Book Review: The Italian Ballerina by Kristy Cambron



The Italian Ballerina - Kristy Cambron - 4 Stars - An Emotional WW2 Story

What an ending 😭❤️ my heart. Very slow start and hard for me to keep up at first with what was going on but loved the last 50%. Such a great story and beautiful characters who had a common goal to keep this precious young girl safe. 4 stars. 

This is a dual timeline, christian historical WW2 fiction novel set in Rome, 1943 and Present Day. We follow 3 different people - British Ballerina Julia Bradbury who is stranded and forced to take refuge on Tiber Island as she risks everything to rescue Italian Jewish people from the Holocaust. She is working at the hospital posing as a nurse as they make the Germans believe in the fake "Syndrome K" disease - a disease used to save Jewish people from the Germans. When one day, a young little girl who dreams of being a ballerina one day shows up at her door and Julia, plus several others are determined to reunite the young dancer with her family.

Then we follow Private Courtney Coleman - a medic during the war and his journey in 1943 and 1941. It starts off with him trying to escape German Soldiers with a young girl - jumping back and forth in the timeline we see this little Jewish girl being kept safe by Court and his friend AJ - when they meet up with Julia along the way. The timeline back and forth can be a bit confusing but once everything comes back together, it all made sense. These people have a common goal to keep this little girl safe and get her back to her family. 

In the present day timeline, we follow Matteo and Delaney as Matteo contacts Delaney to let her know that her late grandfather has some items that belonged to his grandmother and she would like to see them again so he offers to fly her out to Italy with the items. Delaney isn't too sure what to think or make of this but she agrees as she finds letters written in Italian in her grandfather's things and believes Matteo in his story....when she gets there, Matteo and Delaney start piecing everything together as his grandmother's story unravels from her past.....

I really liked this story overall - the only reason this wasn't a 5 star read for me was I was fairly confused at the beginning and some parts were a bit long for me, but overall, what an powerful story. I cried! If you like WW2 stories with emotional endings and good faith element throughout the story, pick this up.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Rec Post: Southern Charm Readathon

Image
  Hey Ya'll! The Southern Charm Readathon was announced this week over on my YouTube channel! Here is the Announcement video in case you haven't seen it:  We are so excited about the readathon this year in May 2024, with some lovely co-hosts helping me this year! Scroll down to see the details for the readathon AND book recommendation links for all the prompts! 📣 Rules: - Readathon happens the entire month of May 2024! - If you read 1 book, you have participated! Don’t feel like you have to fill the entire bingo board, it’s low pressure- just have fun y’all! - You can double up or ”multiple up” prompts if you want! Use 1 book for as many prompts as you want to! - No genre rules, feel free to use Secular or Christian books for your picks! Just fit the prompts the best you can! 💗 COHOSTS : Taylor : YouTube Channel: @talesandtreatswithtay Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talesandtreatswithtay Skye : YouTube Channel: @Read4theSkye Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/read
Read more

Book Review: All My Secrets by Lynn Austin

Image
  All My Secrets - Lynn Austin - 5 Stars All My Secrets by Lynn Austin is a multigenerational story of 3 women that explores first loves, grief, high society lifestyle, history, the Christian faith and the essence of what matters most in life. I highly recommend this book as I was fully immersed in the story and characters.  Set during the Gilded Age in New York, we see the strength of the Stanhope women following the passing of Arthur Stanhope. Left uncertain of their future paths, Junietta, Sylvia, and Adelaide grapple with the ramifications of Arthur's will and the looming uncertainty surrounding their family's estate. As they navigate through the aftermath, family secrets begin to unravel, shedding light on their intertwined history. I absolutely loved this story. I was very invested in the audiobook narration and learning about Sylvia and Junietta's past. We see the beauty of the Gospel in this story several times as our characters grapple with their past decisions, mi
Read more

Book Review: Better Watch Out by Natalie Walters

Image
  Better Watch Out by Natalie Walters - 5 BIG Stars! Now, here is the Christmas romance book that truly captured my holiday spirit this season!  I adored it immensely, especially after spending the month reading other Christmas books that didn't quite resonate with me—until I stumbled upon this gem. Natalie Walters, thank you for delivering an exceptional romantic suspense Christmas story filled with the festive cheer I needed! We follow Former NHL defenseman turned protection agent, Andrew Bishop and Frannie Frost. Frannie is in New York for a surprise visit to her boyfriend, but things don't work out as planned when her boyfriend breaks up with her for another woman. Left feeling alone in the middle of New York, Frannie is determined to make this trip one to remember by checking off her bucket list of Christmas activities! Frannie's brother asks his friend (Andrew) to deliver his sister Frannie to the airport. Since her brother saved his life last year, he feels like he c
Read more