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Ciao, Amore, Ciao
Based on a Heartbreaking True Story
An enthralling dual-timeline WWII family mystery, based on the heartbreaking true story of the massacre in a small town in Italy in July of 1945, from award-winning, bestselling novelist Sandro Martini.
“A gripping saga that roots excruciating betrayals in a nation’s tragic history.” –Kirkus Reviews
In the winter of 1942, an Italian army of young men vanishes in the icefields of the Eastern Front. In the summer of 1945, a massacre in Schio, northeastern Italy, where families grieve the dead, makes international headlines.
In present-day Veneto, an ordinary man is about to stumble onto a horrifying secret.
Alex Lago is a jaded journalist whose career is fading as fast as his marriage. When he discovers an aged World War II photo in his dying father’s home, and innocently posts it to a Facebook group, he gets an urgent Take it down. NOW.
Alex finds himself digging into a past that needs to stay hidden. What he's about to uncover is a secret that can topple a political dynasty buried under seventy years of rubble. Suddenly entangled in a deadly legacy, he encounters the one person who can offer him redemption, for an unimaginable price.
Told from three alternating points of view, Martini’s World War II tale of intrigue, war, and heartbreak pulls the Iron Curtain back to reveal a country nursing its wounds after horrific defeat, an army of boys forever frozen at the gates of Stalingrad, British spies scheming to reshape Italy’s future, and the stinging unsolved murder of a partisan hero.
Ciao, Amore, Ciao is a gripping story of the most heroic, untold battle of the Second World War, and a brilliantly woven novel that brings the deceits of the past and the reckoning of the present together.
“Balances action, suspense, and emotional depth to deliver a truly immersive, thought-provoking read with an unflinching look at the sins of the past and the lengths to which the powerful will go to keep them buried.” –Sublime Book Review
An enthralling dual-timeline WWII family mystery, based on the heartbreaking true story of the massacre in a small town in Italy in July of 1945, from award-winning, bestselling novelist Sandro Martini.
“A gripping saga that roots excruciating betrayals in a nation’s tragic history.” –Kirkus Reviews
In the winter of 1942, an Italian army of young men vanishes in the icefields of the Eastern Front. In the summer of 1945, a massacre in Schio, northeastern Italy, where families grieve the dead, makes international headlines.
In present-day Veneto, an ordinary man is about to stumble onto a horrifying secret.
Alex Lago is a jaded journalist whose career is fading as fast as his marriage. When he discovers an aged World War II photo in his dying father’s home, and innocently posts it to a Facebook group, he gets an urgent Take it down. NOW.
Alex finds himself digging into a past that needs to stay hidden. What he's about to uncover is a secret that can topple a political dynasty buried under seventy years of rubble. Suddenly entangled in a deadly legacy, he encounters the one person who can offer him redemption, for an unimaginable price.
Told from three alternating points of view, Martini’s World War II tale of intrigue, war, and heartbreak pulls the Iron Curtain back to reveal a country nursing its wounds after horrific defeat, an army of boys forever frozen at the gates of Stalingrad, British spies scheming to reshape Italy’s future, and the stinging unsolved murder of a partisan hero.
Ciao, Amore, Ciao is a gripping story of the most heroic, untold battle of the Second World War, and a brilliantly woven novel that brings the deceits of the past and the reckoning of the present together.
“Balances action, suspense, and emotional depth to deliver a truly immersive, thought-provoking read with an unflinching look at the sins of the past and the lengths to which the powerful will go to keep them buried.” –Sublime Book Review
387 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 27, 2025
276 people are currently reading
4887 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 21, 2025
When I first seen this book I was excited to read it. The blurb said it was a dual time split novel and I couldn’t wait to get into it. Once I started reading it I found the book wasn’t what I had expected. I believe it really is a book better read by a man. There was swearing all the way through it in both the current time and especially in the war years. This book wasn’t for me. Others may enjoy it however. I do enjoy reading WWII books and they are one of my favorite genres.
I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions shared here about this book are entirely my own.
I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions shared here about this book are entirely my own.
March 31, 2025
A must read
Beautifully written, engaging and informative. I do not recommend many books and seldom give 4 stars. This book deserves my attention.
Beautifully written, engaging and informative. I do not recommend many books and seldom give 4 stars. This book deserves my attention.
May 28, 2025
Sandro Martini’s Ciao, Amore, Ciao is a soul-wrenching blend of memoir and historical fiction that begins with the quiet unraveling of a family and ends with the thunderous echoes of a nation’s buried past. Told through the eyes of a grieving son, the story moves between present-day Italy and fragments of a family's long-buried secrets, tracing the last days of the narrator’s parents while peeling back layers of memory, guilt, and unresolved trauma. It’s a story of death and love, fathers and sons, and the way history bleeds into the present, whether we ask for it or not.
This book left me aching. Martini’s voice is raw and self-deprecating, not overly polished, which makes it feel incredibly relatable. I loved how he didn't try to wrap up his grief in a neat little bow. Instead, he let it run wild through the streets of Piovene, scream through the halls of a hospital, and settle into the quiet spaces of a father’s old car. And the prose is beautiful. Sharp and vivid, like a Polaroid that won't stop developing. There were passages where I had to stop and breathe, not because they were hard to understand, but because they were so true.
The ideas in this book haunted me. Martini doesn't just write about family loss; he goes after the rot that lies underneath nations and legacies. There’s bitterness here—about fascism, about immigration, about how Italy remembers and forgets its sons. But there’s also a weird kind of love buried in all that anger. The kind of love that’s too painful to talk about directly, so it comes out sideways, in jokes and cigarette smoke and rusting old cars.
I’d recommend Ciao, Amore, Ciao to anyone who’s lost a parent, anyone who’s tried to understand their family too late, or anyone who thinks history lives only in textbooks. This book is messy, emotional, and full of ghosts. But it’s also deeply honest and strangely comforting, like a long night drive with someone who knows when not to talk. I wouldn’t say it’s easy reading, but if you let it, it’ll stay with you long after the last page.
This book left me aching. Martini’s voice is raw and self-deprecating, not overly polished, which makes it feel incredibly relatable. I loved how he didn't try to wrap up his grief in a neat little bow. Instead, he let it run wild through the streets of Piovene, scream through the halls of a hospital, and settle into the quiet spaces of a father’s old car. And the prose is beautiful. Sharp and vivid, like a Polaroid that won't stop developing. There were passages where I had to stop and breathe, not because they were hard to understand, but because they were so true.
The ideas in this book haunted me. Martini doesn't just write about family loss; he goes after the rot that lies underneath nations and legacies. There’s bitterness here—about fascism, about immigration, about how Italy remembers and forgets its sons. But there’s also a weird kind of love buried in all that anger. The kind of love that’s too painful to talk about directly, so it comes out sideways, in jokes and cigarette smoke and rusting old cars.
I’d recommend Ciao, Amore, Ciao to anyone who’s lost a parent, anyone who’s tried to understand their family too late, or anyone who thinks history lives only in textbooks. This book is messy, emotional, and full of ghosts. But it’s also deeply honest and strangely comforting, like a long night drive with someone who knows when not to talk. I wouldn’t say it’s easy reading, but if you let it, it’ll stay with you long after the last page.
December 11, 2025
Complicated enough in and of itself the Italian situation was in World War II that Sandro Martini’s “Ciao, Amore, Ciao,” with its story of the convoluted circumstances surrounding a particular massacre, makes for a reading challenge of no small dimension for a contemporary U.S. population we’re told is something like 65 percent under the age of 50 – meaning a good many young people today probably would be doing well to know even who was fighting whom.
Combine that with prose that on occasion tested even my indulgence as an English major (this, for instance, which opens the book: “just gone dawn and waiting on a moulded red plastic chair with raindrops like a rash on the skin of dawn-splattered windows”) and you can see why I say the novel poses a considerable reader challenge.
Still, if you’re of such an age that the major events of the war aren’t completely foreign to you and you have an appreciation for prose that for all its occasional forcedness is also often singularly expressive (this, for instance, from an American lieutenant: “Italy was like one of those whores tottering about on the Corso Umberto in Naples on a muggy Sunday morning after working all night for a can of C rations”), there’s much of interest in Martini’s purportedly true-life narrative, including an extended account – a bit too extended, to my mind – of the catastrophic Italian losses suffered during deployment to the Eastern Front during a brutal Russian winter in which temperatures regularly dropped to 40 degrees below zero.
Combine that with prose that on occasion tested even my indulgence as an English major (this, for instance, which opens the book: “just gone dawn and waiting on a moulded red plastic chair with raindrops like a rash on the skin of dawn-splattered windows”) and you can see why I say the novel poses a considerable reader challenge.
Still, if you’re of such an age that the major events of the war aren’t completely foreign to you and you have an appreciation for prose that for all its occasional forcedness is also often singularly expressive (this, for instance, from an American lieutenant: “Italy was like one of those whores tottering about on the Corso Umberto in Naples on a muggy Sunday morning after working all night for a can of C rations”), there’s much of interest in Martini’s purportedly true-life narrative, including an extended account – a bit too extended, to my mind – of the catastrophic Italian losses suffered during deployment to the Eastern Front during a brutal Russian winter in which temperatures regularly dropped to 40 degrees below zero.
February 28, 2025
Overall Rating = 4.67
Storyline & Concept = 4.5
Writing & Delivery = 5
Editorial = 4.5
Based around actual events, this novel unfolds across multiple timelines, each steeped in its own brand of tension. It begins with a mystery uncovered by a present-day, disillusioned journalist, Alex Lago, who finds a photograph among his dying father’s possessions—a photograph that attracts the attention of a beautiful woman and sets in motion the revelation of events that began on the battlefields of Stalingrad in 1942 and continued with an American investigation into a brutal massacre in Italy in 1945.
With crisp and wonderfully atmospheric writing, Martini paints vivid portraits of wartime horrors and post-war reckonings. The narrative is fraught with moral dilemmas and unforeseen dangers and is coated with tension and intrigue. Using his masterful command of descriptive narrative, the author balances action, suspense, and emotional depth to deliver a truly immersive, thought-provoking read with an unflinching look at the sins of the past and the lengths to which the powerful will go to keep them buried. This novel is a must-read for fans of historical thrillers layered with espionage and suspense.
Sublime Line: “Vivid and chilling, this is a riveting tale of the horrors of war and a dangerous truth waiting to be unearthed.”
Storyline & Concept = 4.5
Writing & Delivery = 5
Editorial = 4.5
Based around actual events, this novel unfolds across multiple timelines, each steeped in its own brand of tension. It begins with a mystery uncovered by a present-day, disillusioned journalist, Alex Lago, who finds a photograph among his dying father’s possessions—a photograph that attracts the attention of a beautiful woman and sets in motion the revelation of events that began on the battlefields of Stalingrad in 1942 and continued with an American investigation into a brutal massacre in Italy in 1945.
With crisp and wonderfully atmospheric writing, Martini paints vivid portraits of wartime horrors and post-war reckonings. The narrative is fraught with moral dilemmas and unforeseen dangers and is coated with tension and intrigue. Using his masterful command of descriptive narrative, the author balances action, suspense, and emotional depth to deliver a truly immersive, thought-provoking read with an unflinching look at the sins of the past and the lengths to which the powerful will go to keep them buried. This novel is a must-read for fans of historical thrillers layered with espionage and suspense.
Sublime Line: “Vivid and chilling, this is a riveting tale of the horrors of war and a dangerous truth waiting to be unearthed.”
March 2, 2025
Ciao, Amore, Ciao focuses on what history has dubbed the Schio Massacre that occurred on the night of 6-7 July 1945 in the prison of this town in northern Italy shortly after the end of the war, when tensions ran high and, in Italy, there was particular hostility between those who had collaborated with the Germans and the local partisans identifying as communists. With nearly a hundred prisoners inside—alleged fascists—the partisans stormed the building and shot over half of them, including some with no fascist links at all.
The book begins as a mystery. An Italian journalist, Alessandro Lago, finds a tattered photo of his uncle who died in the second world war in the company of three other men. Lago wants to find out how and where his uncle died, as well as to identify the other men in the picture. This is the first of the three narratives included in the book. Another is a memoir by Lieutenant John Casanova of the US Army, tasked to find the killers and who engages in sleuthing to identify them. The third is Balbo’s account of the Italian army’s disastrous and heartbreaking retreat from Stalingrad in 1943.
An unsparing and vivid read on the realities of war and betrayal and what it means to lose family.
The book begins as a mystery. An Italian journalist, Alessandro Lago, finds a tattered photo of his uncle who died in the second world war in the company of three other men. Lago wants to find out how and where his uncle died, as well as to identify the other men in the picture. This is the first of the three narratives included in the book. Another is a memoir by Lieutenant John Casanova of the US Army, tasked to find the killers and who engages in sleuthing to identify them. The third is Balbo’s account of the Italian army’s disastrous and heartbreaking retreat from Stalingrad in 1943.
An unsparing and vivid read on the realities of war and betrayal and what it means to lose family.
July 28, 2025
Gripping & Timely
My thanks to Writer Martini and Kindle Unlimited for this excellent read, which I am going to purchase.
Once I started, I could not put it down. My parents were both veterans of WWII, so much of this resonated with me. Given the current prevalence of war and the political climate in the USA as well as in other countries, this was a sobering and thought provoking historical piece that was more history than fiction.
The Itailian retreat from the Russian front gripped me and has not let go, especially as it was based on documentation. The various roles the politicians, leaders, and ordinary citizens played in the events still has me pondering how we perceive events, and what the truth may be.
This book is wonderful in that it does not take a political stance of any kind. It does, however, point out that no political group is all good or all bad.
This is literature, with writing that is lyrical, and where appropriate, honest and gritty. Some may find it depressing, as it is a wartime novel. So take this thought with you: Alex cherished the truth, and so did a few others. Therein is the hope: that there are people who are willing to search out the truth, in real life.
Thoughtful reading,
LJ Sagian
My thanks to Writer Martini and Kindle Unlimited for this excellent read, which I am going to purchase.
Once I started, I could not put it down. My parents were both veterans of WWII, so much of this resonated with me. Given the current prevalence of war and the political climate in the USA as well as in other countries, this was a sobering and thought provoking historical piece that was more history than fiction.
The Itailian retreat from the Russian front gripped me and has not let go, especially as it was based on documentation. The various roles the politicians, leaders, and ordinary citizens played in the events still has me pondering how we perceive events, and what the truth may be.
This book is wonderful in that it does not take a political stance of any kind. It does, however, point out that no political group is all good or all bad.
This is literature, with writing that is lyrical, and where appropriate, honest and gritty. Some may find it depressing, as it is a wartime novel. So take this thought with you: Alex cherished the truth, and so did a few others. Therein is the hope: that there are people who are willing to search out the truth, in real life.
Thoughtful reading,
LJ Sagian
April 2, 2025
Martini delves into the intersection of history, familial ties, and the lingering scars of conflict in his compelling novel. The story follows Alex Lago, a jaded journalist watching his life unravel. A chance encounter with a World War II photograph sparks a desperate effort to bond with his dying father and propels Alex into the depths of a decades-old mystery rife with dark family secrets.
Alternating between Alex’s somber self-reflections, a noir-inspired detective story, and a surreal exploration of wartime madness, the narrative deepens the story’s emotional impact while highlighting the complexity of history. Martini’s taut prose provides a haunting glimpse into the psychological scars of conflict and the moral dilemmas facing his characters. He seamlessly weaves Alex's emotional turmoil with the vivid backdrop of post-war Italy.
As Alex navigates a deep web of betrayal and weight of legacy, readers are pulled into his raw struggle for understanding and redemption. A gripping portrait of a forgotten World War II battle, the novel deftly ties past deceptions to present reckonings. Historical fiction fans won’t want to miss this one.
Alternating between Alex’s somber self-reflections, a noir-inspired detective story, and a surreal exploration of wartime madness, the narrative deepens the story’s emotional impact while highlighting the complexity of history. Martini’s taut prose provides a haunting glimpse into the psychological scars of conflict and the moral dilemmas facing his characters. He seamlessly weaves Alex's emotional turmoil with the vivid backdrop of post-war Italy.
As Alex navigates a deep web of betrayal and weight of legacy, readers are pulled into his raw struggle for understanding and redemption. A gripping portrait of a forgotten World War II battle, the novel deftly ties past deceptions to present reckonings. Historical fiction fans won’t want to miss this one.
April 20, 2025
A true story based on actual events.
Alex Lago discovered an old WWII photo amongst his dying Father's possessions and posts it to Facebook, hoping to find out more about the photo. When he starts digging into the past he begins to uncover is a terrible secret that some would rather remain hidden. This story, told across multiple timelines tells a horrifying wartime story about the terrible reality of war, the young men who lost their lives and trauma continues in post war life for those left behind to pick up the pieces. Graphically told in parts, this story is both fascinating and horrifying to read and speaks to the terrible political turmoil and manipulation that resulted in the aftermath of the war that resulted in the suffering and death of innocent people.
While the story is quite complex, the author's writing style is gripping and he does a wonderful job of portraying the horror and realities of war in such a way that it keeps you invested in the story and turning the pages to find out more.
Thank you to NetGalley and Cameron Publicity and Marketing Ltd for the opportunity to read and review this book
Alex Lago discovered an old WWII photo amongst his dying Father's possessions and posts it to Facebook, hoping to find out more about the photo. When he starts digging into the past he begins to uncover is a terrible secret that some would rather remain hidden. This story, told across multiple timelines tells a horrifying wartime story about the terrible reality of war, the young men who lost their lives and trauma continues in post war life for those left behind to pick up the pieces. Graphically told in parts, this story is both fascinating and horrifying to read and speaks to the terrible political turmoil and manipulation that resulted in the aftermath of the war that resulted in the suffering and death of innocent people.
While the story is quite complex, the author's writing style is gripping and he does a wonderful job of portraying the horror and realities of war in such a way that it keeps you invested in the story and turning the pages to find out more.
Thank you to NetGalley and Cameron Publicity and Marketing Ltd for the opportunity to read and review this book
April 8, 2025
Powerful novel but way too complicated plot! Graphic descriptions of violence during WWII while fleeing on the murdering snow of the Russian steppe. Those descriptions are not easy too digest. True, the horror experienced has directly to do with the main topic of the book. However, if I had known I would not have read the book. (I did skip some passages!)
This novel deals with strong feelings: anger when vengeance merges into justice or is it the other way round? And so many dead people. Based on real events, this story will make you think twice about the concept of justice.
The language used is more than colourful, but somehow fits the plot. Not a novel for me, but the main topics remain essential: trauma after the war, how does one deal with it, at a time when violence (even after the war) appeared the answer to many...
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.
This novel deals with strong feelings: anger when vengeance merges into justice or is it the other way round? And so many dead people. Based on real events, this story will make you think twice about the concept of justice.
The language used is more than colourful, but somehow fits the plot. Not a novel for me, but the main topics remain essential: trauma after the war, how does one deal with it, at a time when violence (even after the war) appeared the answer to many...
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.
October 4, 2025
I won this in a goodreads giveaway and was less than 20% in when I realized I could not finish it. I tried—I won this and wanted to read it, after all—until I hit 25% and was not at all interested in the story.
some of it was writing. The writing is not bad but the story didn’t capture my interest. The author‘s wife wanted him to get over his mother‘s death less than a month after Mom died? What kind of ridiculousness is that? He posts a photo on Facebook that he found , and someone tells him to take it down, but it’s super cryptic about it? And when she needs him, she’s even more cryptic about it? Get over yourself, lady. It’s after 2011 and he is older than I am now and doesn’t know how to pronounce mesothelioma? Weird.
Anyway, the photo happens to be about the massacre in Italy in the 1940s, we get there in such a roundabout way and then we flashback in part 2 to 1945 and I couldn’t force myself through it.
some of it was writing. The writing is not bad but the story didn’t capture my interest. The author‘s wife wanted him to get over his mother‘s death less than a month after Mom died? What kind of ridiculousness is that? He posts a photo on Facebook that he found , and someone tells him to take it down, but it’s super cryptic about it? And when she needs him, she’s even more cryptic about it? Get over yourself, lady. It’s after 2011 and he is older than I am now and doesn’t know how to pronounce mesothelioma? Weird.
Anyway, the photo happens to be about the massacre in Italy in the 1940s, we get there in such a roundabout way and then we flashback in part 2 to 1945 and I couldn’t force myself through it.
August 22, 2025
Rating: 3.5* of five
The Publisher Says: This dual-timeline saga based on true events is “vivid and gripping… A terrific read” (Kirkus Reviews).
When journalist Alex Lago discovers an old photograph in his dying father’s possessions, he slowly unravels a secret stretching back to World War II that could topple a political dynasty.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: No one anywhere ever has led a blameless life; but sometimes blame is more powerful, more burdensome, harder to forgive, than others. This is the story of one of those times. It moves between timelines of grieving today to acting yesteryear.
I found the switching between the timelines unmotivated by the action, and the evocation of the wrongs of the past pretty exculpatory for what they were.
Black Rose Writing sells paperbacks for $24.95.
The Publisher Says: This dual-timeline saga based on true events is “vivid and gripping… A terrific read” (Kirkus Reviews).
When journalist Alex Lago discovers an old photograph in his dying father’s possessions, he slowly unravels a secret stretching back to World War II that could topple a political dynasty.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: No one anywhere ever has led a blameless life; but sometimes blame is more powerful, more burdensome, harder to forgive, than others. This is the story of one of those times. It moves between timelines of grieving today to acting yesteryear.
I found the switching between the timelines unmotivated by the action, and the evocation of the wrongs of the past pretty exculpatory for what they were.
Black Rose Writing sells paperbacks for $24.95.
March 22, 2025
Based on true historical events, this novel uses three perspectives and three timelines to present an intriguing story covering events from Stalingrad and Italy during World War II. First, the quality of the writing is truly striking. Martini creates an immersive narrative that brought the setting and the characters to life on the page, completely drawing me into the story. Second, the events themselves are brutal and vivid, made all the more so because of the truth that lies behind them. But what makes this novel stand out is the mystery and intrigue the author has created to tie everything together into a memorable package.
February 18, 2026
Hauntingly good
The writing is so vivid it just reflects the experience of my mother not recognising her brother when he returned home. These good people who worked the land and had little idea of the outside world just used as fodder for the greed and lofty ambitions of a corrupt and inhuman regime.
The writing is so vivid it just reflects the experience of my mother not recognising her brother when he returned home. These good people who worked the land and had little idea of the outside world just used as fodder for the greed and lofty ambitions of a corrupt and inhuman regime.
April 23, 2025
CAPTIVATING
This book has it all. It gives you an insight into grief, World War II, suspense, mystery and the thrill of driving a Porsche. I wish I had read this book aloud with my husband.
This book has it all. It gives you an insight into grief, World War II, suspense, mystery and the thrill of driving a Porsche. I wish I had read this book aloud with my husband.
May 29, 2025
Well Written
I found the story difficult to follow and the nature of it was quite depressing. That said, I enjoyed the authors style of writing so much I finished the book and quite enjoyed it.
I found the story difficult to follow and the nature of it was quite depressing. That said, I enjoyed the authors style of writing so much I finished the book and quite enjoyed it.
January 7, 2026
A very painful time in history and the language used was hard to hear (though likely accurate for the time and people using it). The story itself is compelling and as difficult as it was at times, I'm glad I know more about the situations described.
January 31, 2026
Czytałem z zapartym tchem i wracałem do niej z niecierpliwością. Poza fascynującymi faktami uderza sposób, w jaki Lagioia prowadzi swoje refleksje, pełne filozofii, egzystencjalnych pytań i niezwykłej wrażliwości. Zero pornografii, zero taniej tragedii - czysta, pięknie napisana literatura faktu.
October 9, 2025
I didn't enjoy this book.
I got this book free on Goodreads and was looking forward to it. I enjoy reading about WW2 but this book was not interesting. I could not finish it all.
I got this book free on Goodreads and was looking forward to it. I enjoy reading about WW2 but this book was not interesting. I could not finish it all.
November 12, 2025
difficult to like the authors writing style
The history depicted in the book was interesting and unfamiliar to me. I found the authors style of writing to be unappealing to me.
The history depicted in the book was interesting and unfamiliar to me. I found the authors style of writing to be unappealing to me.
May 20, 2025
Hard to follow.
December 27, 2025
Historical fiction at its best
The greatest stories are rich with emotion, mystery, faded memories, and regrets. The finest novels take these elements and meticulously weave them into a tapestry of words—a complex puzzle of ideas, feelings, colors, smells and sounds—until the reader unexpectedly stumbles upon a forgotten truth.
Sandro Martini respects his readers' intelligence, and that may be the most refreshing aspect of this intimate yet historical work of art.
If you trust Martini and embark on this journey with him, the reward will be immense. And when you reach the end, all you’ll want to do is read it again.
The greatest stories are rich with emotion, mystery, faded memories, and regrets. The finest novels take these elements and meticulously weave them into a tapestry of words—a complex puzzle of ideas, feelings, colors, smells and sounds—until the reader unexpectedly stumbles upon a forgotten truth.
Sandro Martini respects his readers' intelligence, and that may be the most refreshing aspect of this intimate yet historical work of art.
If you trust Martini and embark on this journey with him, the reward will be immense. And when you reach the end, all you’ll want to do is read it again.
September 11, 2025
Interesting bit of history from a perspective I’m not super familiar with HOWEVER overtly racist and crude in many sections - ironically (or maybe not?) most of those are actually featuring American main characters. Kind of a tough read.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews