From Sand and Ashes - Amy Harmon
3:13 PM
It is widely known in the reading world that Amy Harmon is a goddess. In fact, for some people, she is considered the God of writing. While I have read some of her books and thought that they were good – but not over the top – this one, From Sand and Ash, really struck me.
The story takes place in Italy from 1939 to the end of World War II and revolves around a Jewish girl named Eva Rosselli. Raised with a Catholic family friend, Angelo Bianco, she sees no difference between both religions as she grows up. Her family is relatively wealthy and important in the Italian society, and there was never any discrimination done towards the young girl. That was until 1939.
The story takes place in Italy from 1939 to the end of World War II and revolves around a Jewish girl named Eva Rosselli. Raised with a Catholic family friend, Angelo Bianco, she sees no difference between both religions as she grows up. Her family is relatively wealthy and important in the Italian society, and there was never any discrimination done towards the young girl. That was until 1939.
Eva's family is destroyed over the years. Each member disappears one by one, taken by the Gestapo as the reign of terror rises. But Angelo Bianco is a priest to be, and as one of the "safe ones" during the war, he hides Eva in a convent to keep her from being taken away. And she's not the only one. Fake papers are popular among the Jewish community, and a group of Catholics helps those people stay safe. While they can.
But Eva is not an object that can just be hidden. She has hopes and dreams and wishes to be free, just like she was growing up. But her wish of being free collides with the plan Hitler has for Europe. In other words, shit goes down.
This is a very intense book. You've probably read and studied the history of WWII from a general point of view, but this book takes you right inside the head of someone living in the middle of it. While it's completely fascinating to know that similar stories have most-likely happened, it's scary and intense and overwhelming. You kind of put yourself in the character's position, and it's hard to believe that these things happened – and still happen – in our world.
If you are a rather sensitive person, this book obviously addresses the topic of death, which can be triggering. Then again, if you're going to read about WWII, you probably expect death to be in the headlights.
You should also know that while this book is indeed somewhat of a romantic novel, it revolves around war, so romance is not found in every chapter. Some chapters and descriptions can be long, but they are necessary to understand what Eva and Angelo go through. I didn't find any part boring by any means, and I think that this book was unbelievably well written. Amy Harmon must have done a lot of research while writing this book, because in my opinion, she's spot on.
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