This is the second of Tania Blanchard's novels that I have read and there is a similar theme around how women survive in Europe during WWII. Echoes of War also looks at strong women in a patriarchal society. Women in Italy during this time were viewed as wives and mothers and becoming educated and following dreams beyond this was uncommon.

I was captivated by story, set prior and during WWII, and I finished the book over a couple of sessions. I have a high level understanding of the politics in Italy during the war, but this is the first book I have read that provides insight into how support moved away from the Fascist regime and how a country ended up with Italian soldiers on both sides of a war fighting each other.

Blanchard is able to transport the reader into the world of Italy during WWII. If you love historical fiction, this novel is for you!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author has included glimpses of her Italian family history, interwoven into a clever and thoughtful pre & during WW2 novel.
The joy and grief resonate and I'm going back in for a second read.

‘Set in Mussolini’s Italy amid great upheaval, this is the story of one woman’s determination to find her place in a world that men are threatening to tear apart. Another heart-rending novel inspired by a true story from Australia's bestselling author of The Girl from Munich.’

There is a recurring theme throughout the book - the domination of men over women - with most of the women not free to make their own choices, such as things were in 1930’s Italy, but these women are strong and resolute!

There is the father who only wants what is best for his children. The daughter, determined to be a healer like her grandmother and find her freedom. The mother who wants her children to have their desires met and, while not openly disobeying her husband, has her own ways of helping them achieve their goals. The brothers and sisters, all struggling to find their way in a changing world.

This is a story full of heartbreak and happiness, of loves found and lost, of wrenching men away from their families to fight the war, the struggles of those left to tend farms and make a living in their absence and the aftermath of war.

A delightfully written story that draws you in from beginning to end.

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Giulia Tallariti lives on a farm near the remote village of Bruzzano in Calabria in Italy, with her parents Andrea and Gabriella and siblings Vincenzo, Teresa, Poala and Antonio. Their farm supports the entire family, they grow crops and vegetables, have a flock of sheep and make cheese. Her father’s a rather stubborn and old fashioned Italian man, he can’t understand why Giulia wants to be a healer like her Nonna Mariana, at her age, she should be getting married and having babies. She’s caught between wanting to make her own way in life, her duty to her family and she seizes her only chance.

Giulia's given the opportunity to study at a monastery, with the famous herbalist Fra Fortunato, here she learns about growing herbs, drying them, and their healing properties. She meets sister Agata a nun who shares her interest in herbs, medicine and they become friends. Her older brother Vincenzo and his two friends Angelo and Stefano have been conscripted into the Royal Italian Army, they have been fighting in Abyssinia and Albania. They return home hungry, thin, tired, and dirty and the young men have a haunted look about them.

This is just the beginning, Italy's ruled by a fascist government and Mussolini, even veteran of the First World War Andrea is called up, the Tallariti women are left to run the farm, harvest the crops and Poala is in her element. Giulia and her Nonna are busy running their clinic, as the Second World War year’s drag and their traditional herbal medicine is a godsend. For the Tallariti family there are times of joy when new babies are born and when widowed Giulia marries Stefano, terrible sadness when a loved one’s are killed and every family in Bruzzano dreads getting a telegram.

Echoes of War story is based around the author Tania Blanchard’s grandfather being a member of the Royal Italian Army, and fighting in Abyssinia and Albania. Her family’s historical ties to Italy, her Nonna’s interest in herbal medicine and moving to Australia after the Second World War. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia and in exchange for an honest review. I have read and enjoyed all of Tania Blanchard’s books and her newest edition Echoes of War is absolutely brilliant and five stars from me.