Beneath a Scarlet Sky in Bound Together

Nov 27, 2017 Pat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I know you all have read reviews of this excellent book so I will not go into details, but I do want to say it is one of the best books I have read this year! It will be easy to chose my November best book for our list! Good, better, best WWII book I have read in a long time! The author was on the verge of suicide when he decided to write about the last 2 years of the war in Italy and the bravery of one 17 year old very special young man!!!! I really appreciated his carrying it on into today and ...more

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Oct 07, 2017 Megan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“You know, my young friend, I will be ninety years old next year, and life is still a constant surprise to me. We never know what will happen next, what we will see, and what important person will come into our life, or what important person we will lose. Life is change, constant change, and unless we are lucky enough to find comedy in it, change is always a drama, if not a tragedy. But after everything, and even when the skies turn scarlet and threatening, I still believe that if we are lucky e “You know, my young friend, I will be ninety years old next year, and life is still a constant surprise to me. We never know what will happen next, what we will see, and what important person will come into our life, or what important person we will lose. Life is change, constant change, and unless we are lucky enough to find comedy in it, change is always a drama, if not a tragedy. But after everything, and even when the skies turn scarlet and threatening, I still believe that if we are lucky enough to be alive, we must give thanks for the miracle of every moment of every day, no matter how flawed.”

I recently received an email from BuzzFeed Books that contained a list of 50-some books that will make you cry. The very first one was Beneath a Scarlet Sky. It was originally a Kindle book and after how popular it became, it was printed. The synopsis on BuzzFeed started with WWII and I was already sold. I have an obsession with that time period. Not like I idolize Hitler or strive to be like Il Duce or anything, but I just find it all so fascinating how people like them came into power. I think stories about WWII are important to read so we do not follow in the footsteps of these leaders.

This book is based on the true story of Pino Lella, a young Italian boy who wants nothing more than to fall in love and be happy. Once the war comes to Milan, his life changes. He begins his journey but helping take Jews into Switzerland by way of mountain passes. Those chapters were so nerve wracking that I honestly felt like I was in those mountains with him. His brother, Mimo learns the way and starts to help out as well.

Once Pino is about to turn 18, his parents force him to enlist with the Nazi army. They knew that if the Nazi’s had to track him down and force him into enlisting, they would send him to the front lines and he would most likely die. By enlisting himself, however, he would be kept safe. He eventually becomes the driver for a very high up general who was basically the right hand man to Hitler. This, in turn, makes him a spy for the resistance.

This book was around 500 pages, but it seriously felt like 150. I flew through it and did not want to put it down. Pino endured so many tragedies in his life while still saving those who needed the help and gaining intel that helped to bring down the Nazi’s. The last few pages of the book shows how Mark Sullivan actually met with Pino and learned his story firsthand. Pino is someone that is not well-known, mostly because he kept a lot of his story to himself for most of his life.

I honestly have never read a WWII book like this one. The writing was incredible and I found myself staying up til nearly 3am wanting to finish. I have always loved Historical Fiction, especially when it involves anything WWII, but this was beyond anything I had read in the past. It was nice to see a different side of the war. I remember in High School learning about WWII and it was mostly about Hitler and the concentration camps. I tend to forget the other countries who were involved and I am awful when it comes to the timeline for things. I knew who Mussolini was, but it kind of got past me that he was around the same time Hitler was.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Go read this book. Now. Especially since it’s going to be a movie starring Tom Holland!

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Oct 30, 2020 Laurel Bradshaw rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audible-purchased, italy, love-stories, world-war-ii, daytimers-book-club, audiobook, 1940s, espionage, chunky-450, color-rating-blue

4.5 blue stars, rounded up. I love fiction based on true stories. And this one had a lengthy aftermath, telling you what happened to all the characters after the war. This could almost be a young adult novel. But the author does not shy away from the violence of war. There is plenty of killing and being killed. But there is also adventure, heroism, faith in God, love, hope, and fear. We don't hear a lot about Italy in WWII fiction, and this young man was involved both with rescuing Jews, taking ...more

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