The Road Beyond Ruin

By: Gemma Liviero

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Angelo Di Loreto

Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

For some people in post-World War II Germany, the battle is not over.

August 1945. As Stefano, an Italian POW, heads toward home across war-ravaged Germany, he encounters a young child beside his dead mother. Unable to leave him to an unknown fate, Stefano takes the boy with him, finding refuge in a seemingly abandoned house in a secluded woodland.

But the house is far from vacant. Stefano wakes at the arrival of its owner, Erich, a former German soldier, who invites the travelers to stay until they can find safe passage home. Stefano cautiously agrees, intrigued by the disarming German, his reclusive neighbor Rosalind, and her traumatized husband, Georg. Stefano is also drawn to Monique, the girl in a photograph on Rosalind’s wall, who went missing during the war.

But when he discovers letters written by Monique, a darker truth emerges. This place of refuge could be one of reckoning, and the secrets of the past might prevent the travelers from ever getting home.

©2019 Gemma Liviero. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

The Road Beyond Ruin

I really enjoyed the book, although some war descriptions were very difficult to hear. I was a bit confused in the middle and felt it was drawn out. However in the last 2 hours all the pieces start to make sense. It is almost 75 years since WWII is over yet the horror and tragedy
of war and it’s aftermath is still present today.

My favorite story of the year

I love this book. I truly identify with every character. I did not see that ending coming. Please listen.

Highly recommend this book

Most of the books about WWII that I’ve read focus on the Holocaust and the Jewish point of view. I like that this book’s characters are German and Italian, instead of Jewish. I don’t agree with the prejudices of some characters but it gave an interesting look into postwar Germany. The story was narrated well. It was a very good book, though the time shifting was a bit confusing at times.

Great story, but maybe not for Audible

I loved the story, narration OK, but often found it hard to keep track of the story. I think it would be a better read, instead of an Audible read

Captivating!

If you're a fan of historical fiction and narrators Di Loreto / Maarleveld... This is for you!

I couldn't put this book down! The lateral, complementing stories of the East and the West were so captivating!

So many unexpected twists

This was a wonderfully written masterpiece. Keeps you enthralled from the beginning. Cleverly written and astonishingly ended!

Superb! Brilliant plot, superior readers

This is a very different look at WWII and its effects on a group of people who survived it.
It is an interesting twist with a view of how the German people experienced it. The characters are full and interesting and the plot has a lot of unexpected turns.
The readers are excellent and bring the story to life .

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, or who want a more realistic look at the events of that war.

it took me a while to get into this

after reading a few chapters and getting to know all the characters I fell in love with them all

Warm historical novel

Really great author - already recommended to my book club friends. You won't be disappointed with this wonderful story.

Twisty, compelling, and very entertaining!

This book keeps you on your toes... I was constantly guessing and revising my guesses about where the story was headed next. A lot of historical fiction at around WWII focuses on the experiences of people during the war, but this novel seamlessly weaves the stories of multiple individuals across the expanse of many years, before, during, and most importantly, after the war. It explores complex concepts of loyalty, nationalism, and how human connection can overcome the barriers of enmity and clashing affiliations. It does have a rose-colored tint, but it's not nauseatingly positive. I feel like the immediate post-war era in Europe really gets overlooked as a topic for novelists, but one can imagine the chaos, instability, mixed emotions, and the struggle to define a new normal in a vastly shifting political, social, and economic climate, not to mention the personal struggles of guilt, shame, and people trying to piece families and lives back together after the death and devastation of war. This book dives into all of that, and it's a twisty, compelling, and very entertaining read. It should also be noted that the narrators do a great job and the reading is extrememly easy to follow and listen to. Accents are good and character development is on point. Overall, I loved it!