The Italian Girls

De: Debbie Rix

Narrado por: Katie Villa

The sun hung low in the sky, casting pink light all over the city. A faint breeze blew over the rooftops, as flocks of starlings swirled above her, swooping and diving in unison. It seemed unimaginable that, even now, German soldiers were marching along the streets below. It was time, she decided, for direct action. It was time to fight back.

Each morning Livia Moretti makes her way from an apartment overlooking Florence’s famous Duomo to a nearby café, where she drinks espresso and reads the newspaper. To the crowds of tourists who pass by, snapping selfies, nothing about Livia will be memorable. She is simply an old lady. They walk on without knowing the part she played in ensuring the future of this beautiful city. And to Livia now, those dark days feel very far away too.

But today, when she opens the paper, she sees a name she has not heard for a long time. A name that will bring memories flooding back of Nazi troops marching through the city and the dangers she faced as a young woman, carrying out secret missions for the resistance.

Isabella Bellucci.

A siren of the silver screen, Isabella cultivated all the right connections to ensure her rise to stardom. But when Rome falls to the Nazis, Isabella is suddenly faced with the choice between protecting herself and all she has worked for or sacrificing everything to save the man she loves.

As the war rages across Europe, a terrible misunderstanding causes the fates of Isabella and Livia to become forever intertwined. And each woman must decide what she's willing to risk, to protect the ones she holds dear from a brutal enemy.

Inspired by the incredible true stories of two women in wartime Italy, this is a heart-wrenching and unforgettable tale of love, resistance, betrayal and hope. Fans of Kate Furnivall, Fiona Valpy and My Name Is Eva will be absolutely gripped.

©2020 Debbie Rix (P)2020 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Beautiful story

Beautiful storytelling with a wartime backdrop. Enjoyed the different experiences of the two main characters. Good narration as well.

Interesting points of view

My only suggestion would be that there was no attempt to incorporate the Italian voice, things incorrectly pronounced, would have thought it was narrated by an English person in Italy instead of a native Italian.

Good book but..,,

It was very slow for a very long time. Finally about 3/4 wat through I was interested enough to stay til the end. A lot of description and narration. , not enough action.

Good Job

This is a well written and a captivating story. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it. It was wonderfully presented also.

Italy during WWII

Story was interesting but had a slow start. The fact that this was a story about Italy, It was bothersome that the reader had a British accent and pronounced pasta as pass-ta

Very Interesting

Great story line, narration was fabulous and flowed effortlessly . Really enjoyed this book. Kept me intrigued.

Very good!

I enjoyed this book very much. A nice mix of fact and fiction. Make sure to listen thru the end for the epilogue, historical notes, and end credits.

Very insightful story, but

Please can the narrators learn how to pronounce Italian names and street names properly? having been brought up in Rome it gets very irritating ... also it hardly EVER snows in Rome.

Absorbing. Katie Villa as narrator was superb.

I took a chance on this book and was very pleased. I have to point out that the narrator, Katie Villa, made this audio book compelling. Choosing her to chronicle this well-executed story was brilliant. She made each character discernible by voice alone and I particularly noticed she did not make the male voices sound silly or out of place. I was impressed. One cares about all the characters; liking or disliking them, but not feeling neutral. There are two protagonists in this book and I felt I got to know them. Well done Debbie Rix and Katie Villa. I'll be listening to this audio book again.

Now, confession - I worried that I had just bought, I'll just say it for brevity, a chic lit book (don't like the term, but you get my meaning I hope...). Not so. In fact, this book made me realize how, in general, the women who contributed so much to the Allied victory in WWII have often been overlooked. The two main characters in this book are based on real women. Now, I'm seeking out books, fiction and non fiction, about these women. To be clear - this book is for everyone.

In summary: The Italian Girls did what good books should do - reveal new landscapes to the reader through an absorbing story. One more time...well done Debbie Rix and Katie Villa. Please team up again.

Totally awesome

May we never forget the bravery and sacrifices made by the Greatest Generation.
This is a wonderful story. Don’t miss it.