Cover Image: ONLY OUR DESTINY

ONLY OUR DESTINY

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

"World War II devastates Italy and Italian Americans alike when “Il Duce” joins Hitler’s side, leaving Italians vulnerable at home and the object of hatred abroad."
And thus is the setting as A. G. Russo gives us insight into the lives of Raffaela, her 10 children, and her estranged, domestically violent husband, Giuseppe in this well written, poignant historical novel. You'll find yourself befriending Raffaela and wanting to help her as she keeps her children safe yet always on the verge of hunger while her belligerent bully of a husband looks up to his mentor, Il Duce, as he fights to keep the town under the strict rules of Hitler.
I loved this character driven novel and found myself entwined in their lives as I read it!

Was this review helpful?

Only our destiny is a fictional story about a family in a small village on the Amalfi coast beneath Naples (Campania). Raffaela is forced by her father to marry at a very young age with Giuseppe Esposito, a man who turns out to be very cruel and mean. Giuseppe, who turns into the village bully, and a later on one of the worst facists, leaves Raffaela and their 10 children to go and live with his mistress. He refuses to provide anything for his family.

In the mean time Raffaela's uncle has emigrated to the United States where initially, after some hardship, he builds a successful business with some other relations, enabling him to support his niece with some money. However, life of Italian immigrants in the US during the second world War doesn't turn out to be a bed of roses too.
The author paints a vivid image of the lives of this extended family on both sides of the ocean during the fascist period and second world war, both during the period of the axis and after Italy has switched allegiance to the Americans.
It is a heartbreaking story about the atrocities that befell the Italian population during the war, including the hardships of soldiers sent to fight in North Africa, Italian POW's in English camps, Partisan fighting against German soldiers and Italian Blackshirts (fascists) and Italian Jews that have lived there for centuries sent to death camps.
In the mean time on the other side of the ocean hard-working migrants are suddenly seen as traitors and spies, even though their children are fighting (and dying) in the army somewhere on a battlefield in Europe.

Although I think that some characters were a bit flat and could have benefited from a little more background I still think this is a really wonderful book. So I will round up the stars to 5.

I want to thank Netgalley, A.G. Russo and BooksGoSocial for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book. My first husbands family were from Italy and lived there during everything Raffella went through. Minus the ten kids. Can you imagine having 10 kids with a worthless father and going through a pandemic, Mussolini, and WWII? Beautifully told story also of what it was like for Italians immigrating to the United States looking for a better life. This would make a great movie or series.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley . Enjoyed reading this book, beautiful story of family, love, poverty, hardships and heartbreak. Needed more editing as there was quite a bit of repetition, but lovely story .

Was this review helpful?

This novel paints a beautiful picture of Italian life but with the harsh realities associated with this life. The author’s description of the land and the lifestyle are meticulous and transports the reader to the beautiful Amalfi coast and the tiny villages tucked away in the mountains. But, along with this beauty is the story of Raefaella and her children who struggle daily to survive while still trying to lead a good life. There is focus on the importance of the community, the reality of families torn apart, the inconsistency of the Church to support the parishioners, impact of WWII, and the struggle of Italians to make it in America. This is a sweeping saga that takes the reader through many emotions. This book needed a little more editing as some of the dialogue is quite rote and doesn’t read well, there is a lot of repetition written in almost the exact same words and events just jump around too much. But overall a very interesting historical fiction that is definitely enlightening.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you for accepting my request for this book. I was really looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, despite repeated attempts, I am unable to download it to my Kindle. Therefore, I am unable to offer a review.

Was this review helpful?