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A review by happiestwhenreading
The Curse of Pietro Houdini by Derek B. Miller
5.0
Based off the cover of the book alone, I didn't think this would be a book for me. And before I sunk into the story, I did almost dnf it. But the voice and the humor captured me, and I kept giving it a little more time - and before you know it, I was hooked!
Here's the set up: Pietro comes across a battered boy in a ditch on his way to the Montecassino, an abbey in the Italian hills. WWII is increasingly encroaching on the monks, and Pietro is tasked with preserving the art from the Nazis and any bombardment from the war. Pietro "adopts" this young boy, Massimo, and they set about saving the art. As the front gets closer and closer, it becomes obvious that they are no longer safe in the abbey, so Pietro assembles aa posse of people and they leave the aabbey, heading south away from the war.
There are some asides that aare quite philosphical - which I wouldn't normally care for - but something about the way they were presented and how they gave a new perspective to what happened during WWII, helped me appreciate them. These side aspects become less frequent as the story goes on, but it's an interesting aspect of the preservation of art during war times.
The heart of the book is certainly its characters. I loved Pietro and Massimo from the beginning, and came to really love Ferrari too. While this is absolutely an historical fiction story, it also a coming-of-age story with a lot of heart. There are a few very dark parts to this story, but I couldn't help but cheer for this band of misfits!
Here's the set up: Pietro comes across a battered boy in a ditch on his way to the Montecassino, an abbey in the Italian hills. WWII is increasingly encroaching on the monks, and Pietro is tasked with preserving the art from the Nazis and any bombardment from the war. Pietro "adopts" this young boy, Massimo, and they set about saving the art. As the front gets closer and closer, it becomes obvious that they are no longer safe in the abbey, so Pietro assembles aa posse of people and they leave the aabbey, heading south away from the war.
There are some asides that aare quite philosphical - which I wouldn't normally care for - but something about the way they were presented and how they gave a new perspective to what happened during WWII, helped me appreciate them. These side aspects become less frequent as the story goes on, but it's an interesting aspect of the preservation of art during war times.
The heart of the book is certainly its characters. I loved Pietro and Massimo from the beginning, and came to really love Ferrari too. While this is absolutely an historical fiction story, it also a coming-of-age story with a lot of heart. There are a few very dark parts to this story, but I couldn't help but cheer for this band of misfits!