Member Review
Review by
Stephen D, Educator
'The Ghosts of Rome' follows on from 'My Father's House' in Joseph O'Connor's 'Escape Line' trilogy, telling the improbable but inspiring story of a small resistance group known as 'The Choir' working from within the Vatican City during the Nazi occupation of Rome.
The first novel focused primarily on the Irish priest Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, the Choir's director; in this installment, set over the course Lent 1944, O'Flaherty has somewhat retreated into the background and we follow other Choir members, particularly Contessa Giovanna Landini, as they continue to help Allied airmen and other prisoners of war and fugitives hide and escape. This includes Bruno, a Polish airman with major injuries who will die if he does not receive medical attention. At the same time, the Gestapo's Paul Hauptmann continues to wage war both on the people of Rome and those involved in the Escape Line, and he has moved into the Contessa's Palazzo.
We witness this game of cat and mouse through a mix of gripping present-tense narration (following Hauptmann, the Choir and those on the run) fictionalised interview transcripts from after the war and other documents. As with 'My Father's House', there are times when it can be quite tricky to keep track of all the action - I think this was a deliberate at times as subsequent revelations sometimes clarified earlier sections, but it does make this a challenging read in place. However, for the most part I found this an exciting and often deeply moving read. Hauptmann offers a fascinating portrait of human evil, but the novel is at is best when celebrating the faith, courage and camaraderie of the Choir. As one member recounts,
"The story of our Roman Escape Line has been characterised as a tale of courage. But it was also always a story of friendship, first and last. The friends we knew and those we did not, some fleetingly encountered, others never at all. I am no sentimentalist, but I call it a love story. I met insanely brave people during the war in Rome."
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book about insane bravery to review.
The first novel focused primarily on the Irish priest Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, the Choir's director; in this installment, set over the course Lent 1944, O'Flaherty has somewhat retreated into the background and we follow other Choir members, particularly Contessa Giovanna Landini, as they continue to help Allied airmen and other prisoners of war and fugitives hide and escape. This includes Bruno, a Polish airman with major injuries who will die if he does not receive medical attention. At the same time, the Gestapo's Paul Hauptmann continues to wage war both on the people of Rome and those involved in the Escape Line, and he has moved into the Contessa's Palazzo.
We witness this game of cat and mouse through a mix of gripping present-tense narration (following Hauptmann, the Choir and those on the run) fictionalised interview transcripts from after the war and other documents. As with 'My Father's House', there are times when it can be quite tricky to keep track of all the action - I think this was a deliberate at times as subsequent revelations sometimes clarified earlier sections, but it does make this a challenging read in place. However, for the most part I found this an exciting and often deeply moving read. Hauptmann offers a fascinating portrait of human evil, but the novel is at is best when celebrating the faith, courage and camaraderie of the Choir. As one member recounts,
"The story of our Roman Escape Line has been characterised as a tale of courage. But it was also always a story of friendship, first and last. The friends we knew and those we did not, some fleetingly encountered, others never at all. I am no sentimentalist, but I call it a love story. I met insanely brave people during the war in Rome."
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book about insane bravery to review.
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