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The Glass Mountain: Escape and Discovery in Wartime Italy
The bestselling author of The Ruin of All Witches returns with a gripping, vividly told journey into his family's wartime past
'In this rich, engrossing book, Gaskill succeeds in his aim of writing ‘a story that in good conscience feels real’... As I finished his book, I began to see my own family’s past through his glass mountain' - Ian Ellison, Literary Review
'Gaskill's account is as much about what cannot be known about the past as what can still be reconstructed, even as the last witnesses to the Second World War pass from sight... his ability to explore the overgrown byways of history almost as a form of travel writing is again winningly on show here' - James Owen, The Sunday Times
Malcolm Gaskill knew two things about his great-uncle Ralph’s wartime he’d been a prisoner in Italy, and he’d cut his way out of a train with a knife and fork. Apart from that, he’d faded into family folklore, lost to view. Until, one hot afternoon in an English country garden, a chance conversation set Gaskill on his uncle’s trail…
What Ralph really did in the war was, he discovers, even more extraordinary than the exaggerations of family myth. From last-ditch fighting in the Libyan desert and incarceration in a Puglian prisoner-of-war camp, to desperate, dramatic escapes and the assuming of an entirely new identity among the peasants and partisans of the Italian Alps, Gaskill traces a life transformed by conflict, while lifting the curtain on a long-forgotten episode of the Second World War.
Yet The Glass Mountain is about more than it’s a haunting exploration of what it means to encounter the past, and how we remember, forget and recover it. As he follows his uncle’s path through dusty archives and the landscapes, towns and villages of present-day Italy, Gaskill finds himself confronted by questions that go to the heart of how we think about the people who came before Why do stories matter? How much of the past can ever be true?
'In this rich, engrossing book, Gaskill succeeds in his aim of writing ‘a story that in good conscience feels real’... As I finished his book, I began to see my own family’s past through his glass mountain' - Ian Ellison, Literary Review
'Gaskill's account is as much about what cannot be known about the past as what can still be reconstructed, even as the last witnesses to the Second World War pass from sight... his ability to explore the overgrown byways of history almost as a form of travel writing is again winningly on show here' - James Owen, The Sunday Times
Malcolm Gaskill knew two things about his great-uncle Ralph’s wartime he’d been a prisoner in Italy, and he’d cut his way out of a train with a knife and fork. Apart from that, he’d faded into family folklore, lost to view. Until, one hot afternoon in an English country garden, a chance conversation set Gaskill on his uncle’s trail…
What Ralph really did in the war was, he discovers, even more extraordinary than the exaggerations of family myth. From last-ditch fighting in the Libyan desert and incarceration in a Puglian prisoner-of-war camp, to desperate, dramatic escapes and the assuming of an entirely new identity among the peasants and partisans of the Italian Alps, Gaskill traces a life transformed by conflict, while lifting the curtain on a long-forgotten episode of the Second World War.
Yet The Glass Mountain is about more than it’s a haunting exploration of what it means to encounter the past, and how we remember, forget and recover it. As he follows his uncle’s path through dusty archives and the landscapes, towns and villages of present-day Italy, Gaskill finds himself confronted by questions that go to the heart of how we think about the people who came before Why do stories matter? How much of the past can ever be true?
391 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 25, 2025
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About the author
Malcolm Gaskill
12 books65 followersMalcolm Gaskill is Professor of Early Modern History at the University of East Anglia.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 11, 2026
This book about Ralph Corps and his companion Charlie West, both prisoners of war in Italy during WWII, would have been more of a chore if the writing style was not as accessible as it was. It is readable but there is nothing about it that is either revealing or particularly interesting to a student of the period. The main problem for me was how the author inserted himself into the narrative, forcing upon the reader his first experience of Italy, his bromance with “Dom” a man who gave him considerable assistance.
The book is ostensibly based on diaries written by Ralph, Gaskill’s uncle, but we rarely get a glimpse into them. And they apparently stop soon after his first escape attempt from Camp 62 in the south of the country. We do get insight into life in the camp but as the author is aware, there are plenty of other accounts of this. The sad fact is there was not enough material about Ralph’s escapades to fill a book, hence the author had to pack it out with lots of secondary sources, drawing on the experiences of others. Hence the frequency of phrases including words of the “probably”, “possibly”, “may even”, “likely that” ilk. Lots of conjecture, lots of excitement about finding links to things that in themselves – where a photo was taken, who an associate was – are pretty inconsequential.
What we get is the author’s own journey of discovery, though quite of what I am unsure. In the acknowledgements he pretty much admits that his greatest pleasure was discovering Italy. I am all for having a purpose such as this when visiting a place, as it forces encounters and takes you off the beaten track. But unfortunately it did come across as a little mawkish and jejune. The author’s disappointment that there was not more meat on the bones extends to disappointment with his subject, who himself appears to have been wracked with disappointment that his own efforts – whether that of escape or his involvement (scant and at times dubious) in the resistance – were not considered of more merit.
This should have been a tale of derring-do, but couldn’t be, so it turned into a bit of a confessional coming of retirement age book. I’d have rather read the diaries of Ralph himself.
The book is ostensibly based on diaries written by Ralph, Gaskill’s uncle, but we rarely get a glimpse into them. And they apparently stop soon after his first escape attempt from Camp 62 in the south of the country. We do get insight into life in the camp but as the author is aware, there are plenty of other accounts of this. The sad fact is there was not enough material about Ralph’s escapades to fill a book, hence the author had to pack it out with lots of secondary sources, drawing on the experiences of others. Hence the frequency of phrases including words of the “probably”, “possibly”, “may even”, “likely that” ilk. Lots of conjecture, lots of excitement about finding links to things that in themselves – where a photo was taken, who an associate was – are pretty inconsequential.
What we get is the author’s own journey of discovery, though quite of what I am unsure. In the acknowledgements he pretty much admits that his greatest pleasure was discovering Italy. I am all for having a purpose such as this when visiting a place, as it forces encounters and takes you off the beaten track. But unfortunately it did come across as a little mawkish and jejune. The author’s disappointment that there was not more meat on the bones extends to disappointment with his subject, who himself appears to have been wracked with disappointment that his own efforts – whether that of escape or his involvement (scant and at times dubious) in the resistance – were not considered of more merit.
This should have been a tale of derring-do, but couldn’t be, so it turned into a bit of a confessional coming of retirement age book. I’d have rather read the diaries of Ralph himself.
February 16, 2026
possibly the most droll account of a POW escape ever written.
The author attempts to follow the path of his Uncle's experience as a POW in Italy during WWII based upon memoirs his Uncle left behind and the author's travels in modern day Italy.
The authors Uncle had rank, and so he was accorded an element of status in the POW camp that subsequently made his experience not quite as dire as the basic private. Therefore, while the most serious deprivations are alluded to we are given extensive details about how the men entertained themselves that all comes across as a sideshow.
The author's travels in pursuit of his uncle's story also come across as dull and uninspiring. we are told he makes a great Italian friend in his travels but we are rarely shown anything inspired from these travels.
There is some interesting history about the ugly endgame of Italy's WWII history and the action of partisan forces--- we are even told the Uncle was "involved" in these actions but with very few details.
The Glass Mountain ultimately read like a history taken from an uncle's Memoir and little more subsequent research, and a travel book written by a tourist with a unique but relatively surface interest in the places he visited.
I found myself wishing I was re-reading "For whom the Bell tolls" again, or watching The Great Escape again.
The author attempts to follow the path of his Uncle's experience as a POW in Italy during WWII based upon memoirs his Uncle left behind and the author's travels in modern day Italy.
The authors Uncle had rank, and so he was accorded an element of status in the POW camp that subsequently made his experience not quite as dire as the basic private. Therefore, while the most serious deprivations are alluded to we are given extensive details about how the men entertained themselves that all comes across as a sideshow.
The author's travels in pursuit of his uncle's story also come across as dull and uninspiring. we are told he makes a great Italian friend in his travels but we are rarely shown anything inspired from these travels.
There is some interesting history about the ugly endgame of Italy's WWII history and the action of partisan forces--- we are even told the Uncle was "involved" in these actions but with very few details.
The Glass Mountain ultimately read like a history taken from an uncle's Memoir and little more subsequent research, and a travel book written by a tourist with a unique but relatively surface interest in the places he visited.
I found myself wishing I was re-reading "For whom the Bell tolls" again, or watching The Great Escape again.
October 5, 2025
I don't usually pick up books about twentieth century history. Nor do I usually read biographies - I find that too often they come across as little more than hero worship. With The Glass Mountain however, I would have been wrong on both counts,
This is a deeply personal story following Ralph Corps - the uncle of the author - who was a soldier in WWII, taken prisoner in Africa and spent much of the war as a POW in Italy. Ralph, remarkably, escaped from captivity twice against extraordinary odds. He was tenacious, showed great ingenuity and patience, he was daring yet anxious - and all of that leaps off the page,
While this is an incredibly personal story, it is much deeper than a 'my uncle the war hero tale. The author takes a very honest look at Ralph - acknowledging the privileges he was afforded by being a Warrant Officer in the POW camp, and the access this granted him which other prisoners wouldn't have had. The author also unselfishly doesn't only talk about Ralph - he traces and tells the story of Charlie West, friend and partner-in-crime of Ralph, a key figure in his escape attempts. He also shines a light on the extraordinary courage shown by ordinary Italian civilians in helping POWs, and also on the fractured political landscape of post-war Italy.
This is a painstakingly researched, sensitively written book with friendship and human nature at its core. It forces you as a reader to consider what you would have done in the same situation, both as a POW and as a civilian. The people in the pages of this book are so real, and the landscapes so vividly described I felt like I could easily be there in the middle of it all. It's a brilliant read, absolutely one you should put on your reading list.
- Thanks to NetGalley for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review -
This is a deeply personal story following Ralph Corps - the uncle of the author - who was a soldier in WWII, taken prisoner in Africa and spent much of the war as a POW in Italy. Ralph, remarkably, escaped from captivity twice against extraordinary odds. He was tenacious, showed great ingenuity and patience, he was daring yet anxious - and all of that leaps off the page,
While this is an incredibly personal story, it is much deeper than a 'my uncle the war hero tale. The author takes a very honest look at Ralph - acknowledging the privileges he was afforded by being a Warrant Officer in the POW camp, and the access this granted him which other prisoners wouldn't have had. The author also unselfishly doesn't only talk about Ralph - he traces and tells the story of Charlie West, friend and partner-in-crime of Ralph, a key figure in his escape attempts. He also shines a light on the extraordinary courage shown by ordinary Italian civilians in helping POWs, and also on the fractured political landscape of post-war Italy.
This is a painstakingly researched, sensitively written book with friendship and human nature at its core. It forces you as a reader to consider what you would have done in the same situation, both as a POW and as a civilian. The people in the pages of this book are so real, and the landscapes so vividly described I felt like I could easily be there in the middle of it all. It's a brilliant read, absolutely one you should put on your reading list.
- Thanks to NetGalley for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review -
September 17, 2025
Sometimes you pick up a book because the topic catches you. And sometimes you pick up a book because it's written by an author you love - for me, this fell into the latter category. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this, since I wasn't really interested in world war 2 compared to other historical eras.
I was utterly blown away and engrossed after a few pages.
The personal touch really makes the difference here, this isn't just a story of war torn Italy and POWs. By focusing on his great uncle, a man he didn't know, the author is able to reach back through the past and almost touch it. It is the human element that kept me going, made every page, every adventure feel real in a way no war movie ever has for me.
This is a story of hope. Of friendships formed in hellish conditions, of simple pity and courage, for no other reason than its the right thing to do - the hope that someone, somewhere, might show the same mercy to those they love.
The heroes and villains within this book are rarely black or white, but instead all the many shades of grey, and because of this they come across as very flawed, very real people, not the cardboard cut outs that history sometimes pushes upon them.
A complete page turner that you'll hunger to finish and make you long to see your own reflection, in your own glass mountain, wherever it might be.
~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review~
I was utterly blown away and engrossed after a few pages.
The personal touch really makes the difference here, this isn't just a story of war torn Italy and POWs. By focusing on his great uncle, a man he didn't know, the author is able to reach back through the past and almost touch it. It is the human element that kept me going, made every page, every adventure feel real in a way no war movie ever has for me.
This is a story of hope. Of friendships formed in hellish conditions, of simple pity and courage, for no other reason than its the right thing to do - the hope that someone, somewhere, might show the same mercy to those they love.
The heroes and villains within this book are rarely black or white, but instead all the many shades of grey, and because of this they come across as very flawed, very real people, not the cardboard cut outs that history sometimes pushes upon them.
A complete page turner that you'll hunger to finish and make you long to see your own reflection, in your own glass mountain, wherever it might be.
~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review~
September 25, 2025
In 2017 Malcolm Gaskill’s mother told him about a dream she had had about her Great Uncle Ralph, a man she had not much liked and about whom Gaskill knew very little apart from some stories about his wartime experiences. The conversation was enough to spark an interest to find out more though and Gaskill has spent the ensuing years tracking down everything he can find out about Ralph and his experience of the Second World War, most especially in Italy.
The result is a wonderful book that really personalises a period we tend to hear about in a more general sense. Gaskill’s research is in depth and the book splits between Ralph’s war and Gaskill’s own trips to Italy to find out more and see the locations, with the help of an Italian historian who becomes a close friend. The descriptions of the people and places which still hold a connection really add to making Ralph and his experiences come fully to life, his character and actions never becoming over idealised.
Gaskill is a superb history writer, managing to ensure everything is fully researched but also making it personal and hugely entertaining as a read. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.
The result is a wonderful book that really personalises a period we tend to hear about in a more general sense. Gaskill’s research is in depth and the book splits between Ralph’s war and Gaskill’s own trips to Italy to find out more and see the locations, with the help of an Italian historian who becomes a close friend. The descriptions of the people and places which still hold a connection really add to making Ralph and his experiences come fully to life, his character and actions never becoming over idealised.
Gaskill is a superb history writer, managing to ensure everything is fully researched but also making it personal and hugely entertaining as a read. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.
September 20, 2025
The Glass Mountain is a captivating family history, reconstructing the journey of Gaskill's great-uncle Ralph, who escaped from a prisoner of war camp in WW2 Italy.
The book is clearly the result of years of meticulous and painstaking research, but it is never dry or dull. Gaskill brings the past to life by putting personalities at the heart of the story - both those in the wartime past and those on his present-day mission to retrace his great-uncle's steps. Mining a treasure-trove of primary sources, he captures the voices of history and vividly recreates life in a prisoner of war camp, and later, on the run in the Italian countryside. The level of detail is astonishing, but the story is told with warmth, vitality, and at times, the pace of a thriller.
The Glass Mountain is a thoroughly compelling wartime history, and I didn't want it to end.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
The book is clearly the result of years of meticulous and painstaking research, but it is never dry or dull. Gaskill brings the past to life by putting personalities at the heart of the story - both those in the wartime past and those on his present-day mission to retrace his great-uncle's steps. Mining a treasure-trove of primary sources, he captures the voices of history and vividly recreates life in a prisoner of war camp, and later, on the run in the Italian countryside. The level of detail is astonishing, but the story is told with warmth, vitality, and at times, the pace of a thriller.
The Glass Mountain is a thoroughly compelling wartime history, and I didn't want it to end.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
October 12, 2025
Malcolm Gaskill gets hooked into exploring his great uncle's past after a comment his mother makes one day just won't leave his mind. Different members of the family remember Ralph differently, but most of them agree he was a difficult man and hard to get to know. But the more Gaskill digs the more intriguing Ralph history and war become. This is a vividly recounted story of the surprising things that happen to ordinary people during times of extraordinary pressure. Gaskill's enthusiasm for the subject is catching.
November 1, 2025
A perfect read, combines 2 wonderful historical lives unpicked and brought to life from the smallest of clues to the impact on the writer/researcher.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews