I have such mixed feelings about this book. I found the start a bit slow going, but somewhere around the half-way mark I got really interested and was glad I hadn't stopped. I enjoyed the details of this little Italian town before everything changed. The last quarter I could barely put it down. Once I had finished I was haunted by the events and Alec's situation. I wish the ending had made things a bit clearer. There were a lot of hints, but I think I wanted more explanation and tying up of loose ends. Like Anna, I had questions remaining. ( )

bookshelves: published-2010, autumn-2013, historical-fiction, italy, britain-ireland, wwii, one-penny-wonder, paper-read, holocaust-genocide, anti-semitic, bedside
Read from May 02 to November 26, 2013


Dedication: To Jessica, with love

Front quote:

The Paths to the past have been long closed,
And what good is the past to me now?
What else is there? - bloodied flagstones,
Or a bricked-up door,
Or an echo that still can't be
Still, no matter how I plead... 'Echo' Anna Akhmatova

Opening: DUBLIN, 1924: Even before I came to my senses, I knew my sister was dead.

Confidant writing and a competent story, this has been a great as a bedside read.

3* The Cold Light of Heaven
3.5* Last Train from Liguria ( )

I found this a nice book.
There's a couple of reasons why it is not a WOW, like I expected it to be.
First of all I was a bit disappointed by the story itself. It was quite slow. In iteslef, there's nothing wrong with that, but only when the book / the story got to an end the pace went up for a while. At least I could feel the tension that took hold of the main characters.

Then I missed the story of Bella now. I know thather granddaughter takes over her role (more or less), but I still think it is a shame that we lose track of her after she arrives in England and despite the search of her granddaughter, the events like they took place during the war were not uncovered.
I feel that somehow the story did not really do justice to the whole picture, to the life of Bella, Edward and all the other characters that played bigger and smaller roles in the book.

I did not expect a happy ending, a 'they lived long and happily ever after'. But to let Alec and Edwardjust go 'off at the side of the stage' and not mention them again, not even let there story be traceable for Anna who's interested in her grandma and in what happened during that time, I think that's a misssed opportunity.

The book was not difficult to read. It took me a while, because I just wasn't really that grabbed by it. ( )

I really enjoyed this book right up until the end. i supposed my ordered mind that likes to know all the ends are tied up was disappointed but I felt the book fizzled out. Maybe it was the author's intention to leave us hanging and not to know what happened; after all, in the war lots of people just disappeared. However, I think I would like to have known a bit more. The idea of writing the book from 3 different points of view was ok but unnecessary I think. Overall, good read but ending disappointing. ( )

Bella is sent to Italy to be tutor to Alec, whose mother is Jewish. She arrives to a very complicated household set-up - and the tightening of Fascism in Italy, with all that entails.
This is the story of her developing relationship with Alec, and his beloved Maestro Edward, culminating in being on the last train from Liguria.
It's an interesting book, well set in it's historical setting, though slightly complicated at times!
One small niggle is the use of Italian in the text, that is not translated - why bother?! ( )