Anna's Shadow: A dramatic and page-turning novel: part mystery, part WW II story, part romance; A feel-good novel we desperately need.

by Ingrid McCarthy

TITAN LITERARY GOLD BOOK AWARD

Anna’s Shadow will make a dramatic and thoughtful impact on its readers and is a highly recommended book. ~ "Reader's Favorite (5 Stars)

"An unusual historical romance set in two time periods." ~ Kirkus Reviews

Sofia Rossi, a Canadian-Italian orthopedic surgeon on leave from Doctors Without Borders and staying with family in Verona, is volunteering at the Club di Giulietta ―Juliet's Club ―to answer letters written by star-crossed lovers seeking advice in matters of the heart.

"Memories have huge staying power," Sofia writes in answer to Luke Miller's letter. "Without them, life would lack colour and vibrancy."

When Luke Miller, a man in his late seventies, unexpectedly arrives in Verona accompanied by his son to take matters in his own hands, Sofia, who is recovering from a traumatic experience during her past assignment in the Congo, finds herself suddenly drawn into an adventure that affects not only her own life but also the lives of the people who begin to cross her path.

Inspired by true events, Anna's Shadow is a dramatic, yet uplifting a search for a missing woman that will take the reader from present day Verona to Verona in 1945 under German occupation, to post-war Switzerland, Germany and Canada, and explores the question of coincidence, destiny and fate.

Genres: Historical Fiction

388 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 6, 2024

About the author

Former artistic stage director and actor.
Author of dramatic, yet uplifting novels.

Reviews

[Joan Lougheed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only was this a delightful read, it was realistic in telling of the story. There were many unexpected moments that kept the reader turning the pages with anticipation of the next chapter until the last page. I closed the book with a sigh, having enjoyed the story so much.
Thank you Ingrid.

[Kati Lyon-Villiger]

Ingrid McCarthy’s tale of Anna’s Shadow is draped with the mantle of the great love Romeo and Julia had for each other, except that it is a war story no doubt reflecting the destiny of many who fell in love with “enemy” soldiers, often briefly encountered and emotions felt intensely, before the horrendous and useless calamity of war would part them and leave only distant memories in a world destroyed. It is the story of two eighteen-year-old German soldiers, Lukas and Uwe, during the mighty Wehrmacht’s occupation of Verona who both, unbeknownst to the other, fell in love with the beautiful blue-eyed Italian girl, Anna. War commands, injuries, and destruction, defeat and flight separate them like ships passing in the stormy night, forcing those who survive to hide from partisans who would not understand that love and longing know not enemies.
The story starts over sixty years later, back in Verona, where there is indeed a “Juliet Club,” and people can write to them to tell their story to the tragic Shakespearean Juliet, and even ask for love advice and help. The Juliet Club has existed for years and handles some 50,000 letters every year. It has contributed considerably to make Verona famous world-wide, as the “capital of love”. Of course, the famous grave of Julia is empty and the balcony was added to the existing building only about a century ago, but both serve as powerful symbols of enduring love and romance. Evidently, Shakespeare never visited Verona and the tragic, star-crossed Romeo and Julia are, of course, completely fictional.
It is to the Juliet Club that the son of Lukas, now an old man in Montreal, writes to ask them to find out what happened to Anna, his father’s faithfully remembered first love. Ingrid McCarthy’s plot then leads the reader through a maze of twists and turns that are the hallmark of all her writing, to the surprising end.
The story is riveting and will keep the reader on edge, unable to put the book down. McCarthy uses the clearly defined descriptive style to express clearly what she wants to say — with the finest and most appropriate words, and a sentence structure meandering logically to its descriptive end, which is the appropriate style for a tragic, bitter-sweet tale of love and survival. Her syntax is clear, her language rich, cultured, and quite magnificent. The continuity of Anna’s Shadow is consistent in that the characteristics of the people, the plot, the objects, and the places over the period of time the story covers paint a picture that resembles an oil painting in or made of words. It would easily lend itself to other media, such as movies.
The tone of the tale is perhaps its most remarkable feature in that it reflects the setting in the homes, command centers, the war theatre in Italy, and its peaceful countryside and city life during the war and its aftermath. A class of society building its future out of destruction, as the reader can imagine it vividly.
Ingrid McCarthy’s form of literary language is another of the principle assets of Anna’s Shadow in that it never overpowers, but is genuine. Standard dialect, or a standardized version of it. There is no especially strong divergence between her written form and the spoken vernacular, hence the author displays none of the frequently read diglossia found in lesser literary works. Her characters become alive, moody sometimes, matter-of-fact in other parts and full of melancholy and bitter-sweet resignation in the end. Protagonist, Antagonist, Minor characters, static characters, dynamic characters are defined in depth, which the reader can appreciate. McCarthy endows them with sufficient physical properties to impress the reader. Much time is spent inside some characters’ heads, but this perhaps excessive internalization did rarely slow down the story. McCarthy does not let the characters think or wonder about every action, to foreshadow the plot and alienate the readers’ desire to continue reading, but throws monkey wrenches into the story, just when the reader is getting comfortable with what s/he thinks is the inevitable predictability of the story.
I am eagerly awaiting Ingrid McCarthy’s next book.

[READER VIEWS · Rating 5 out of 5]

It all started with a letter. It all started with you.

“Anna’s Shadow” is a captivating historical fiction novel uniquely set in Verona in 1945 and 2005. The story unfolds in the backdrop of the Juliet Club, where Sofia Rossi works. She receives love letters daily, hoping they may be answered. One day, she gets a letter that resonates with her, and she responds despite her reservations. This seemingly innocuous act sets in motion a journey into the past and her love story.

The book delves deep into the lives of Lukas Miller, Romeo Miller, and Sofia Rossi, all of whom are intertwined in this mystery. Lukas, driven by the search for his lost love, Anna, whom he had saved from the Germans during the war. Romeo, a son wanting to help his father, and Sofia, a woman on a quest to find herself and her place in the world.

The novel transports readers to the picturesque Italian countryside and villages, immersing us in the vivid historical backdrop of Verona. Ingrid McCarthy’s masterful storytelling seamlessly integrates historical events, buildings, and people into the narrative, effectively teleporting readers to that era. Millions flock to Verona each year to seek advice on matters of the heart. There is a balcony where William Shakespeare’s Juliet is said to have been courted by Romeo. This is how the Juliet Club was formed, and Verona got the nickname “Town of Love.”

While historical fiction can sometimes be challenging, this book immediately captivates and refuses to let go. The characters are not just well-developed; they are vibrant, and their stories compellingly ask you to invest your emotions, hopes, and prayers in them. McCarthy’s writing is capable of stirring your heart with love and heartbreak in equal measure.

Overall, “Anna’s Shadow” is a book that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. It’s a story of love, courage, loss, and hope that will make you cry and cheer equally. Ingrid McCarthy has included the words to Bella Ciao, “Goodbye Beautiful,” and many historical facts from Pallazzo dell’INA. I highly recommend this book to all who enjoy historical fiction or want to read a well-crafted, engaging love story.

[Trish Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love and romance in two time periods. Kicking off in present-day Verona, Sophia volunteers in the Juliet Club, answering letters from the lovelorn as she tries to heal from her own recently lost first love. Along comes Romeo, whose aging father wants to know what happened to Anna, a local woman he had briefly crossed paths and instantly fallen in love with in Italy in the waning days of WWII. Sophia and Romeo meet through the Club and team up with a few other key characters to attempt to uncover the truth...and along the way other love stories are revealed.

Never maudlin, Anna's Shadow is a well-paced, excellent read, with imagery so vivid you feel you could be there. Words that spring to mind are: charming, romance, and drama. Definitely recommended.

[Pia Copeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna’s Shadow was a beautifully written and emotionally layered read. I loved how Ingrid McCarthy wove together past and present through Sofia’s journey in Verona and Luke’s haunting memories of 1945. The historical detail, the emotional depth, and the bittersweet search for a woman lost to time made this a truly memorable story. If you enjoy dual timelines, slow reveals, and deeply human characters, this book is worth every page.

[Amy Plitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a Wonderful WWII Story!

I love historical fiction and nonfiction--particularly around the WWII era. This was such a romantic, suspenseful, and hoped-filled book. There were so many twists and turns; it was not your average love story. I fell in love with all of the characters and will spend some time missing them. This is one of those books you don't want to end!

[Andre Malard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story: history, romance and sleuthing kept me turning the pages. The story, set in Verona at the end of WWII and in the present day, with characters and situations so realistic, it made me feel as if I was travelling with them, side by side. Highly recommended.

[Marjorie Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope and resilience in the face of war and tragic loss are major themes in Anna’s Shadow by Ingrid McCarthy.

Sofia, a young surgeon, is suffering the loss of her life partner, who was a victim of senseless violence. Sofia is not herself. When she travels to Verona, Italy, her father suggests she answer letters sent to the Juliet Society, a Verona group specializing in helping those with hopeless romantic loss. She does and there’s a response. A man named Luke asks for help in finding Anna, a young girl Luke encountered more than half a century ago.

From this point, the novel becomes a story within a story. While enjoying the beauty of Verona, Sofia begins the search for Anna, every step leading to a dead end or another step closer to solving the mystery. The second story takes place in Verona during WWIII in the last days of German occupation. Lucas, a young German soldier, tasked with searching a house for resistance fighters, encounters Anna, a frightened young girl. Though Lucas tries to hide her, he is powerless to protect her, Lucas is barely old enough to be a soldier and soon, he is swept up in the retreat.

Lucas is now Luke, a successful businessman living in Canada. He has never forgotten Anna and wants to know what happened to her. Did she survive the war? As Sofia searches for Anna, she begins to heal her own broken heart.

Anna’s Shadow concerns the ache of loss and the power to begin again. I recommend it, especially for reading on rainy afternoons and quiet evenings.

[Katherine Newman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable. I got about halfway through the free Audible book when I just had to turn it off. Anyone who has met a doctor knows that they are highly motivated and are not time wasters. The author made her main character a doctor to sound impressive, but then has her whiling away the hours, contemplating a meaningful reply as a Secretary of Juliet, house shopping with her parents, and going through records at city hall. Even when she finds that boring, we next find her mindlessly shopping. I think the author has confused someone who would work for Doctors Without Borders and a bored housewife. And of course the predictable "meet cute" with Luke's glum son, who suddenly becomes interesting when she compares her parent-child dynamic with his. *insert eye roll* I forgot that "feel-good" is code for crap writing. Call me when the next Kate Quinn is released- I much prefer vibrate, intelligent heroines.

[Liza_lo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot of this which is a multi-generational mystery, is fairly intriguing but the dark subject matter (Nazism, fascism, death etc) is treated so shallowly it does disservice to the book as a whole.

An interesting non-romance romance book. Not for me but someone else might like it better.

[Literary Titan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Anna's Shadow, by Ingrid McCarthy, readers are introduced to Sofia Rossi, an orthopedic surgeon working with Doctors Without Borders. Originally from Montreal, Sofia's life takes a turn when she moves to Verona to care for her ailing aunt. The narrative deepens with the arrival of a letter from Luke Miller, a retired German soldier, expressing his longing to reunite with Anna Bissoli, a woman he met years ago. Sofia, no stranger to heartbreak herself, finds her personal struggles intertwined with Luke's quest.

McCarthy crafts a tale that is not just about the search for Anna but also explores the complexities of love and familial expectations. Sofia's mother's pressure for her to marry adds another layer to the story, creating a relatable dilemma. The character of Luke Miller is particularly striking, with his enduring love for Anna creating a poignant depth in the narrative. One of the novel's highlights is its rich cultural tapestry. McCarthy skillfully weaves Italian phrases and expressions throughout the story, enhancing the authenticity of the setting and characters. Readers will find themselves engaged in the depiction of familial dynamics, particularly the drama surrounding Sofia's mother. The novel also delves into a budding romance between Luke's son, Romeo, and Sofia, which provides an intriguing twist to the storyline. As a romance novel enthusiast, I found the development of their relationship, along with the inclusion of love letters and romantic moments, particularly captivating.

Anna’s Shadow stands out for its vivid imagery and compelling setting, particularly appealing to readers who appreciate narratives set in the 20th century. Ingrid McCarthy's writing style is both engaging and evocative, making her a noteworthy addition to my list of favored romance authors. This book is a testament to the enduring power of love and the complexities of human relationships, making it a worthy read for those who cherish a well-rounded love story.