A review by ashleysilver7
The Garden of Letters by Alyson Richman

4.0

I had never heard of this book or author before, and I was delighted to stumble upon it in the online library. Having traveled to Genoa and (very briefly) Portofino, I know firsthand the beauty of the Italian coast. However, prior to reading this novel, I knew very little about Italy and WWII. Interestingly, Mussolini (Il Duce), through his "truce" with Nazi Germany, was able to keep ravages of war at bay until his capture in July, 1943. This isn't to say the Italian people didn't suffer immensely...he was a Fascist dictator and many Italian citizens suffered under his harsh regime.

After Mussolini was captured, both the Allied forces AND the Nazis then invaded Italy. The Italian citizens suffered even more...however, in Portofino Elodie is able to find shelter and to recover from the trauma she endured while staying with Angelo. Elodie is a cello prodigy from Verona, and is also a member of the Italian resistance. Angelo is a doctor and a veteran from the Italian/Ethiopian war.

This is a beautiful, well researched novel. I look forward to reading more books by this author.