Cover Image: The Girl from Bologna (Girls from the Italian Resistance

The Girl from Bologna (Girls from the Italian Resistance

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Having been and absolutely loved Bologna, I was excited to give this one a read! Classic historical fiction set in Italy in 1943, Lina ends up joining the Resistance after her Jewish best friend is taken away to a concentration camp. Told along multiple timelines, we also meet Rhiannon, an exchange student in 1981 who comes to Bologna and rents a room from Lina. Rhiannon encounters GianLuca, Lina's nephew who has questionable ties to a far-right group, and as secrets and the past emerge, the tales entwine. I love a great historical fiction story, and always find myself drawn to the one told in multiple timelines to see how past and present can come together. This was my first read from Siobhan Daiko, and I enjoyed it! The characters are relatable and believable, and it's easy to become invested in the story. Thanks so much to Siobhan Daiko, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-arc.

Was this review helpful?

This book was just okay for me. Usually the dual timeline is one of my favorites, but this one just failed to capture me. The writing was good so I think it was just a personal connection I didn’t find when reading. But I will definitely try other books by this author.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely loved this book from Siobhan Daiko! If you have read my other reviews, you will know I love WWII historical fiction. This book is no exception and I loved reading it. The story is told through a dual timeline. Leila is a resistance fighter in Bologna during WW2 and she begins to tell her story 30 years after the end of the war. A foreign exchange student living with Leila brings past and present together and weaves a beautiful, and at times, heart-wrenching story, of war, freedom, love, and regrets. The author does an amazing job at setting the scene and telling the story in a way that makes you feel that you are there living the story right beside Leila and Rhiannon.

Was this review helpful?

This novel takes place both in 1944 and 1981 in Bologna, Italy.

Nineteen-year-old Leila Venturi joins the Resistance in 1944 when she sees the atrocities happening to her Jewish friends.

In February 1981, exchange student Rhiannon Hughes arrives in Bologna to study at the university. There, she rents a room from Leila, who is now middle-aged and infirm.

This is a story of love, vengeance, and hate The Nazi’s showed no mercy to anyone.

This book is very engaging and also heartbreaking.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to @netgalley for the free book in exchange for a review. I struggled on a rating of 3 or 4. I landed on the 4 because the book was an interesting read, with characters that I liked.It has a sweet story of love, loss, history and intrigue woven throughout it as many other WWII historical fiction books. Where I struggled with it was the way in which it was written. I understand this was not a final version, however, there were so many missing words or incorrect words used it was hard to read. The first part of the book reads like a text book, with little emotion. In the end, I enjoyed reading the book and learned some interesting information about Bologna. #netgalley #TheGirlFromBologna #WWII #historialfiction

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I'm sure it won't be the last. This book describes events during the second world war around Bologna from the viewpoint of Leila, and links it to more recent terrorism crimes through the visit of Rhiannon. The descriptions of the area and food were clear, enabling the reader to imagine the characters in the scenes. I cannot vouch for historical accuracy but I learnt more about the effects of the ear in that area in an interesting way,and I enjoyed reading this book very much. A well-told tale linking romance, history and and current times.

Was this review helpful?

The third in the series of Girls from the Italian Resistance, this was just as good as the first.
The narrative follows 1980s Welsh exchange student Rhiannon from her home in Wales to Bologna, where she is studying. She lives with Lina, whose story we are also told in the dual narrative.

I really enjoyed both strands of the story, but mostly the modern one. If there was one criticism I might make, it was that some of the historical detail about the German attacks on the city (essential obviously for authenticity) got a bit bogged down in details and sometimes felt like it was lumped on to bits of the story.

The details about the resistance and the partigiani were so interesting, especially since I was in Italy at the time! It was a little far-fetched but I did love the ending of how the old partigiani came together to help solve the modern day problem.

Overall a great read and would definitely recommend. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Interesting historical novel about WW2 Bologna, with many details about this historic city. The Italian Resistance is well-depicted. It is also a romance novel, spanning three generations. There are two other books in this Italian Resistance series, "The Girl From Portofino" as well as "The Girl From Venice." All are highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

The girl from Bologna is another split time, split character book set in wartime Italy, a genre that seems to be immensely popular in the last couple off years.

The two story's are written from the perspective of Leila, a young woman during the second world war who becomes a partizan by necessity and her present day lodger, Rhiannon, an exchange student from Whales.
I liked the previous two books in the series although maybe not as much as some books written by other authors in the same genre. This book however for me was the best so far in this series, at least a star better than the previous two. Maybe because the "present day" storyline was not only a love story but had a separate tension arc and suspense, that matched the tension in the historical part.

Leila and Rhiannon even share the same "bad guy".

I want to thank #netgalley and #booksgosocial for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I didn't download this in time before it was archived.

I love historical fiction but honestly requested this for the name.

Was this review helpful?

I admit the Bologna is not on the top of the list of places in Italy I would consider a must visit. My favorite part of this book was the description of the city, the sites, sounds, smells, taste. After reading this I am significantly more curious about this often over looked Italian city with its ancient history.

The story of the Italian Resistance was interesting. But the story over all was sort of flat. Character development was non-existent, and the developing love story was hard to believe. It was easy to tell right from the start that the two characters where going to fall in love in a rather contrived way that as a reader I had zero investment in their story.

I would give this one 3 stars, mainly because the description of the city are so vibrant. And also because its possible that so much of this story was last in translation. I assume that it was originally written in Italian and maybe a better, smoother translation would do wonders.

Was this review helpful?

My rating:

Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:


Historical Fiction



Review:

I like this book because it gives an interesting historical perspective of life in Italy and mainly the Bologna area during WII. The book has interesting well developed characters, their actions were well explained and the plot is solid and nicely written, the story flows well with the right amount of suspense, a bit romance mixed with some of historical facts which created a captivating story that was suspenseful till the end.

Review copy provided by NetGalley at no cost to me.

Was this review helpful?

This was a fun, engaging read. I love historical fiction. I didn't realize this was a romance as well.

I did like the inclusion of the 1980s a d her reflection on her past. It makes it feel more real, and also reminds the reader that the horrors and lives of WWII was not really that long ago. I would recommend this book to fans of WWII historical fiction and strong female characters.

Was this review helpful?

Moving and heartfelt! Enjoy! Whimsical but never frivolous, sweet but not sugary, deeply kind rather than merely nice. I loved it. The story itself was also even more interesting than I had anticipated.

Was this review helpful?

The Girl from Bologna was another thoughtfully written book in the Girls from the Italian Resistance series. This one followed Leila, who was recording her memoirs about her time fighting in the Resistance for her family, as she had never spoken of it to anyone and had decided it was time, now that the was was over 40 years in the past. She takes in a boarder named Rhiannon for the summer and winds up sharing her history with Rhiannon and her great-nephew, GianLuca, as they get involved in some intrigue that has ties to her past.

My heart broke for Leila and her story unfolded, what a horrendous time for her and for the world! Although is today any better? Thank you to the author,BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

3.5 ⭐
The past has a way of haunting the present, and that is evident in this tale of Italy during WWII and the resistance. Fans of World War II novels and women's roles during the war will enjoy this story.
The book is told from two time periods, 1943 and 1981.
In 1943, Lina is just out of school when Italy is incessantly bombed and the Nazis control the city. The fascists are as brutal as the Nazis and take particular joy in torturing and questioning the towns people. Life is full of danger and fear and the people are holding their breath for liberation and the end of the war.
When Lina's best friend, Rebecca, and her family are taken to Auschwitz, she is called to do something to oppose the war and fight. She joins the resistance with her boyfriend and they take risk after risk opposing the Nazis and fascists.
In 1981, Rhiannon rents a room from Lina as a local student and they quickly build a friendship. When one of Rhiannon's classmates is not as she seems, they discover a connection to Lina's old nemesis from the war.
What will happen when they dig deeper and confront Lina's past?

This book was enjoyable, but read more like a young adult novel to me and lacked some of the captivating storytelling and character development that I look for in a 5⭐ book.

Trigger warning: rape

Thank you to netgalley for an advanced review copy.

Was this review helpful?

Yet another great book from Siobhan Daiko. Set in Bologna, Italy, 1943 this is the story of Leila but it is also a dual timeline where the other part of the story is set in Bologna in 1981 where exchange student Rhiannon Hughes rents a room from Lina and this and here is where the story becomes interesting.

This is a story of past and present, secrets and war and how the past affects life in the future of not just one person but of many. It is an intriguing and very interesting story that holds you throughout. It draws you into the story and makes you want more.

A great continuation of Girls from the Italian Resistance series and I wonder, will there be more.

Was this review helpful?

A poignant and deeply moving story, The Girl from Bologna tells the account of a courageous woman who experienced the horrors of war in Bologna, Italy during World War II. As the story unfolds, we seamlessly move between this period and the 1980's, when Leila begins to record her memoirs while she welcomes a Welsh student into her home. Ms Daiko's novel is a page-turner filled with many heartbreaking moments. I felt like it was well-researched and the descriptive writing style made me feel like I was there watching the events unfold and experiencing the emotions of all the characters. I highly recommend!

Was this review helpful?

Another dual timeline story in Historical Fiction but a wonderfully told story. The story takes place in Bologna, Italy and is the story of a woman named Leila who was part of the resistance during WWII. She tells the story of her past so her family will see that “the past is never dead”. Rhiannon moves to Italy in 1981 and Leila is her landlady.

The Girl from Bologna is a wonderful historical fiction novel that makes you feel as if you are there and a part of the story. That somehow you are peaking in on the lives of these two women and what each is trying to accomplish and what they have been through or are going through.

Thank you to #netgalley and #booksgosocial for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Was this review helpful?

The Girl From Bologna

Leila, an elderly Italian woman takes in Rhiannon, a student from Wales who has arrived in Bologna to attend university where she will polish up her Italian language studies. Along with Gianluca, Leila's grandson, who is an investigative reporter, she gets herself involved in a mystery that involves a fellow classmate as well as a tyrant from Leila's past.

This well written historical fiction novel of the Resistance will have you feel as though you are walking through the streets of Bologna right alongside Rhiannon and Gianluca as they try to determine the relationship between Marie and Barzini, a man from Leila's past. It's full of twists and turns and has you wondering who the good guys are!
I love the way Daiko makes the city of Bologna come alive with her prose and makes you want to hop on a plane to experience both the food and the ambiance of this old city of love.

A wonderful read of the Resistance, of love, of war, and of patriotism!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BooksGoSocial for this ARC. The pleasure of this review is my own opinion.

Was this review helpful?