Daughter of Genoa by Kat Deveraux

Genoa, 1944:

Widowed and alone, Anna Pastorino has been surviving on her wits since the Germans invaded. The daughter of a prominent Jewish antifascist, Anna lives a hidden life in her small flat near the harbour ... until an RAF bomb destroys her only shelter. When a Jesuit priest approaches her offering help, she has no choice but to accept. She follows her new friend, Father Vittorio, to a safe house above a printers’ shop in a quiet street near via Assarotti.

OMG I loved this and I couldn't put it down . It is so good , when I did put it down I felt as if it could be carrying on without me and I was missing out !

Loved the plot and the characters . I found them so believable and interesting . The author wrote so eloquently about it you could almost imagine yourself as a bystander .

This story was very emotional and heart wrenching. Anna Pastorino has been widowed and is on her own. Due to a part Jewish heritage she has been surviving on her wits since the Germans invaded Genoa. Anna lives in her small flat near the harbour, she’s not really coping and barely goes out. until an RAF bomb destroys her only shelter. When a Jesuit priest approaches her offering help, she has no choice but to accept. She follows Father Vittorio, to a safe house above a printers’ shop in a quiet street. The printers shop is actually a forgery workshop and Anna gets drawn into working with the resistance.

I really enjoyed this book it’s was a thought provoking read. Life was so hard during WW2 and this story portrays it in a sensitive way. I highly recommend, totally worthy of 5 stars.

Its 1944 Genoa and Anna Pastorino is struggling to survive in a world where any one suspected of being Jewish is a target. With very little money, no possibility of getting work and no one who will help her, she is thrown adrift when, following an air raid, her tiny home and all her possessions are destroyed.

This is a very moving read, so believable, it incorporates two real people into the narrative, Massimo Teglio & don Francesco Repetto, which makes it even more emotive. The author has obviously done a lot of research on the area and the way it suffered during WWII. I liked that in the Authors notes, we find out what happened to the two men. My only small niggle is that I would have liked to have more of a conclusion to how Anna ended up. However, I really enjoyed this book. Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.