This was a heart wrenching, beautiful story about WWII in Italy. I've read a lot of nonfiction and historical fiction of the WWII time period, but this was the first one I've read in Italy. It gave a new perspective of the war and taught me new things I hadn't known before. My heart broke for what so many innocent people endured, but I'm so glad this true story was preserved for generations to come. Told from teenager Bruna's point of view, this novel told of the beautiful small, remote town Eglio, and how they were sheltered from the war for quite a long time. It wasn't until the allies were progressing that their town was invaded and nearly ruined and their lives were taken over by Nazi's, forever changing their lives. An important read for those young and old.

This is a middle school boarding on YA novel but I really feel that any age 10+ could read it and really enjoy it. I am not huge on historical novels but I have always enjoyed family stories. One thing I love about working with the elderly is when they tell stories when they were young. There is so much to learn from these stories that you won't learn else where. This novel is about a young girl (author's mother) who lived in a small Italian village during World War II. I also find it easier to learn about wars when it is coming from an individual that has lived it. Bruna's story is heart wrenching, scary and full of love and passion of a close knit family and village. The author has retold this story with great detail and I found myself hanging on every word to see how things would unfold with Hitler taking over this small village. I enjoyed how easy the story flowed and kept me engaged. I have recommended it to both of my children to read in the near future.

I give this book a 4.5 stars out of 5 and would definitely read more from this author.