Once Night Falls

by Roland Merullo

A harrowing historical novel of the extraordinary acts of ordinary people in Nazi-occupied Italy. Italy, 1943. Luca Benedetto has joined the partisans in their fight against the German troops ravaging the shores of his town on Lake Como. While risking his life to free his country, Luca is also struggling to protect Sarah, his Jewish lover who’s hiding in a mountain cabin. As the violent Nazi occupation intensifies, Luca and Sarah fear for more than their own lives. In the heart of their village, their mothers have also found themselves vulnerable to the encroaching Nazis. But Luca’s mother, undeterred, is devising her own revenge on the occupiers. With Mussolini deposed and Allied armies fighting their way up the peninsula, the fate of Italy hangs in the balance, and the people of Lake Como must decide how much they’re prepared to sacrifice for family, friends, and the country they love. The most trying of times will create the most unexpected heroes and incredible acts of courage in this stirring narrative as seen through the eyes of those devastated by war-torn Italy.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Historical, Italy, War, Novels

365 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2019

About the author

ROLAND MERULLO is an awarding-winning author of 24 books including 17 works of fiction: Breakfast with Buddha, a nominee for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, now in its 20th printing; The Talk-Funny Girl, a 2012 ALEX Award Winner and named a "Must Read" by the Massachusetts Library Association and the Massachusetts Center for the Book; Vatican Waltz named one of the Best Books of 2013 by Publishers Weekly; Lunch with Buddha selected as one of the Best Books of 2013 by Kirkus Reviews; Revere Beach Boulevard named one of the "Top 100 Essential Books of New England" by the Boston Globe; A Little Love Story chosen as one of "Ten Wonderful Romance Novels" by Good Housekeeping, Revere Beach Elegy winner of the Massachusetts Book Award for nonfiction, and Once Night Falls, selected as a "First Read" by Amazon Editors.

A former writer in residence at North Shore Community College and Miami Dade Colleges, and professor of Creative Writing at Bennington, Amherst and Lesley Colleges, Merullo has been a guest speaker at many literary events and venues and a faculty member at MFA programs and several writers’ conferences. His essays have appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, Outside Magazine, Yankee Magazine, Newsweek, the Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Magazine, Reader's Digest, Good Housekeeping, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Merullo's books have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, German, Chinese, Turkish, Bulgarian, Croatian, Slovenian, and Czech.

Reviews

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Why did pain exist? Why did evil exist? Why had God allowed men like Hitler and Mussolini to come to power?”

Beginning with the reprisal killings at Piazzale Loreto, the story goes through Italy's political and militaristic transitions during Mussolini's dethronement by the king starting with Mussolini's banishment/hiding at La Maddalena. It has graphic moments and incorporates a fair amount of history. It recounts the Nazi's invasion of Italy (though brief) and describes the implementation of antisemitic laws and practices in Italy during WW2. The story runs through each character's conflict (mostly at night as the title implies) and continues as does Mussolini staying hidden. Each character is connected in some way and wants to learn Mussolini's whereabouts to either help kill him, help reinstate him, or help imprison him. In this fictional tale, Mussolini's death is not featured since the story ends beforehand. Because of this, I cannot say that I completely liked the fictional ending. The epilogue does account for his death, though the epilogue is a statement of facts.

“Now the king has removed il Duce from power and hidden him away, and everybody is desperately trying to find him– the Allies to take him prisoner, Hitler to rescue him, our comrades to kill him.”

There are a lot of characters in motion, and they skip around quite a bit. The chapters alternate without pattern, and a new character is introduced all the way until chapter 12. This took some adjusting as a reader.
For example- chapter 1 Sarah, chapter 2 Mussolini, chapter 3 Frederico, chapter 4 Luca, chapter 5 Maria, chapter 6 Don Claudio, chapter 7 back to Mussolini, chapter 8 Silvio Merino, chapter 9 back to Luca, chapter 10, back to Sarah, and chapter 12 Otto.
There are not any indicators under or above the chapters such as the location, date, or character POV, so you have to figure it out as you go.

The characters POV include members of the Italian resistance, Benito Mussolini, priests, Nazi's, Jews in hiding, Italians hiding Jews, counterfeit artists.
My favorite chapters were told from Mussolini's POV and the Don Claudio (the priest) POV.

It is a good entertaining story. The writing is simple and easy to understand. There are traitors and secrets. I still really liked it even though it was hard to get emotionally attached to the characters though since there were so many. I also wish the ending would have been different. It felt abrupt and left me without closure. There is mild vulgar language and scenes that imply sexual acts. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because it was entertaining

[Darryl Greer · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Once Night Falls" by award-winning author, Roland Merullo is a World War II drama set in Italy in 1943. Luca Benedetto, who has a Jewish lover, Sarah, has joined the partisans in their fight against German troops in the region around Lake Como, close to the Swiss border. He is not alone in his struggle against the occupying forces. Luca’s mother is called upon by a group of German soldiers to cook for them and she forms a daring plot which, if it fails, will have devastating consequences. The local priest, who is battling his own demons, finds a way to help the partisans, fully aware of the serious risk he is undertaking. Meanwhile, Mussolini has been deposed and Allied armies are fighting their way up from Sicily. The country is at a crossroads and the locals of Luca’s village must decide how much they are prepared to sacrifice for the sake of their future.

Despite its setting, "Once Night Falls" is more historical fiction than it is thriller. The first half of the story is a little confusing as the author weaves, quite quickly, between characters and scenes so that it takes a long time to get to know each character properly and where the story is heading. Accordingly, I found the novel a little slow paced, at least in its earlier stages. That said, Merullo’s award-winning ability as a writer shines through and once you do get to know the characters and what exactly is going on, it is a fascinating and interesting story. Not too many war novels deal with ordinary people in an ordinary village in war-torn Italy and the colourful characters are deftly, creatively and seamlessly woven into the factual background.

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

a complex fast-paced story told brilliantly ... at first, the number of characters and the jumping between them was hard to follow, but the action was always interesting and gradually the pieces came together ... several characters wrestle with the desire to resist the Nazis (and Mussolini) when nothing is clear and nobody can be fully trusted ... these struggles are well portrayed and the reader gets to understand the characters' emotions as well as their actions

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luca Benedetto joined the local partisans to retaliate against the Germans, his father Sabatino was taken to fight for them in Russia, and his mother Maria hasn’t heard from him since. Like most Italians, he’s horrified by what they do to innocent people, and he’s determined to make them suffer. His girlfriend Sarah Zinsi is Jewish, he knows the area around Lake Como and the mountains well and she’s hiding in a remote cabin.

His mother Maria, lives in the village, her neighbors house has been taken over by a group of German soldiers and they demand that she cooks for them every evening. The Germans start entering her house without knocking, and she’s worried they will hear something, and she has Rebecca Zinsi hiding in her attic.

Italy is in turmoil, Mussolini's government has been over thrown, he’s been taken to an island near Sardinia, as the allies get closer, and the Germans violence towards the locals escalates. Most people support the partisan fighters, including the local priest, everyone's tense, and Luca despite his disability, he wants to get Sarah, and her mother to safety in Switzerland.

Once Night Falls, is about the Italian people's suffering during WW II, and fighting back against the Germans, and a lot of this happened during the night. Under the cover of darkness, the partisans and locals did what they could to make life difficult for the Germans, small acts of defiance, and they showed incredible courage and determination. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, another well written book by Roland Merullo, and fours stars from me.

[skketch · Rating 3 out of 5]

***NOVEL THOUGHTS***

This historical fiction story based in Italy during WWII was inspired by the author's trip to Italy when he came across a plaque on a building with dates and the name of Benito Mussolini. There was very little else to define why this notification was there. This led him to do some research and he discovered that this was the place that Mussolini was executed. This piqued his curiosity which led to the kernels of a novel which then became Once Night Falls a character driven novel about the partisans of the Italian resistance, the women left behind while the men left to fight with the Nazis and the sacrifices they had to make and an interesting look into Il Duce himself. The chapters alternate between the characters as they each deal with their role in the war. Luca must protect his girlfriend Sarah, who is Jewish while Luca's mother Maria hides Sarah's mother Rebecca in her attic. They must try to keep them safe while under the noses of the Nazis who have taken over their little town. Some of the partisans were surprising as one of them is a priest who wrestles with a secret and another is a greedy, self-serving character who will play both sides depending on who will pay more for information he learns. Luca, who was born with a withered arm and blind in one eye can't join the army but he fights by sabotaging Nazi instillations and camps. Il Duce is becoming less and less popular, and the Italians are tired of the war, Mussolini is suddenly "kidnapped" for his own protection. The Allied forces have now come to Italian shores and Hitler needs Mussolini's influence with the Italian people to continue to fight. Through the grapevine, information as to where Il Duce is being held and is sprung from captivity by the Nazis. His freedom and life is short lived though.
The story is interesting enough and the telling is good though at times, not very dimensional and often predictable. It was hard at first to keep all the characters straight but as the story evolves, there is overlap as storylines cross each other. I found Maria's story particularly hard to read as she makes the ultimate sacrifice for her family's survival.
For books about Italy in WWII, I preferred Eternal by Lisa Scottoline.
1/25/22: Something was niggling my mind about this book and it dawned on me that the author seems to make Mussolini a sympathetic character and I don't really think that history will remember him that way. His admiration of Hitler and how he was swayed by Hitler's warped agenda (hence the premise of Eternal and the horrifying night in 1943 known as the "round up" in the Jewish ghetto) should not allow him to seem likeable which this book allows him to be.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Roland Merullo, whether it is a novel, travel story - whatever. So I was very excited to see that he had written this book, and even more excited to receive it from Amazon First Reads. This is a truly amazing book that tells such a compelling story - even those parts that are really hard to read and harder to accept that they actually happened. This is so clearly good versus evil and you want those people that are good to overcome what has been thrust on them, knowing that it cannot always be that way. I loved the historical aspects and the imagery he was able to create of Lake Como and the way the people lived before the war took over their lives.

I am so hoping that he is planning to write another book that finishes this story.

[Fred Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a historical fiction novel of WW II in Italy, there is good material to peruse. To say that it is a typical novel with highly developed plot, characters, interwoven into a mosaic of scenery, it is not. I found this book to be enlightening but did not meet my expectations. The period in history covered is Mussolini’s topple from power, Nazi infiltration in Northern Italy and the American invasion of Sicily and Salerno.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got my copy of this book through NetGalley but then discovered it had already been released and is available through Kindle Unlimited.
This is not my first book describing what the citizens of Italy experienced during World War II, but it did spend a healthy amount of time studying Mussolini, his treatment by the King and Nazis, along with the populace wondering where he was and what would happen next. There was a core group of characters to follow through the many pages, thank goodness, but there were far too many characters for a cohesive narrative.
It's a good read, but the ending was abrupt and not well done.

ARC through NetGalley

[Lulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense

I literally could not put this book down. I rarely get the sense or pressure or edge of your seat that one feels in a well-done action movie but this story had me racing. First of all I am a sucker for multiple story lines and secondly being able to see and feel these characters is such a reward. The sense that in war you can't trust your shadow is handled quite nicely.

[Anthony Westphal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falls short at the end...

I was enjoying the book and it’s direction, then in a single chapter it abruptly ended and tacked on an epilogue. The characters do not get a fair ending.

[Nicole*bookaholic* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this is my fav Era of books, this one was not a fav. The beginning was so boring. Way too much info packed in the beginning it was hard to follow. The middle to end was good. But then it ended so abruptly with little to no ending.

[Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting to read about Mussolini's decline and last days. I didn't like the ending.

[David Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read but definitely three stars

I've read few novels which are so very definitely three stars. It's a good read, but it's not outstanding and nor, on the other hand, is it terrible. The cast of characters is a little too large. The chapters are rather too short. Thus while one has the sense of a reasonably good story it is hard to engage with the characters and they remain oddly elusive. Nonetheless, an enjoyable book.

[Paul Manytravels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once Night Falls by Roland Merullo once again demonstrates the skill of a talented writer to create a highly engaging fictional story to surround some actual non-fiction. In several of his books, the non-fiction has concerned spirituality, but in this book a wonderful suspense story surrounded the actual events of the last days of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Author Merullo speculates what it would have been like to be a freedom fighter working to end Mussolini’s rule and to throw off the brutality of the Nazis who were his allies.
It is a wonderful, tense, highly suspenseful and very realistic feeling read. The constant fear the inhabitants of Italy (and any other country controlled by totalitarian dictators) leaps from the pages and engages readers emotionally in their plight. The horror of not knowing who to trust, of not knowing if your oldest and dearest friends and even relatives might betray you creates a sense of hopeless isolation that contributes to the terror of living in such circumstances, and serves as a warning to
Those who might choose to put despots into power for short term advantages, exchanging freedom for comfort and discovering it is a Faustian bargain.
I am always reading four books at once, some are ones that I am studying to learn from while others are things that have simply caught my interest. When I started reading Once Night Falls, I pretty much stopped reading anything else I was working on because Once Night Falls completely captivated me, making me glad I had a long airline trip ahead of me to give me time to immerse myself in the book.
This was a great book and I enjoyed all of it.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once Night Falls turned out to be an outstanding Amazon First Reads choice for November. The plot and character development kept me riveted and the historical details filled in major gaps in my knowledge of the Italian resistance movement, Mussolini and WWII as it played out in Italy. This was the first book by Roland Merullo that I've read. I look forward to reading more.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced story about the ordinary people whose lives are terrorized by the Nazis. Good characters and well written. I enjoyed this book.

Highly recommend

[Ninon · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first, I thought I'd give this book 3 stars because at about the 60% mark, I actually got interested in the story and figured out the characters. It was difficult to see how all of the many pieces would come together and then at the end, the author just stopped writing and instead of using the characters to wrap up the story, he included a chapter with historical background? WTW?
It was so frustrating.

[Mallory (onmalsshelf) Bartel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Once Night Falls takes place in the Lake Como region of Italy during WWII. The Allies have started making their way from Sicily to the south of Italy while the Germans are looking to find Mussolini so that they can protect him. Luca, a young Italian man who cannot fight due to birth defects, is part of a team of men doing whatever they can to slow the Germans down in Northern Italy. His mom, Maria, is alone with her husband off to war and her son hiding his girlfriend in the woods. She has a secret in the attic and just do everything she can to keep the German soldiers who have taken residence next door from finding out what that is.

I really enjoyed Once Night Falls. It’s not often that you find a WWII historical fiction novel taking place in Italy. I loved that the story was told from different perspectives. I admired the will of Luca and Don Claudio and the sacrifice that Maria made.

I enjoyed how I could easily tell how the different perspectives wove together to connect all of the details.

The only reason this does not review five stars from me is that I wanted to know what happened to Rebecca and Sarah after they crossed the border to Austria and what exactly Luca did for Masso.

If you’re looking for a different historical fiction WWII novel that doesn’t take place in Germany or France, I highly recommend this one!

[Heather Button · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. Each chapter was about a different person in Nazi controlled Italy and over time, I learned how some of them were connected, but others I still have no clue about how they were connected if at all. I wish I would’ve gotten more ending for Luca as well. It just felt so abrupt.

[Mina Vucicevic]

I was super excited about this novel as I love historical fiction and WWII stories. Unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. The beginning was promising. Reading about the war from Musolini's perspective was fresh and compelling. I've never read any novels about him, so following his thoughts about the war and violence was my favourite part of the novel.

The main problem for me was the format and the number of characters. There are way too many POVs, which makes it hard to follow the story. What makes matters worse is that chapters are too short, so it's hard to remember who is who, as we don't have enough time with each person to get to know and love them. The plot is almost non-existent and I honestly didn't care what would happen to the main characters. Well, to all characters, as almost every person mentioned has their own POV.

I read around 70% and gave up. I hope I'll enjoy other Merullo's novels more than this one.

Big thanks to Netgalley, author, and publisher for providing me with an arc of this novel.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written historical novel taking place in Italy near the end of World War II.

[Ashley D’Agostino · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ The beginning was very confusing with the story jumping from several character’s perspective and hard to follow. But as the story progressed, it started to focus and I couldn’t put it down. Unique POV, very well written historical fiction based in Italy during WWII.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Amazon First Reads (November 2019) and Netgalley, Roland Merullo and Lake Union Publishing. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to add Roland Merullo to my favorites list and to recommend his works to friends and family. He paints history with delicate attention to detail and shows the general Italian people during WWII in a well researched and a much more equitable way than has been passed down to the 21st century.

I am excited to see more historical novels representing the citizens of overwhelmed European countries during the World Wars. History is written by the victors, or so we are told, but those silent multitudes controlled by fear and hunger have finally gotten a voice.

This novel is peopled with citizens of the small towns around Lake Como in northern Italy. Merullo portrays these people overwhelmed by the German Military Machine in a realistic light - we know the folks who run the bakery, the fishermen and the gardeners and see clearly the pressures they lived under every day. Sarah and Luca are the future, of course, full of courage and hope, but I think my favorite characters were Maria and Father Claudio, those of a generation two removed who see with a clearer focus the world and what it will take to survive there.
pub date Dec 1, 2019
rec Dec 3, 2019
Lake Union Publishing
Reviewed on February 19, 2020, at Goodreads, Netgalley, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, and BoobBub. Not available to review of Kobo or GooglePlay.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely amazing! I don't normally read historical fiction, but I'm so very glad I came across this one.

The basics:
-This story is set in Italy in WWII, and features many characters whose tales weave together as the story progresses. -Unlike in many WWII books, the book talks more about Mussolini than Hitler (who I really enjoyed learning more about, as I only knew the basics about him).
-The book is told from many different character viewpoints, each of whom have very different backgrounds but are all linked together wonderfully.

When I first started reading, I was a little disoriented by the many character viewpoints and wished that it followed a more specific main character. However, as I kept reading and learned more about each character, I wouldn't have it any other way. The story truly is enriched by each viewpoint, and the POV swapping makes it easier to sympathize with or at least understand more about each character--even Mussolini.

There are a few scenes unsuitable for younger readers, as well as topics that might frighten them, but everything was written tastefully and unexplicitly. Overall, I thought this book was incredibly well-written and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, is interested in Italian history or WWII, or is just looking for something new to read.

[Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Argh! I felt cheated at the end. I was so looking forward to having the characters experience Mussolini's fall! (That's not a spoiler, right? Everyone knows Mussolini was hunted down and killed, right?) The characters are all RIGHT THERE. RIGHT where Mussolini's last days took place and the story ends just...

Really well written, wonderfully narrated (I did the Audible version) and intriguing but ... no. I was left hanging. I didn't feel there was closure. I didn't need the cast directly involved, but I would have liked to have known what the end was like for them, especially Luca. :-(

[Sarah Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are not tired of WWII historical fiction yet - this is an amazing story set in the gorgeous scenery of the Italian Lake District amidst the horrors of the Nazi occupation. If you enjoyed "Beneath a Scarlet Sky" this is a must read for you! I had only read "Breakfast with Buddha" by this author but will be searching for more titles by him. LOVED IT!

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted more at the end

This novel is told from the viewpoints of several different characters. Each separate story is interesting but I feel almost none of their stories were resolved in the end. I was left wanting more.

[Marilyn Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Loved This Book

I found it to be a real page tuner. Very well written and a great story. I will read others by this author.

[JennanneJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

An engaging story once I was able to sort out ALL of the characters. Even as the stories converged towards the end, I still felt there were far too many story lines to easily follow.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

There has been a huge popularity surge for historical fiction novels set during World War 2, and honestly by now I’m getting a bit weary from having read so many set in such a sad period of time. Once Night Falls, however, stands out from the bunch a bit. The most obvious thing was that it was set in Italy, not France or Germany, and actually had Mussolini as a character in the novel. It focuses a lot of the resistance there as well as the conflict between the Germans trying to use Italy, the Fascist Italians who were radical in a similar but slightly different way, and the ordinary Italians. It provided a really different perspective from many others that I’ve read.

It’s a little hard to get into because there are a lot of characters and each chapters focuses on a new one, but after a bit it picks up speed and the characters’ stories really weave together and gain tension.