Book Review: Eternal by Lisa Scottoline

 


I've read many books about WWII but never one concentrating on Italy, Mussolini, fascism and how he treated the Jewish Italians.  Lisa Scottoline's Eternal, left me wanting to know more, a deeper dive into the historical aspects.

"Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro grow up as the best of friends despite their differences. Elisabetta is a feisty beauty who dreams of becoming a novelist; Marco the brash and athletic son in a family of professional cyclists; and Sandro a Jewish mathematics prodigy, kind-hearted and thoughtful, the son of a lawyer and a doctor. Their friendship blossoms to love, with both Sandro and Marco hoping to win Elisabetta's heart. But in the autumn of 1937, all of that begins to change as Mussolini asserts his power, aligning Italy's Fascists with Hitler's Nazis and altering the very laws that govern Rome. In time, everything that the three hold dear--their families, their homes, and their connection to one another--is tested in ways they never could have imagined."

 The story revolved around three young high school students who were best friends and seemed way more mature than their years. Understandably they had to grow up fast, take responsibility due to the circumstances of the war. Despite the length it was a quick read, alternating between Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro, interspersed by other points of view when needed. I have a few nitpicks with actions and ideas that went unexplained or seemed left undone, ignored, or took place too quickly. Overall it is an engaging story which I think was geared more towards a young adult audience.


Alphabet, New Release, Historical Fiction, 1937 - 1957, Italy,  465


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