian wars in Abyssinia, Albania and Africa before WW2 began. I was so engrossed and engaged in the story line that I didn’t want to put it down as I was learning new information regarding Italy, Germany and how they changed sides over halfway through WW2. Reading the story I felt Giulia’s roller coaster ride of emotions and was able to understand what she was feeling each time. While reading I wished that I could have had a similar relationship with my own siblings as she had with her own. I’m glad that I didn’t had a trauma experience from reading but I’d like to caution those who has had childhood trauma regarding sibling, parenting or parent relationship issues even are anxious on reading about war conditions: I would suggest that you might need some help after reading. A great Historical Fiction book which is from stories, sufferings and relationships about Tania’s ancestors and I recommend to readers who like to read books about history, Italian history and WW2.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Australia via NetGalley for my honest review of the book The Echoes of War by Tania Blanchard. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own thoughts, feelings and viewpoints of the book.

Review run date 29 September 2021 for Netgalley, today 26 October 2021 posted on NetGalley, WordPress blog, Facebook blog, Instagram, LinkedIn, Amazon.com.au, goodreads, along with the non-linked retail online stores that sell the book is at: iBooks. GoogleBooks

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Bellissimo!

Tania Blanchard's latest novel is a truly beautifully crafted, southern Italian famIly tale, woven from memories and her research of her own Italian family.

It moves us seamlessly and stirringly through the political and geographical landscape, of the times of Mussolini's totalitarian state and wars, culminating in large post World War Two emigration, to new worlds.

The tale begins with the central character of Giulia Tallariti, a sixteen year old, tenacious teenager, in 1936, living in her Calabrian farming family, with her young hopes and dreams, which are finally fulfilled, seventeen years later, in a far distant land.

I feel it very worthy of the term, an Italian Tale, with its helter skelter of emotions, in varied happenings and many surprises. The atmosphere was so wonderfully created, that I now long to do a grand tour of Italy, to personally taste all its sights and scenery, as well as the southern Italian food and wine.

Cin Cin to a bellissimo Italian Tale!

(big thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the book to review)

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Not sure if it's me or there is a glut of WW2 books at the moment. This one didn't do it for me; a really slow read that then jumps around.