Beneath a scarlet sky goodreads review năm 2024

The story of Pino Lella is amazing. The writing of Mark Sullivan is dreadful. It reads like it was written by a sixth grader, full of cliches and bad metaphors. I brought this book on vacation and was so excited to read it based on the description on the back cover. What a disappointment.

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Pino Lella was only 17 in 1943 when he began leading Jews over the Alps to safety in Switzerland. He went on to become a spy for the Partisan Resistance Movement in Italy while serving as the driver for a top Major General in Hitler's High Command. Pino risked his life repeatedly, gathering information for the Resistance and Allied forces until the war ended.

I think the author did a wonderful work with this book. Some parts I wanted to close my eyes and skip over...but I read through this book in record time! I couldn't put the book down!

The story of Pino Lella has finally been told. Please take the time to read it. I assure you that you won't be disappointed that you did. WHEW. What a read! If you liked The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Two Marias, or Number the Stars, you'll definitely like this one. This was an interesting read.

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Based on the true but fictionalized story of Pino Lella, Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan is set in Milan, Italy, and its countryside during the final two years of the Second World War. Pino is a young man caught up in his own dreams. While the war ravages all over Europe and took a toll of human lives, the city of Milan was calm and composed though the drumbeats of war were growing louder. One night as he and his younger brother were in a movie theatre, the uneasy calm was shattered when the city was bombed. Pino’s life was completely changed, along with those of his dear ones, including Anna.

Forced to flee for his own safety, author Mark Sullivan crafted an absorbing tale of love, undercover work and love his country that beats inside the heart of Pino Lella. Though a minor player in the story, Pino’s younger brother Mimo is an unforgettable character. Then there is the beautiful and vivacious Anna without whom the story wouldn’t have been what it is. Brimming with details about the World War II from first-hand sources, Mark Sullivan’s Beneath a Scarlet Sky is a well-researched story of a young man who dreamed the impossible and made it possible in his own simple ways.

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Pino Lella was an Italian teenager from Milan in the last years of the Second World War. He and his family, a rich fashion district family still apparently living a good life in 1943, lived regular lives under Mussolini. It was only in 1943, when American bombers started raiding Milan and the surrounding towns (and subsequently when Mussolini was arrested by King Victor Emmanuel III and then freed by the Germans before establishing the Republic of Salo on nearby Lake Garda) that life started to change. Pino was close to turning 18 and life in Milan was suddenly more perilous.

The book begins with Pino in Milan at this pivotal point in the war and his life. It follows him through his time in safety in the mountains (where he ends up becoming involved with the Catholic Underground Railroad - a group of clergymen helping Jews escape over the Alps into Switzerland), then his return to Milan as an Operation Todt soldier (a position his parents and uncle secure for him to keep him off the front lines), to a major injury when his post was bombed that in turn resulted in him being selected as the personal driver of the highest ranking OT general in Italy and "Hitler's left hand", the mysterious General Hans Leyers.

There is love and lost love (much of Pino's existence seems wrapped up in Anna, a lady he meets on the street just before the cinema him and his brother are in blows up, only to re-meet her over a year later as the maid of General Leyers's mistress), there is fighting, adventure, suspense, revenge, and mystery. The book covers it all, rather hard to nail it down in one review, as is the case with a true story life in war.

The narration of the book was a tad more dramatic than I expected, though in hindsight it is understandable given this is a novel based on a true story, not a non-fiction hard history book. The narrator, Will Damron, does an excellent job with the Italian names, really captures the suspense and emotions (especially anger), and only gets a bit depressing when Pino drops to the depths of despair when Anna dies.

What was most remarkable was the raw honesty from Mark T. Sullivan about how the book came to be, and what was involved in uncovering the true story. Sullivan heard about the story the day he contemplated suicide - a point made in the introduction that sets up the novel as somewhat of a personal journey and learning experience just as much as a great story. Alongside that, the fact Pino Lella is a real person and his story is a real story - it is just remarkable, if at times dramatic. I was very thankful for the epilogue that goes through the post-war history of each character - amazing more isn't known about General Leyers.

The construction of the book, with numbered sections within chapters, makes this a good book to listen to. I highly recommend this book! The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because of the comparison to All the Light We Cannot See - it just doesn't quite compare with the magical writing, emotion, and ending that book had, but it's close!

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Is Beneath a Scarlet Sky a good book?

This book was filled with laughter, love, family and faith. It was also full of unspeakable horror, and grief. The fact that it is based on the life of a real person makes it even more meaningful. Pino Lella was a true hero and his story needed to be told.

What is the main idea of Beneath a Scarlet Sky?

Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man's incredible courage and resilience during one of history's darkest hours.

How long does it take to read Beneath a Scarlet Sky?

The average reader will spend 8 hours and 43 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).

Is Under the Scarlet Sky Based on a true story?

Beneath a Scarlet Sky is a novel based on the true story of forgotten war hero Pino Lella. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps. In an attempt to protect him, Pino's parents force him to enlist as a German soldier.