Beneath a Scarlet Sky: A Historical Fiction Novel Set in WWII Italy

Jes_074: A year ago I read the book: The Last Green Valley by this author. This book was thoroughly researched and was really good. The story follows an Italian boy who grows into a man and falls in love. We follow the main character through all the trials, tribulations, success and love. The story is well written, detailed and the characters are in-depth. By the end of the book I was thinking of a second book to make this a series, but told from another perspective. However, that would’ve taken away from the story.

United States on Oct 02, 2023

Denise: Can't say anything more than I loved it.
It is worth reading and learning about. The author did a fantastic job drawing me in with the details. And the story of every life is worth knowing.

United States on Sep 29, 2023

LokiLaney: So glad I found this book. I read the Last Green Valley first before this book, and they are both absolutely amazing stories. The author does a great job of painting the characters of the story so that you feel like you know them well.

I love that this story is based on a true story, and cant believe how many stories are lost to time every day. I feel thankful that this story was captured for us to read and learn from.

United States on Sep 24, 2023

claire: .

United Kingdom on Sep 23, 2023

Mrs S Smith: I was gripped by the story from the start. I didn't want it to finish. This story would make a great film. It speaks of courage in the face of danger and suffering, love and humanity.

United Kingdom on Sep 03, 2023

Ms. Hl Sharpe: This book hooked me and took me to a time and place in recent history I knew very little about ....a roller coaster and an eye opener for me. .I've actually recommended it to friends ..something I don't normally do

United Kingdom on Sep 02, 2023

eclectc: I got this as a Prime free read 6 years ago and forgot about it. As I was browsing through my library for something to read I noticed it was by Mark Sullivan, I had recently finished another of his books (Last Green Valley) which I loved. I therefore dove into this one immediately and was not disappointed. It hooked me immediately. All household chores went by the wayside so I could read. Sullivan’s descriptive writing and his ability to bring the reader into the suspense of the moment is to be commended. Even though you know what the ending is you are constantly caught up in the excitement and all other emotions. Sullivan did excellent research to bring this story to life. Well done.

United States on Aug 26, 2023

Andrew Gardiner: I really enjoyed this book for several reason. First of all it gave me an idea of how Italians were effected during the time of WW2. I have read so much of what happened in France, D Day etc but I’ve never really looked into how Italy was effected and this book has spurred me on to read more about that side of it. Secondly, it’s a really good story!! Since finishing the book I have read claims that some of it is potentially false/made up etc….the author does state clearly at the beginning that some of it has been embellished. He wrote the story from the memories of an aging man that had clearly been severely effected by a terrible time in history….he was 17 at the time and when the book was being written he was in his 70s/80s. I’m 53 and I can’t remember verbatim what happened when I was 17!! So I’m fine with the narrative that ensues. What jumps out at me from this book is a heart rendering tale from a very troubling time in Italy’s recent history. It gets a maximum 5 stars from me!!

United Kingdom on Aug 16, 2023

Fierce & Fond Reviewer: The Preface is enough to still your speeding modern mind to get how this author needs to fill you in on the circumstances about his life when the tattered outline of this odyssey was shown to him & how researching this true-to-life memoir swallowed him whole & saved his own life.

In 1944 the hero of this tale was on the brink of manhood, ready to leave school & get on w/his life when the German army finally invaded his home town & their lives, their law & order, their ruler Il Duce & everyone's dreams & hopes came to a standstill.

Caught between the proverbial rock & hard place, ordinary working Milanese & their children were waiting the stalled Allied advance north from Sicily as told over forbidden wirelesses via the BBC. They were also learning how to survive when Nazis & their attending Wermacht Army rolled in & co-opted all living places, food & supplies. Along with all the dramas in hotels & apartments with mistresses & maids, parents & siblings there were the ever-present spies & collaborators.

This is a novel recounting the truly remembered adventures & feelings of teenager Pino Lella...

United States on May 21, 2018

A Discerning Buyer: Thousands of books have been written about the holocaust period, one of the saddest and most horrifying periods in the history of mankind. What makes this book special is that, after so many years from the end of WW-II, the author met (by chance), one of the survivors, who lived in Nazi- occupied Italy during those dreadful years. This is what makes the story of Pino Lella (who is 91 years old now) precious – that this may one of the last first-person Holocaust-related stories in our lives; another decade or so, and no more survivors will be left. Such stories are to be treasured. Also, I don’t recall reading any stories centring on Italy during the Nazi reign. This book has been shortlisted by various forums as “must read” for 2017 by various forums, and quite rightly so.
Very broadly – the story is about a young Italian teenage boy Pino, who lives a carefree life of privilege and comfort in the 1940s with his wealthy parents in Milan. Italy is occupied by the Nazis, but for the young boy, war is not something that disturbs his daily life of fun and revelry with his friends. But not for long. His family home is destroyed by a bomb, and Pino’s parents send him off...

India on Sep 13, 2017