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The Sound of the Hours
A sweeping and romantic novel about love, loss, and conflict in an occupied Italian town during World War II.
Trapped in Tuscany as war rages along the Gothic Line, Vittoria Guidi doesn't understand where her allegiances should lie. With her Scots-Italian father or Fascist mother? With Mussolini, or her King? With the life she wants, or is told to live?
As Germans occupy the mountains round Barga, and US Buffalo soldiers draw near, loyalties are tested and families torn apart. Frank Chapel, a young, black soldier fighting for a country that refuses him the vote, is unlike anyone Vita has met. In the chaos, they find each other - but can their growing love defy prejudice and war?
The Sound of the Hours is an all-consuming tale of romance and loss. It is at once an intimate and tender portrait of first love and a sweeping evocation of an extraordinary, devastating moment in history.
Trapped in Tuscany as war rages along the Gothic Line, Vittoria Guidi doesn't understand where her allegiances should lie. With her Scots-Italian father or Fascist mother? With Mussolini, or her King? With the life she wants, or is told to live?
As Germans occupy the mountains round Barga, and US Buffalo soldiers draw near, loyalties are tested and families torn apart. Frank Chapel, a young, black soldier fighting for a country that refuses him the vote, is unlike anyone Vita has met. In the chaos, they find each other - but can their growing love defy prejudice and war?
The Sound of the Hours is an all-consuming tale of romance and loss. It is at once an intimate and tender portrait of first love and a sweeping evocation of an extraordinary, devastating moment in history.
464 pages, Hardcover
First published March 9, 2019
About the author
Karen Campbell
11 books73 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Scottish writer Karen Campbell is a graduate of Glasgow University's prestigious Creative Writing Masters, and author of The Twilight Time.
A former police officer, Karen can legitimately claim to have worked the streets of Glasgow, and her debut novel, described as 'gritty as hell, shot through with black humour', weaves personal insights and experiences to take a look at life behind the uniform - and the choices women make in life.
Scottish writer Karen Campbell is a graduate of Glasgow University's prestigious Creative Writing Masters, and author of The Twilight Time.
A former police officer, Karen can legitimately claim to have worked the streets of Glasgow, and her debut novel, described as 'gritty as hell, shot through with black humour', weaves personal insights and experiences to take a look at life behind the uniform - and the choices women make in life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
September 15, 2019
Initially, I thought I was going to love this. It's set up really well. The author does a fabulous job of bringing to life an Italian region during WW2. The narrative focuses on Vita, a young Italian girl with Scottish blood. You could tell the author's heart was heavily invested in this part of the novel and the research was excellently executed. However, there are two narratives and the second didn't work nearly as well for me. This is Frank, a black American soldier who, initially, has to withstand some pretty awful racism from his own side. The novel's events mirror to some extent those in Spike Lee's film Miracle at Sant'Anna and I have to say Lee's film does a much better job of showing what the so-called Buffalo soldiers had to endure. Another problem I had was the increasingly impressionistic writing - at times, especially in battle scenes, I wasn't altogether clear what was happening. A good editor could probably have cut at least fifty pages of what is perhaps an excessively long novel since it tells the story of only two principle characters. Finally, at heart, this is a story of blighted young romance which is never going to be my favourite subject matter. Shame it wasn't all as good as the scenes depicting life in an Italian rural community in 1944. 3+
November 10, 2019
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The first thing that I noticed right away as I began reading the book was Campbell’s writing style. She has the kind of writing style that makes you live and breathe the same atmosphere as the characters do. It’s given that Karen invests more time in “showing” rather than telling the story but there are some downsides to the “Show and Tell” (did you catch the reference?) rule too. For instance, the length of the book. It’s INTIMIDATING
If you’re familiar with James Joyce’s writing and have read ‘A Portrait of an Artist as A Young Man’ you would find that Karen adopts somewhat of a similar narrative technique, i.e., the stream of consciousness. Vittoria is the central character until Frank is introduced into the storyline. Vittoria is about to celebrate her eighteenth birthday when she sees all these clues here and there that her country is going to be torn apart really soon.
The backdrop of the story is the 1940s and features the Italian landscape in all its glory and is most probably set in Barga, Tuscany because there are numerous references of the Tuscan sun (it’s a 450 page book so, I have forgotten some of the details 😅).
The book largely has the WWII as the backdrop to the developing romance between Vita and Frank. Frank is a black soldier who joined the America’s Buffalo soldiers. He is constantly subjected to discrimination based on his colour, race and almost everything he does. Campbell has highlighted the racial and cultural discrimination throughout the novel. Campbell writes an interracial romance in a time when there were too many societal boundaries and interracial relationships were frowned upon.
Speaking about this book is difficult because there are so many elements to it. The setting of the novel definitely stood out to me. The narrative is just beautiful. I don’t have any words to express how I felt about Campbell’s writing. I haven’t read too many novels set around the World War II and ‘The Sounds of the Hours’ is probably the third book I read which is set around WWII. If you have read ‘The English Patient’, you would know that it features an Italian villa and has so many different characters against the backdrop of WWII. ‘The Sound of the Hours’ follows somewhat of a similar route except that the story focuses mainly on Frank and Vitta. There aren’t too many supporting characters who shine in the narrative and that is perhaps something I would have loved to see.
The book is lengthy for sure and it does take a while to get to the point but it is supposed to be this way. How are you going to depict the setting and create the atmosphere of WWII if you don’t draw it out? It’s a historical fiction and the historical part is in focus rather than the characters. I did feel that some events were unnecessarily stretched out and others which needed to be focused were skipped on. So, there’s that. But other than this I really loved reading this novel
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
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The first thing that I noticed right away as I began reading the book was Campbell’s writing style. She has the kind of writing style that makes you live and breathe the same atmosphere as the characters do. It’s given that Karen invests more time in “showing” rather than telling the story but there are some downsides to the “Show and Tell” (did you catch the reference?) rule too. For instance, the length of the book. It’s INTIMIDATING
If you’re familiar with James Joyce’s writing and have read ‘A Portrait of an Artist as A Young Man’ you would find that Karen adopts somewhat of a similar narrative technique, i.e., the stream of consciousness. Vittoria is the central character until Frank is introduced into the storyline. Vittoria is about to celebrate her eighteenth birthday when she sees all these clues here and there that her country is going to be torn apart really soon.
The backdrop of the story is the 1940s and features the Italian landscape in all its glory and is most probably set in Barga, Tuscany because there are numerous references of the Tuscan sun (it’s a 450 page book so, I have forgotten some of the details 😅).
The book largely has the WWII as the backdrop to the developing romance between Vita and Frank. Frank is a black soldier who joined the America’s Buffalo soldiers. He is constantly subjected to discrimination based on his colour, race and almost everything he does. Campbell has highlighted the racial and cultural discrimination throughout the novel. Campbell writes an interracial romance in a time when there were too many societal boundaries and interracial relationships were frowned upon.
Speaking about this book is difficult because there are so many elements to it. The setting of the novel definitely stood out to me. The narrative is just beautiful. I don’t have any words to express how I felt about Campbell’s writing. I haven’t read too many novels set around the World War II and ‘The Sounds of the Hours’ is probably the third book I read which is set around WWII. If you have read ‘The English Patient’, you would know that it features an Italian villa and has so many different characters against the backdrop of WWII. ‘The Sound of the Hours’ follows somewhat of a similar route except that the story focuses mainly on Frank and Vitta. There aren’t too many supporting characters who shine in the narrative and that is perhaps something I would have loved to see.
The book is lengthy for sure and it does take a while to get to the point but it is supposed to be this way. How are you going to depict the setting and create the atmosphere of WWII if you don’t draw it out? It’s a historical fiction and the historical part is in focus rather than the characters. I did feel that some events were unnecessarily stretched out and others which needed to be focused were skipped on. So, there’s that. But other than this I really loved reading this novel
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
FOLLOW ME ON (I am literally asking you all to follow me because I have no shame):
WORDPRESS TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK PINTEREST
August 1, 2019
What do you say about a book that is this good? It is a book to read at one sitting if possible. I certainly could not out it down.
The story is set in Paisley and Barga amongst the Scottish-Italian community. Co-incidentally, I was recently one of the hosts of the Great Scottish Diaspora Tapestry, and one of the tapestries read “Barga, the most Scottish Town in Italy”. What the Tapestry did not tell you is why. Barga was one of the heartlands of Mussolini and his Fascists. It was a town that the Nardinis, the Nutinis and the Capaldis left because it was not a safe place. This is one of the central points of the story because the heroine’s family, at least those who stayed in Barga, were solidly fascist, while those who left for Paisley were not.
The story begins in Paisley, with an old woman dying and her family gathering around her to provide solace and comfort. It then switches to Italy at that point in the Second World War where the Allied Forces have invaded at Anzio and are fighting their way up the spine of Italy. The Nazis, under Field-Marshall Kesselring are digging in along the Gothic Line, preparing to stem the tide of the Allied advance. To complicate matters further, the King of Italy has declared for the Allies and Mussolini has deposed him, setting up a republic in the Nazi-occupied area of Italy. Italy descends into a Civil War with partisans fighting against the Nazis and the Fascists fighting under Kesselring’s command. Barga finds itself in the frontline of the battle.
This is when we meet Vittoria (Vita) Guidi and her sister Francesca (Cesca) who are natives of Barga and their cousin Joe (Guiseppe) from Paisley as they get caught up in the battle. Vita works for the local priest and gets caught up in dealing with refugees, and getting Jewish families and children to places of safety. She also makes the journey south to Lucca, through dangerous territory, in order to make sure that her grandmother is safe.
It is in Lucca that she meets Frank Chappell, an American soldier, whose regiment has been spearheading the drive north. Frank is what was astonishingly known in the American army of the time as a Buffalo soldier. This was the name given to black American soldiers by either the Comanche or the Apache (I would have to check Dee Brown’s “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” to be sure which), and was given to black soldiers because of the colour of their skin and their tight, curly hair. The name stuck in the segregated US army. Black soldiers, of course, had white officers. These were the soldiers who, on returning home, became one of the motors of the Civil Rights Movement.
All of these tensions are present in the novel. But the motor is the love story between Vita and Frank, from their meeting in Lucca to their parting in Barga a few months later. It is a story about how the Guidi and Chappell families become interlocked, and how that interlocking finds its resolution at the deathbed of the old lady in Paisley.
I am not going to tell you anything more about the plot, because that would spoil the book. My advice is simple. You should give yourselves an enormous treat, and make sure that you read “The Sound of the Hours”.
The story is set in Paisley and Barga amongst the Scottish-Italian community. Co-incidentally, I was recently one of the hosts of the Great Scottish Diaspora Tapestry, and one of the tapestries read “Barga, the most Scottish Town in Italy”. What the Tapestry did not tell you is why. Barga was one of the heartlands of Mussolini and his Fascists. It was a town that the Nardinis, the Nutinis and the Capaldis left because it was not a safe place. This is one of the central points of the story because the heroine’s family, at least those who stayed in Barga, were solidly fascist, while those who left for Paisley were not.
The story begins in Paisley, with an old woman dying and her family gathering around her to provide solace and comfort. It then switches to Italy at that point in the Second World War where the Allied Forces have invaded at Anzio and are fighting their way up the spine of Italy. The Nazis, under Field-Marshall Kesselring are digging in along the Gothic Line, preparing to stem the tide of the Allied advance. To complicate matters further, the King of Italy has declared for the Allies and Mussolini has deposed him, setting up a republic in the Nazi-occupied area of Italy. Italy descends into a Civil War with partisans fighting against the Nazis and the Fascists fighting under Kesselring’s command. Barga finds itself in the frontline of the battle.
This is when we meet Vittoria (Vita) Guidi and her sister Francesca (Cesca) who are natives of Barga and their cousin Joe (Guiseppe) from Paisley as they get caught up in the battle. Vita works for the local priest and gets caught up in dealing with refugees, and getting Jewish families and children to places of safety. She also makes the journey south to Lucca, through dangerous territory, in order to make sure that her grandmother is safe.
It is in Lucca that she meets Frank Chappell, an American soldier, whose regiment has been spearheading the drive north. Frank is what was astonishingly known in the American army of the time as a Buffalo soldier. This was the name given to black American soldiers by either the Comanche or the Apache (I would have to check Dee Brown’s “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” to be sure which), and was given to black soldiers because of the colour of their skin and their tight, curly hair. The name stuck in the segregated US army. Black soldiers, of course, had white officers. These were the soldiers who, on returning home, became one of the motors of the Civil Rights Movement.
All of these tensions are present in the novel. But the motor is the love story between Vita and Frank, from their meeting in Lucca to their parting in Barga a few months later. It is a story about how the Guidi and Chappell families become interlocked, and how that interlocking finds its resolution at the deathbed of the old lady in Paisley.
I am not going to tell you anything more about the plot, because that would spoil the book. My advice is simple. You should give yourselves an enormous treat, and make sure that you read “The Sound of the Hours”.
July 22, 2019
💕 Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an advanced copy of 'The Sound of the Hours' by Karen Campbell in return for an honest review
When I first started to read this book, I found the rhythm of the author's writing quite difficult to follow. Having persevered with it, I am pleased that I found her voice. This has to be the best and most well researched book based around Italy during the Second World War that I have ever read. I am very impressed with the accuracy and the detail given and I have learned so much more about this period in Italy from reading it.
The story follows Vita's journey into adulthood during the turbulent war years, where she learns that there are many aspects to a person's personality, and not all of them are endearing, teaching her that no-one is whom they initially seem. She questions her own beliefs and the morals of others, not least those within her own family. Vita's country is divided as is her family.
Vita forges her own way forward, to a brave new beginning when she meets a young, black American soldier Frank, a man who fights for a country who refused him a vote. Can Vita and Frank fight prejudice and build a life together against all the odds?
Elegant and thought provoking writing
When I first started to read this book, I found the rhythm of the author's writing quite difficult to follow. Having persevered with it, I am pleased that I found her voice. This has to be the best and most well researched book based around Italy during the Second World War that I have ever read. I am very impressed with the accuracy and the detail given and I have learned so much more about this period in Italy from reading it.
The story follows Vita's journey into adulthood during the turbulent war years, where she learns that there are many aspects to a person's personality, and not all of them are endearing, teaching her that no-one is whom they initially seem. She questions her own beliefs and the morals of others, not least those within her own family. Vita's country is divided as is her family.
Vita forges her own way forward, to a brave new beginning when she meets a young, black American soldier Frank, a man who fights for a country who refused him a vote. Can Vita and Frank fight prejudice and build a life together against all the odds?
Elegant and thought provoking writing
August 6, 2019
I think I wrote a while ago that this book would have me reaching for the tissues, and I was not wrong. This book is a lot of things: a story about a country at war, an inter-racial relationship at a time when that was frowned upon; the story of a family struggling to survive. Taken together, I was hooked.
Though The Sound of the Hours does take a while to properly 'get into', Karen Campbell's slow and measured writing style gradually draws you into the Italian countryside during the 1940s, as sisters Vittoria and Francesca learn just how terrible war really is, and what they're willing to do to survive it- just like Frank, the American Buffalo soldier fighting his way up through Italy to liberate the country. I think the true triumph in Campbell's writing is really making you feel like you're there, and living these things at the same time as the characters.
Not a lot of books have been written about wartime Italy, but this is fantastic: a love story and a war story, all wrapped up in one. Plus, look at that cover!
Though The Sound of the Hours does take a while to properly 'get into', Karen Campbell's slow and measured writing style gradually draws you into the Italian countryside during the 1940s, as sisters Vittoria and Francesca learn just how terrible war really is, and what they're willing to do to survive it- just like Frank, the American Buffalo soldier fighting his way up through Italy to liberate the country. I think the true triumph in Campbell's writing is really making you feel like you're there, and living these things at the same time as the characters.
Not a lot of books have been written about wartime Italy, but this is fantastic: a love story and a war story, all wrapped up in one. Plus, look at that cover!
Did Not Finish
February 1, 2020DNF. Not often this happens but I struggled all the way to p142 and finally had to sack it off. It’s 1943, Italy, and Vittoria and her family are dealing with the German occupation. Meanwhile Frank, a black American soldier is fighting for the allies. Apparently they meet and fall in love against all odds, but I didn’t get that far -by page 142 they still hadn’t even met. It’s certainly well written and is littered with historical references but for me it plodded along so slowly that I just couldn’t get invested enough to continue any further. I have hundreds of books on my tbr pile and I’ve now made a harsh decision that if I’m still struggling by p100 I’m giving up. Too many books, too little time.
If you like a slow burning romantic war story then this may be for you, sadly not for me. A shame as I loved one of the author’s books, This Is Where I Am.
If you like a slow burning romantic war story then this may be for you, sadly not for me. A shame as I loved one of the author’s books, This Is Where I Am.
October 18, 2019
Firstly, I convey my heartfelt thanks to Bloomsbury India for their undeterred patience and trust in my work. It was not easy for me to finish this book one month ago, hence the unfortunate delay.
To be honest, won't categorise The Sound of the Hours under historical fiction. Instead, I felt it more like contemporary fiction, set against the backdrop of the war. A moving story of survival, hope, love, and war, this book is for those who seek to know about the effects of war on small towns and hamlets. Unfortunately, the book turned out to be monotonous, and it took longer for the main storyline to develop, longer than I expected.
The first reason why I liked reading The Sound of the Hours was its detailed descriptions. While most of them were filler paragraphs to stretch the plot into a 450+ page book, they were indeed beautiful. The landscape descriptions are flawlessly depicted, as if the readers could almost visualise the scene in front of them. Such aptness and brilliance is truly commendable. Secondly, the book has a unique narrative style. With every chapter being narrated by different characters respectively, The Sound of the Hours provides the readers with multiple vantage points to look at the plot. Multiple POVs is something I very much enjoy reading, as far as modern classics and contemporary fiction is concerned. However, what I loved most is the theme it explores — warfare. The book is set against the backdrop of the Second World War, that too in a country which sided with the Axis Powers. Most importantly, the book devotes adequate attention to emphasize on the horrors of warfare, as well as the futility of materialistic quests.
However, there were a lot of glitches in The Sound of the Hours which were disappointing. Yes, I should have continued a lot more in the previous paragraph, but the faults are too overwhelming. Number one, the genre. The book proclaims to be a Historical Fiction, which it isn't. Nor can I describe it as contemporary fiction entirely. The book resides somewhere in the middle, but all in vain. The book talks less about WWII, but more about war in general. Also, the focus being on the two lovers, the "ornamental" narrative style is considered useless. Why go all the way to listen to multiple characters when the story doesn't seem to develop very little? With multiple narrators (point number two!) in the course of the novel, the plot tends to get muddled up very often. The turning points (point number three) arrive late, most of which seem predictable as well.
Yet, what stands apart is how Campbel uses language. The story may not be how you expected it to be, but the words are sheer poetry. From chapter one itself, the readers will be mesmerized by the manner in which Campbell expresses the simplest of the simple in the most extraordinary manner.
I convey my best wishes to the author for her future endeavours.
To be honest, won't categorise The Sound of the Hours under historical fiction. Instead, I felt it more like contemporary fiction, set against the backdrop of the war. A moving story of survival, hope, love, and war, this book is for those who seek to know about the effects of war on small towns and hamlets. Unfortunately, the book turned out to be monotonous, and it took longer for the main storyline to develop, longer than I expected.
The first reason why I liked reading The Sound of the Hours was its detailed descriptions. While most of them were filler paragraphs to stretch the plot into a 450+ page book, they were indeed beautiful. The landscape descriptions are flawlessly depicted, as if the readers could almost visualise the scene in front of them. Such aptness and brilliance is truly commendable. Secondly, the book has a unique narrative style. With every chapter being narrated by different characters respectively, The Sound of the Hours provides the readers with multiple vantage points to look at the plot. Multiple POVs is something I very much enjoy reading, as far as modern classics and contemporary fiction is concerned. However, what I loved most is the theme it explores — warfare. The book is set against the backdrop of the Second World War, that too in a country which sided with the Axis Powers. Most importantly, the book devotes adequate attention to emphasize on the horrors of warfare, as well as the futility of materialistic quests.
However, there were a lot of glitches in The Sound of the Hours which were disappointing. Yes, I should have continued a lot more in the previous paragraph, but the faults are too overwhelming. Number one, the genre. The book proclaims to be a Historical Fiction, which it isn't. Nor can I describe it as contemporary fiction entirely. The book resides somewhere in the middle, but all in vain. The book talks less about WWII, but more about war in general. Also, the focus being on the two lovers, the "ornamental" narrative style is considered useless. Why go all the way to listen to multiple characters when the story doesn't seem to develop very little? With multiple narrators (point number two!) in the course of the novel, the plot tends to get muddled up very often. The turning points (point number three) arrive late, most of which seem predictable as well.
Yet, what stands apart is how Campbel uses language. The story may not be how you expected it to be, but the words are sheer poetry. From chapter one itself, the readers will be mesmerized by the manner in which Campbell expresses the simplest of the simple in the most extraordinary manner.
I convey my best wishes to the author for her future endeavours.
November 10, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
It's not every day you find a WW2 book which has call backs to Paisley, but here we are 🤷♀️
I'll be honest, I'm a Karen Campbell fan but this book was probably my least favourite. However, in true Campbell form I was crying at the end 😂
I had little knowledge of Italy's involvement in the war, and this is probably the first book I've ever seen which is set in Italy, so that was interesting for me.
I found the book very confusing and really struggled to keep track of all the different characters.
The ending was beautiful. I re-read the first Paisley chapter once I had finished the book and everything slotted into place.
It's not every day you find a WW2 book which has call backs to Paisley, but here we are 🤷♀️
I'll be honest, I'm a Karen Campbell fan but this book was probably my least favourite. However, in true Campbell form I was crying at the end 😂
I had little knowledge of Italy's involvement in the war, and this is probably the first book I've ever seen which is set in Italy, so that was interesting for me.
I found the book very confusing and really struggled to keep track of all the different characters.
The ending was beautiful. I re-read the first Paisley chapter once I had finished the book and everything slotted into place.
December 11, 2019
Just lovely. Nearly made me cry. These are the kind of love stories I love. The ending is bittersweet but I'd never not recommend it based solely on that. The descriptions of war were flawless. The romance was achingly tender and heroic.
October 5, 2019
One of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much is because it was a little different than the other WW2 books I have read recently. It takes place in Italy during that time. One of the main characters is a Buffalo - an African American soldier. It was heartbreaking to read about how these men were treated. They fought and gave there lives but were not treated equally. The other main character is an Italian girl and the horrors she and her family, and indeed their whole village, went through. Through all the horrors and heartbreak there is also a heartwarming love story. A well written and totally enjoyable read. I was sorry when it ended.
October 3, 2019
An amazing book which does not hold back on the real horrors of war. Set in Italy it is the story of a young Italian girl and an Afro American soldier and their developing love story. It deals with the prejudice that these American soldiers had to deal with from their own country men and the resident population they went to free.
This book deals with the realities of war and at times found it difficult to read however I really enjoyed it as it did not glamorise this period of history.
This book deals with the realities of war and at times found it difficult to read however I really enjoyed it as it did not glamorise this period of history.
August 8, 2020
3.5/5 stars
The Sound of the Hours set in fascist Italy in the early to mid 1940s, follows Vita, a young Italian woman conflicted between doing what's right and doing what's easy (cliche, I know). The other main character is Frank, an African American serving in the segregated U.S. Army. Shockingly, the two meet and fall in love.
Campbell's flowery writing style made The Sound of the Hours difficult to read at first, but I gradually got used to it and began to enjoy it. It's very descriptive, sometimes almost too much. Especially towards the end, during the climax, the writing and actions felt so repetitive and insignificant that I basically skimmed it.
The romance felt stereotypical and was basically the same as every other story with a forbidden love. God, I just wanted a happy ending. Is that too much to ask? Despite this, I can understand why the plot went that way.
The romance doesn't even begin until probably about 100 pages in or so, when Frank saves Vita from being sexually harassed by American soldiers. Up until then, there is rampant (and poorly written) racism and sexism. There wasn't really a solution to either, with both still remaining prominent by the end of the book in several characters (yum, lack of character development).
The prologue and epilogue just felt- pointless. We know the story about Vita and Frank, and seeing everyone else 70 years later was depressing and boring. I didn't see a purpose to either the very beginning or the very end.
The descriptive writing style and gorgeous setting made up for this drab of a book. (Ever since reading Call Me By Your Name I've been obsessed with books in Italy? It's becoming a problem I want to read other books set in different countries lmao.) I still grew attached to the characters, despite my complaints. Probably not worth your time, but it was nice to read.
The Sound of the Hours set in fascist Italy in the early to mid 1940s, follows Vita, a young Italian woman conflicted between doing what's right and doing what's easy (cliche, I know). The other main character is Frank, an African American serving in the segregated U.S. Army. Shockingly, the two meet and fall in love.
Campbell's flowery writing style made The Sound of the Hours difficult to read at first, but I gradually got used to it and began to enjoy it. It's very descriptive, sometimes almost too much. Especially towards the end, during the climax, the writing and actions felt so repetitive and insignificant that I basically skimmed it.
The romance felt stereotypical and was basically the same as every other story with a forbidden love. God, I just wanted a happy ending. Is that too much to ask? Despite this, I can understand why the plot went that way.
The romance doesn't even begin until probably about 100 pages in or so, when Frank saves Vita from being sexually harassed by American soldiers. Up until then, there is rampant (and poorly written) racism and sexism. There wasn't really a solution to either, with both still remaining prominent by the end of the book in several characters (yum, lack of character development).
The prologue and epilogue just felt- pointless. We know the story about Vita and Frank, and seeing everyone else 70 years later was depressing and boring. I didn't see a purpose to either the very beginning or the very end.
The descriptive writing style and gorgeous setting made up for this drab of a book. (Ever since reading Call Me By Your Name I've been obsessed with books in Italy? It's becoming a problem I want to read other books set in different countries lmao.) I still grew attached to the characters, despite my complaints. Probably not worth your time, but it was nice to read.
November 28, 2019
This novel is set in an occupied Italian town during WW2. Vita is a headstrong young Italian girl, growing up in war-torn Italy in a family with mixed allegiances – Mum is a Fascist and Dad is on the side of the King. Enter Frank, a black American soldier sent to Italy to help liberate the country and treated appallingly because of his colour. Inevitably, their paths cross and this book tells the story of their meeting and what happens next. Different chapters are devoted to the two different narratives.
I have no doubt that this book was both well researched and factually correct. As a result it was interesting to read about life in a small Italian community where Mussolini and the King both have followings. The abuse that the “buffalo soldiers” had to withstand was appalling and was graphically described. Another strong point was the author’s ability to describe the scenery and evoke the sights and sounds of the region.
However, unfortunately that is where the good news ends as far as I am concerned. Overall the book was slow-moving to the point of being boring. It took me two days to get past the first page and I found that the first half was pure drudgery, like wading through mud. The second half improved a little as there was slightly more momentum but, for me personally, it didn’t redeem itself enough to be worth more than a second star. Overall it was excessively wordy, far too long and the language was overly flowery and lyrical.
I have not come across Karen’s work before and unfortunately I will not be rushing out to buy any of her other books. As such I do not feel that I can personally recommend this book but, reading some of the other online reviews, there are plenty of people who enjoyed it so maybe it is worth giving it a try and making your own mind up.
I have no doubt that this book was both well researched and factually correct. As a result it was interesting to read about life in a small Italian community where Mussolini and the King both have followings. The abuse that the “buffalo soldiers” had to withstand was appalling and was graphically described. Another strong point was the author’s ability to describe the scenery and evoke the sights and sounds of the region.
However, unfortunately that is where the good news ends as far as I am concerned. Overall the book was slow-moving to the point of being boring. It took me two days to get past the first page and I found that the first half was pure drudgery, like wading through mud. The second half improved a little as there was slightly more momentum but, for me personally, it didn’t redeem itself enough to be worth more than a second star. Overall it was excessively wordy, far too long and the language was overly flowery and lyrical.
I have not come across Karen’s work before and unfortunately I will not be rushing out to buy any of her other books. As such I do not feel that I can personally recommend this book but, reading some of the other online reviews, there are plenty of people who enjoyed it so maybe it is worth giving it a try and making your own mind up.
June 22, 2020
The premise of ‘The Sound of the Hours’ is extremely compelling: a country divided in war, a young woman trying to keep the peace between a fascist mother and very anti-fascist father, and a young man fighting for his country despite persistent and soul-destroying discrimination.
For the whole, I felt swept away with the intensity of emotion and stunning Tuscan setting, but where I got a bit lost occasionally was in the action sequences. At times I found it hard to keep up with what was happening, so I had to recap over a few paragraphs and sentences. For a novel set in war, this felt like a bit of a barrier to me, which is unfortunate because the emotive parts of the story were beautifully told. I also did find it a bit tricky keeping up with the political context around the story – whether the Allies or the Axis were ‘in charge’ at any given point. Since “Il Duce” was referred to frequently (especially early on), I think I would have benefitted from having Italy’s role in the war feature more overtly, with more detail given to explain the events of the war. I appreciate very much a ‘show-don’t-tell’ approach to writing but sometimes you do need to spell things out a little clearer.
The Tuscan/Scottish culture was an interesting element, making this a more unusual take on a familiar story. I found Vita and Frank to be really compelling and readable characters – Frank probably more so than Vita – but the supporting cast were a bit underdeveloped, in particular Joe and Cesca.
For fans of literature about WWII, and anyone who like me is a bit of an Italian-at-heart, it’s definitely worth a read.
For the whole, I felt swept away with the intensity of emotion and stunning Tuscan setting, but where I got a bit lost occasionally was in the action sequences. At times I found it hard to keep up with what was happening, so I had to recap over a few paragraphs and sentences. For a novel set in war, this felt like a bit of a barrier to me, which is unfortunate because the emotive parts of the story were beautifully told. I also did find it a bit tricky keeping up with the political context around the story – whether the Allies or the Axis were ‘in charge’ at any given point. Since “Il Duce” was referred to frequently (especially early on), I think I would have benefitted from having Italy’s role in the war feature more overtly, with more detail given to explain the events of the war. I appreciate very much a ‘show-don’t-tell’ approach to writing but sometimes you do need to spell things out a little clearer.
The Tuscan/Scottish culture was an interesting element, making this a more unusual take on a familiar story. I found Vita and Frank to be really compelling and readable characters – Frank probably more so than Vita – but the supporting cast were a bit underdeveloped, in particular Joe and Cesca.
For fans of literature about WWII, and anyone who like me is a bit of an Italian-at-heart, it’s definitely worth a read.
June 10, 2019
Thank You To Netgalley & Publishers For Granting My Request To Review This Book.
Wow!
Once I Started, I Struggled To Put This Down And Hated That Life Got In The Way.
I Must Admit, This Book Made Me Feel Ignorant - I Haven’t Read WWII Fiction Set In Italy Before So Hadn’t Considered The Situation There At The Time & I Also Never Thought Of Segregation Within The US Army. I Didn’t Like Some Of The Use Of Language When Describing Frank And His Fellow Soldiers But I Understand It Was Needed To Really Set The Scene.
I Loved The Character Of Vita - A Very Headstrong Young Woman, Brave & Patriotic And How She Was Always Putting Others Before Herself. We Need More Females Who’ll Stand Up For What They Believe In, Even If It Is In Fiction.
Frank Was A Very Interesting Character - Well Educated And Artistic, Having To Manoeuvre His Way Through A Life That Wasn’t What Had Been Promised To Him Whilst Staying True To His Values. I Could Feel The Intensity Of His Feelings For Vita As Well As When He Was Fighting.
I Felt The Story Flowed Really Well, Helped By The Yearly Sections And Also Helped To Set The Scenes. I Loved How The Author Used Andromeda The Donkey To Move The Story Along And Bring It Full Circle. That Has To Be One Of My Favourite Parts Of This Story.
I Wondered How The Author Was Going To Wrap The Book And I Thought The Last Chapter Was A Great Twist/Touch. I’ll Admit, I Had To Read It Twice To Make Sure I’d Gotten It Right, With The Introduction Of New Characters But That Chapter Has Left A Lasting Impression And I Felt, Really Rounded Off The Story Well.
Wow!
Once I Started, I Struggled To Put This Down And Hated That Life Got In The Way.
I Must Admit, This Book Made Me Feel Ignorant - I Haven’t Read WWII Fiction Set In Italy Before So Hadn’t Considered The Situation There At The Time & I Also Never Thought Of Segregation Within The US Army. I Didn’t Like Some Of The Use Of Language When Describing Frank And His Fellow Soldiers But I Understand It Was Needed To Really Set The Scene.
I Loved The Character Of Vita - A Very Headstrong Young Woman, Brave & Patriotic And How She Was Always Putting Others Before Herself. We Need More Females Who’ll Stand Up For What They Believe In, Even If It Is In Fiction.
Frank Was A Very Interesting Character - Well Educated And Artistic, Having To Manoeuvre His Way Through A Life That Wasn’t What Had Been Promised To Him Whilst Staying True To His Values. I Could Feel The Intensity Of His Feelings For Vita As Well As When He Was Fighting.
I Felt The Story Flowed Really Well, Helped By The Yearly Sections And Also Helped To Set The Scenes. I Loved How The Author Used Andromeda The Donkey To Move The Story Along And Bring It Full Circle. That Has To Be One Of My Favourite Parts Of This Story.
I Wondered How The Author Was Going To Wrap The Book And I Thought The Last Chapter Was A Great Twist/Touch. I’ll Admit, I Had To Read It Twice To Make Sure I’d Gotten It Right, With The Introduction Of New Characters But That Chapter Has Left A Lasting Impression And I Felt, Really Rounded Off The Story Well.
April 17, 2024
I initially searched for other books by Karen Campbell as I couldn’t get Paper Cup out of my mind after more than a year of reading it. I was keen to find another beautiful read by the author. So it was a great surprise to find this included with audible.
Firstly, I love the authors writing style, its lyrical, and initially when the story opens in Paisley, I was really intrigued, the narrator hooked me in too. However, and I blame myself entirely for setting my expectations way too high, I was really disappointed.
Now I know I should’ve read the synopsis and I’ve had half a clue, but I wasn’t really expecting a wartime story. Italy WWII. Vita is a young Scot’s Italian girl, as war arrives in her Italian town, Frank is a young African American soldier on his way to the town. I have to add again that the writing is stunning, but the story really wasn’t for me, it’s undeniably a love story of the time, a biracial love story that was more than frowned upon. The racial hatred and language was deeply distressing and it was a huge distraction for me, I know that it was of the time, but it was just really upsetting. The descriptive events of war were full on and I could see the amount of research and passion that had gone into the content, so I’m really gutted to leave this review. Perhaps it just wasn’t the right fit for me.
Firstly, I love the authors writing style, its lyrical, and initially when the story opens in Paisley, I was really intrigued, the narrator hooked me in too. However, and I blame myself entirely for setting my expectations way too high, I was really disappointed.
Now I know I should’ve read the synopsis and I’ve had half a clue, but I wasn’t really expecting a wartime story. Italy WWII. Vita is a young Scot’s Italian girl, as war arrives in her Italian town, Frank is a young African American soldier on his way to the town. I have to add again that the writing is stunning, but the story really wasn’t for me, it’s undeniably a love story of the time, a biracial love story that was more than frowned upon. The racial hatred and language was deeply distressing and it was a huge distraction for me, I know that it was of the time, but it was just really upsetting. The descriptive events of war were full on and I could see the amount of research and passion that had gone into the content, so I’m really gutted to leave this review. Perhaps it just wasn’t the right fit for me.
June 10, 2023
3.5
Poetic in nature, The Sound of Hours is one of the few war stories I enjoyed reading. With both intensity and tenderness, it established the tension of battle across both sides of war and gave an insight into multiple lives touched by its conflict. Love, racism, sexism, and the violence of adrenaline, all are covered. I struggled somewhat between a 3.5 and a 4 on this point as it does feel like it's missing some expansion on a couple of the elements. It is built and framed around the love between Francesco and Vittoria - a pairing marred by opposing views on Miscegenation and the casual racial violence felt by Francesco. The love - though touching at times - is shortly mentioned. It's present across the full book but does lack some form of real attention. However, when we are given some time to feel their connection, it is tangible and moving. Equally, for my tastes, I would have preferred a presentation of the racism Francesco feels through scenes more subtle than just the typical vulgar insults of the time.
All that being said, the written quality of The Sound of Hours and the creation of characters with strong personalities meant that - for its flaws - it was still a beautifully penned, engaging, and quotable read.
Poetic in nature, The Sound of Hours is one of the few war stories I enjoyed reading. With both intensity and tenderness, it established the tension of battle across both sides of war and gave an insight into multiple lives touched by its conflict. Love, racism, sexism, and the violence of adrenaline, all are covered. I struggled somewhat between a 3.5 and a 4 on this point as it does feel like it's missing some expansion on a couple of the elements. It is built and framed around the love between Francesco and Vittoria - a pairing marred by opposing views on Miscegenation and the casual racial violence felt by Francesco. The love - though touching at times - is shortly mentioned. It's present across the full book but does lack some form of real attention. However, when we are given some time to feel their connection, it is tangible and moving. Equally, for my tastes, I would have preferred a presentation of the racism Francesco feels through scenes more subtle than just the typical vulgar insults of the time.
All that being said, the written quality of The Sound of Hours and the creation of characters with strong personalities meant that - for its flaws - it was still a beautifully penned, engaging, and quotable read.
September 16, 2019
Fans of the WWII romantic novel will enjoy this one for its portrayal of a little known area of Italy- Barga, which boasts an incredible number of Scots, many of whom were Italians who went to Scotland and then returned. It also saw some of the worst fighting of WWII. Vittoria, a young woman whose mom was is a fascist and dad is more a Scot, is stuck in the middle and coping with privation and war and then she meets Frank, an American. Frank's a Buffalo Soldier, which makes him all the more interesting. Vittoria's coming of age and her romance with Frank is well done- these two face a lot. This is long and it does take some patience, especially in the beginning, but it's wonderfully researched and I learned a lot. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A big saga and a good read.
January 2, 2020
I never did understand how the title connected to the book. That said, after a slow start I was able to catch onto the writing style which makes the story feel immediate, not of 1945. I like the way Frank who was a World War II black Buffalo soldier sent to Italy unfolded in chapters different from those of Victoria Guidi, the young Italian of partial Scots descent living in Barga in the mountains.
Of course, nothing turned out the way I wished event though I had slogged through the last quarter of the book to find out.
The story felt as if the author must have been a male soldier during the war but author Karen Campbell is a woman. Reading felt very real. On the other hand, the length was daunting since I wanted to complete the read.
Of course, nothing turned out the way I wished event though I had slogged through the last quarter of the book to find out.
The story felt as if the author must have been a male soldier during the war but author Karen Campbell is a woman. Reading felt very real. On the other hand, the length was daunting since I wanted to complete the read.
November 29, 2020
DNF. Tuscany is trapped in the middle of the skirmishes of WWII. Vittoria doesn't know what he role in the was should be, nor does she know who to believe when it comes to the truth of what is happening. We also follow a black American soldier and watch the struggle that all blacks had to overcome just to be valued as humans, let alone soldiers. This was too rough for me. The story line was hard to follow and I ended up skimming the soldier/battle scenes. There was plenty of realism with the foul language and rough conditions, but I didn't feel invested in the characters at all. Too bad, since it seemed like a compelling story. Did not finish.
October 4, 2019
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.
This book looked like one I would fall in love with, the blurb sounded good, the cover is lovely; but I could not love this book, I just could not. I found the characters were hollow and I could not really get into the story. While the surroundings of the story were nice I did not enjoy the way the story was told. I really wanted to like it, but it dragged on and on.
This book looked like one I would fall in love with, the blurb sounded good, the cover is lovely; but I could not love this book, I just could not. I found the characters were hollow and I could not really get into the story. While the surroundings of the story were nice I did not enjoy the way the story was told. I really wanted to like it, but it dragged on and on.
November 25, 2019
The book appealed to me because I had never heard about story of World War II set in and oboist Italy. The story brings light on the effect of war on small town people.
The multiple narration works well in the first half but becomes haphazard in the second. I also spooky the book for myself by stopping after reading 100 pages. It felt like the author took forever to come to the point.
It is still a good read about war, love, loss and hope.
The multiple narration works well in the first half but becomes haphazard in the second. I also spooky the book for myself by stopping after reading 100 pages. It felt like the author took forever to come to the point.
It is still a good read about war, love, loss and hope.
October 5, 2021
I stayed up to read so I could just be done with this book. Could not get into this book. The author's style is so choppy and difficult to follow and understand what was going on, especially when there was dialogue with multiple people. I think the historical aspect of this was well told but everything else was a challenge and just couldn't get into the characters. It was SO LONG and not in a good way.
September 11, 2019
I really enjoy historic fiction and am interested in the challenges and contributions of the Buffalo Soldiers From Ft. Leavenwoth. The book had some interesting parts, but it was really disappointing to read all the explicits, sexual type context, etc. I also found the characters unbelievable for that time period. (Did they really use the same slang as we do today, like ‘hey baby’?).
October 3, 2020
Well before the end I was enjoying this immensely, not only for the story but for the insight into life in beleaguered Italy in 1943, and although it did take me a little time to appreciate, it certainly deserves re-reading for the build-up of the story and the writing of it. I've read half a dozen of Karen Campbell's earlier novels (Goodreads listing is confusing); possibly this is the best.
December 15, 2020
Long story short, this was a DNF for me. I was about 30% through and found myself struggling with each page, which shocked me because I love WWII books. All of the characters were so flat, there was so much fluff, and after 150 pages I felt like I got nowhere in the story. I couldn’t find the will to finish it, so it is a DNF, but what I did read was a 1 Star.
July 13, 2021
Very descriptive and obviously well researched, but the actual love story bit didn't feature until late in the book. I found some of the story a bit confusing, switching between partisans/facists with too many place names and too many irrelevant characters. I did like the style of writing and appreciated that the racist language used was relevant to this time.
March 14, 2022
This book was a struggle, it didn't capture much of my attention as the characters were not very interesting the author has way too much fluff within the pages, just over all BORING! I struggled through the book but I really wanted to stop reading it and just throw it away. I do not recommend this book!
September 22, 2022
3.5 stars
Some parts of the book were hard to get through and slightly confusing, but it was a nice story.
I really enjoyed the writing style and the description of locations, beautifully written.
However, some chapters seemed to sidetrack the plot line and the main characters meet almost halfway through the book.
Some parts of the book were hard to get through and slightly confusing, but it was a nice story.
I really enjoyed the writing style and the description of locations, beautifully written.
However, some chapters seemed to sidetrack the plot line and the main characters meet almost halfway through the book.
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