Tag: WW2

#BookReview The Artist and the Soldier by Angelle Petta

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About the Book

Two young men come of age and fall in love against the backdrop of true events in World War II.

It’s 1938. Bastian Fisher and Max Amsel meet at a Nazi-American summer camp, Camp Siegfried. Neither boy has any idea what to do with their blooming, confusing feelings for one another. Before they can begin to understand, the pair is yanked back into reality and forced in opposite directions.

Five years later, during the heart of World War II, Bastian’s American army platoon has landed in Salerno, Italy. Max is in Nazi-occupied Rome where he has negotiated a plan to hire Jews as ‘extras’ in a movie – an elaborate ruse to escape the Nazis. Brought together by circumstance and war, Bastian and Max find one another again in Rome.

Format: ebook (348 pages)         Publisher: Warren Publishing
Publication date: 1st May 2018 Genre: Historical fiction, LGBT

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Purchase links*
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*links provided for convenience not as part of an affiliate programme

My Review

The Artist and the Soldier is described as “exploring the true stories of Camp Siegfried, a Nazi-American summer camp in New York, and the making of the film which saved hundreds of lives”. Personally, I wouldn’t have minded if more of the book had focused on how camps like Camp Siegfried came to be run in America as it seems quite extraordinary now that young people should have been exposed to pro-Nazi propaganda at this time. Having said that, in her afterword, the author talks more about the inspiration for the book and you can also find out more in my Q&A with Angelle conducted ahead of its publication in 2018. (Unfortunately this will also demonstrate – to my shame – just how long this book has been in my review pile.)

Understandably, the main focus of the book is the relationship between Max and Bastian, both of whom are forced to hide their true sexuality. The author does a good job of conveying the confusion and uncertainty caused by their growing feelings for each other, the shifting dynamics of their relationship and also the exhilaration of finding someone with whom you can be yourself. Max and Bastian also share troubled home lives and have experienced family tragedy. Before their relationship can develop further, however, a shocking and, to my mind, unforgivable action on the part of one of them drives them in different directions.

The son of an Italian mother, Max takes up his Uncle Franco’s suggestion that he travel to Italy, where he eventually enrols in film school. Meanwhile Bastian, in an act of rebellion against his violent and pro-Nazi father, enlists with the US Army. ‘What would anger his father more than anything in the world? If he joined the fight against the Nazis.’ He is posted abroad and it will be many years until Max and Bastian meet again.

I confess I wasn’t a huge fan of the frequent “head-hopping” between the thoughts of different characters (occasionally within a single paragraph). I found it rather distracting and sometimes had to re-read a section to work out whose thoughts were being revealed. I much preferred the chapters later in the book written mainly or entirely from a single point of view. As it happens, this coincided with the change of location to wartime Italy and this was much the most interesting part of the book for me.

Bastian’s sister, Ilsa, makes an appearance in the second half of the book and I found her a particularly engaging character. Whereas I found Bastian difficult to like – even his sister describes him as “the king of self-preservation” – I admired Isla’s conviction that she could help to make the world a better place. Enrolling as a nurse, her intervention proves crucial on a number of occasions and I wished for a happier outcome for her.

The Artist and the Soldier combines an intense love story with the depiction of real life events. In doing so it shines a light on the courage and resilience of those who tried to protect others from the horrors of war.

My thanks to Angelle for my digital copy of her book and waiting so patiently for my review.

In three words: Intense, intimate, absorbing

Try something similar: Mussolini’s Island by Sarah Day

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Angelle Petta authorAbout the Author

Angelle Petta began writing novels over 15 years ago and has written in several genres.

​She holds an MA from Emerson College, and a master’s equivalency in Drama Therapy through the NADTA.  Angelle is a registered drama therapist and a PhD student at Lesley University.  She works as a Drama Therapist at an Expressive Arts Center in Virginia called A Place To Be.

​She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, two delightful dogs, and one fat cat.

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#BookReview V For Victory by Lissa Evans @DoubledayUK

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V For Victory BT Poster 2Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for V For Victory by Lissa Evans. My thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in the tour and to Doubleday for my digital review copy via NetGalley.

V For Victory CoverAbout the Book

It’s late 1944. Hitler’s rockets are slamming down on London with vicious regularity and it’s the coldest winter in living memory. Allied victory is on its way, but it’s bloody well dragging its feet.

In a large house next to Hampstead Heath, Vee Sedge is just about scraping by, with a herd of lodgers to feed, and her young charge Noel (almost fifteen ) to clothe and educate. When she witnesses a road accident and finds herself in court, the repercussions are both unexpectedly marvellous and potentially disastrous – disastrous because Vee is not actually the person she’s pretending to be, and neither is Noel.

The end of the war won’t just mean peace, but discovery…

Format: Hardcover (304 pages)         Publisher: Doubleday
Publication date: 27th August 2020 Genre: Historical fiction

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Purchase links*
Amazon UK | Hive (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience not as part of an affiliate programme

My Review

I very much enjoyed Lissa Evans’ Old Baggage when I read it back in 2018 and I’ve had the follow-up book, Crooked Heart, in my TBR pile ever since. Although V For Victory can be enjoyed as a standalone, it continues some of the storylines and features some of the characters from Crooked Heart. So I simply had to squeeze in reading Crooked Heart before starting V For Victory (although I haven’t yet managed to squeeze in writing my review).

The formidable Mattie who played such a starring role in Old Baggage doesn’t make a physical appearance in V For Victory but her influence is still felt through her precocious godson, Noel, and some of the girls who belonged to The Amazons but are now grown up. In particular, air raid warden Winnie Crowther steals many of the scenes in the latter part of the book. She’s a young woman Mattie would be proud of for her bravery and “gumption”. Winnie also represents many of the real life women who stepped in to perform unfamiliar and often dangerous roles during World War 2.

For those who have read Crooked Heart and had their heart stolen by Noel, prepare for a repeat experience. I also enjoyed getting to know the characters living in Green Shutters, the lodging house run by Vee Sedge – with help from Noel and his newfound culinary skills. Never one to miss an opportunity, Vee has enlisted some of the lodgers in tutoring Noel providing him with an eclectic pool of knowledge.

The author’s skill in combining humour, interesting characters and intriguing storylines whilst at the same time presenting a realistic picture of wartime London – “The dismal grind of London life, the V-2s still slamming down, the queues for fuel, the frozen rubble” – is in full evidence in V For Victory. By the end of the book, all the threads have been beautifully woven together to create a moving and satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.

In three words: Funny, moving, joyful

Try something similar: Dear Mrs. Bird by A J Pearce

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Lissa Evans Author PicAbout the Author

Lissa Evans has written books for both adults and children, including Their Finest Hour and a Half, longlisted for the Orange (now Women’s) Prize, Small Change for Stuart, shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Costa Book Award, and Crooked Heart, longlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction. Old Baggage was a sell-out Waterstone’s Book of the Month and Their Finest Hour and a Half was adapted into a star-studded film with Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy.

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V for victory full tour