The cover of the novel is what caught my attention. Simply beautiful. I am fascinated with novels that take me back in time to World War II. This is exactly what Cara does for the reader. I was immediately drawn to the characters and their personal stories. We see the heart of the character. Each with their own reason for being in Italy. One wanting to save the masterpieces that would bring history together and the other wanting to capture the story with film.
Who doesn't love a story about the Monuments Men? These men were ready to give all of themselves to restore history. To make safe what was created by the hands of man.
We get to witness a wonderful romance blossom between these characters. The story flows so easily and with each passing chapter the reader is stirred to keep turning pages.
I admired the character, Rachel. A woman who seems to be out of place in a country at war, but to her, she is right where she needs to be. Her assignment is to capture the images of war and make America aware of emotion. She does her job beautifully, but there is so much more that she's after.
This is my first novel penned by Cara and it will not be my last. I admire writers who draw the reader in and invite them to journey to another place and time.
In the discussion questions, Cara asks: Rachel's travels to Italy during World War II for the love of a parent. Do you think she made the right decision? Why or why not? Yes, for me she made the right choice. In traveling to Italy Rachel was trying to save her mother's life. She was seeking the father she never knew. Rachel didn't know if she would ever find her father. All she had to go on was her mother's journal. I found this journal to be absolutely beautiful. It brought mother and daughter together with miles separating them. I think Rachel found a new love for her mother. A new appreciation of all she felt while in Italy years before Rachel would have her chance to find love.
Cara masterfully weaves this story. I read slowly to absorb the era and the surroundings. This is one I can greatly say is a hit. If you're searching for a great summer read, this is a beautiful choice. You won't be disappointed.
Cara Putman is an award-winning author with seven World War II homefront books in print. Her minor in history combined with her love of World War II history and the generation that fought then as heroes compel her to take the steps to get the historical details and research right. As a result, her readers have come to expect stories that sweep them back in time while illustrating a facet of the war they didn’t know existed. While her prior books have focused on homefront stories, this series will broaden to reach the European theater, without the battlefield scenes one would expect.
