My Father's House: AS SEEN ON BBC BETWEEN THE COVERS (Rome Escape Line Book 1)

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With beautiful prose and vivid imagery, author Joseph O' Connor has done a superb job of transporting the reader to Nazi-occupied Rome. What an ensemble of narrators: Aoife Duffin; Gertrude Toma; Barry Barnes; Stephen Hogan; Barnaby Edwards; Laurence Bouvard; David John; Roberto Davide; Thomas Hill. But, only at times, the different excerpts of the interviews that was written through out did confuse me a little bit of what the connection was. In a narrative that shifts from 1943 and the future, we are given insights and experiences of the period through the perspectives in the 1960s of the widely disparate and fascinating cast of the Choir, that included the likes of Sir Guy D'Arcy Osborne, the wily John May who can get his hands on almost anything, the beautiful and grieving Contessa Landini and 40 year old singer and diplomat's wife, Delia Kiernan. Never has the incredible story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty been fictionalised in such a vividly immersive experience.

His response was in line with his value system, seeing the persecuted as humans deserving of help, regardless of their background. It all comes to a head on Christmas Eve, as the net closes on our courageous group and the outcome is far from certain. I read a lot of historical fiction, especially about the Holocaust and WWII, and this is one of the really good ones. Hauptmann was the Gestapo Officer who had appointed Hugh as the Vatican Envoy thinking that an Irishman would be unlikely to sympathize with English prisoners.The novel provides wonderful background on each character and follows each of them through the action. She speaks English and in mid sentence rolls Rs in an attempt to incorporate Italian in her speaking, primarily ingredients.

J oseph O’Connor’s Shadowplay won novel of the year at the 2019 Irish book awards and was shortlisted for the Costa Novel award.There's a thrilling true story behind this novel about how a Catholic priest stationed at the Vatican assembles a motley crew to usher prisoners out of Nazi-occupied Italy via the Escape Line. It's incredible how they helped so many escaped prisoners and Jews, with money, medicine, papers, clothes - whatever they needed, also hiding them using every bit of available space. O'Connor excels at ratcheting up the tension, and paints a vivid picture of a city brought to its knees by the Nazis.

The novel’s evocative scene-setting, its propulsive narration and its powerful depiction of bravery and unity in extremis, all make for an engrossing read.It's another part of the book where O'Connor excels, such is his attention to detail of the buildings in the basilica. First of all, I’m excited that O’Connor brought to the forefront a little-known piece of wartime history. However, he is soon prevented from carrying out his duties by a Vatican fearful of the Nazis threat of occupying their city, although for Hugh, neutrality is an extremist stance, without which no tyranny can flourish. Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she cannot remember. Working in real time on Christmas Eve 1943 leading up to a crucial operation across Rome, the story is enhance by later interviews with some of the participants remembering their wartime exploits.

I dreaded putting the book down because I knew it meant I had to reread previous sections to familiarize myself with what was happening before I could continue.It was based on what was known as the 'Rome escape line,' where people risked their lives to save thousands. His home is Vatican City, a neutral, independent country within Rome where the occupiers hold no sway. He did not do this alone, he had many brave men and women, known as the ‘Choir’, who helped save others while putting their own lives on the line. Irish priest, Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, aka Ugo and Hughdini, is tasked with visiting the horrors of the Italian POW camps, an appointment the Nazis thought would not raise the terrifying conditions as the Irish were known to despise the English.