A Staggeringly Good Book, 30 Dec 2006
This is a novel about war seen through the eyes of an Italian woman who is raped by a German soldier and becomes pregnant. The son she gives birth too becomes everything to her and the novel recounts her efforts to bring him up and ensure he survives the war. It will give you hope for humanity and break your heart at the same time.
This History is not about leaders and battles but about the effects of war on one person and their struggle to survive history. There is not another novel I can liken this book to, the closet in tone and effect would be the neo-realist films of Rossellini and De Sica.