Smorgasbord Book Reviews – #Italy #WWII #Romance #Historical The Tuscan Orphan by Siobhan Daiko

Delighted to share my review for The Tuscan Orphan by Siobhan Daiko, a novel of war, loss and bravery set in the last stages of the battle for Italy.

About the book

1944 – When an air raid strikes the hospital she’s been working in, Carrie’s life irrevocably changes. But as a nurse in the middle of wartime, she has no time to grieve, as she has too many people relying on her.

For resistance fighter, Vito, nothing is more important than seeking vengeance for the atrocities his fellow comrades have suffered. But when he liberates a convent, finding a group of Jewish children in hiding, he suddenly has even more to fight for.

Little Mimi is injured, scared and alone. Together Carrie and Vito vow to find her parents, a loving home. But under the shadow of war, is it wise to make promises you’re not sure you can keep?

My review for the book

My parents met and married during WWII and my father spent most of the next five years at sea. Listening to their stories of living in the constant fear of bombing raids and serving in repeated North Atlantic convoys, it did give me an inkling of how challenging being in love could be during those turbulent years. Love comes with a price and during wartime there is a constant fear of losing the ones you are closest to.

Siobhan Daiko captures this vividly in her novel as she brings together a cast of characters thrown together by war as the allies drive up through Italy to push the enemy out after years of occupation.

Although there is a great deal of historical content regarding the allied invasion, the focus is on the individuals who discover first hand the horrors of war and loss. The author has created a wonderful chemistry between Carrie a dedicated nurse , who is struggling after a devastating loss and a young freedom fighter Vito, who is young but who has been matured beyond his years in combat. Between them is a young Jewish orphan whose injuries bring her to Carrie’s mobile hospital unit, lost and with no other relatives to care for her. She touches both their hearts as they set about trying to establish what happened to her parents.

Despite the ravages of war on both the cities and surrounding villages, the warmth of the people shines through and it was easy to become engaged in their day to day struggle to survive. The author’s attention to detail regarding this pivotal period towards the end of the war and descriptions of the stunning Italian landscape, brought authenticity and depth to the story.

I enjoyed the story very much and will be reading more by this author.

Read some of the other reviews and buy the book: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US

A selection of other books by Siobhan Daiko

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US – More reviews: Goodreads – Website: Siobhan Daiko – Facebook: Siobhan Catherine Daiko –Twitter: @siobhandaiko 

About Siobhan Daiko

Siobhan Daiko is a British historical fiction author. A lover of all things Italian, she lives in the Veneto region of northern Italy with her husband, a Havanese dog and a Siberian cat. Siobhan was born of English parents in Hong Kong, attended boarding school in Australia, and then moved to the UK — where she taught modern foreign languages in a Welsh high school. She now spends her time writing page-turners and living the dolce vita sweet life near Venice. Her novels are compelling, poignant, and deeply moving, with strong characters and evocative settings, but always with romance at their heart.

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will explore Siobhan’s books further