Can love be found in the ruins of war? Find out in this thrilling and inspirational story of hope, redemption and the power of forgiveness in a broken world.An enchanting debut novel by Steve Physioc As Italy tries to heal from the shocks of World War I, one young woman brings together a number of strangers from disparate sections of the struggling country’s society. Isabella Roselli has an inner … Roselli has an inner strength that defies understanding and her mission will touch those still hurting from the scars of war and violence.
When the orphaned Isabella happens on the Martellino vineyard, she pulls in a widowed mother of four, a shell-shocked soldier, and an imperious matriarch. As these and other characters in the town of Lucca get to know Isabella, they are challenged to surrender their fears. Fascism is taking hold of the heart of Italy, and it is ensnaring all Italians in a web of brutality and dictatorship. Will Isabella’s unconditional love and strength be enough to break its hold? Find out in this compelling novel about love, hope, and the family we choose for ourselves.
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This is a beautiful story about the events leading up to, during, and after the end of the Great War. The “saintly” orphan Isabela is the linchpin of the healing of the small community that is centered on,the Marcellino Vineyard. Wounds are healed against the background of the rise of Fascism. This is an inspiring book.
This was a wonderful story with part of WWI and later, WWII loooming. The main character, Franco, was great and Isabella was an inspiring character. Italy was beautifully described, too.
Enjoyed the character development and reading about this pivotal time in Italy.
I enjoyed the book. It is well written with a lot of historical fact. I did get a little tired of how perfect and wonderful and wise Isabella is.
A wonderful outlook on life that is based on faith and practical sense. I truly felt I was in the location of this book and beside the characters, learning from them.
Finished book earlier this week and it is still in my head – a lot. Likeable characters with doses of realism. Still working on the logistics, but a very satisfying read. I enjoyed the style very much. The descriptors were very good.
Many insights on how to live in troubled times. History of a time I was not familiar with.
The Walls of Lucca is one of those books that defies a category. It’s historical fiction, yes, but it’s just so finely crafted with such well-developed characters and attention to detail that it doesn’t fit a demographic. It’s not for men or women or younger people or older people or history buffs or romance readers — it’s for all those people. It’s got something for everyone in the best way possible.
The characters are multi-faceted — you don’t love them or hate them entirely (well, except for the villain — he’s the worst!). Each character could be someone you know at work or in your neighborhood if you brought them to the current day. World War I serves as the starting point and at times an antagonist, but the book really revolves around these deep, intriguing characters and rich storytelling. Just impossible to put down toward the end!
The history comes alive in this book. Even though it is about WWll it shows the reality of war and the scare of Fascism. Excellent book
Loved the characters! The character development was by far the best part of the book, they clearly drove the story. Bella is fantastica! By the end of the book I felt like I had learned from her and I longed to be part of the vineyard family. The setting and events were well handled within the timeline- if you aren’t familiar with Italian history, particularly Mussolini era, a quick wiki search will help you better frame the events. I finally did that about halfway through but would recommend doing it earlier. I took away one star because I thought this was a stand alone book. It is, to a degree, but the ending is so abrupt and much like a cliff-hanger that getting the second book is not an option. Good for book sales I guess, but I was left very unsatisfied. Part of me really wants to continue the sage and part of me wants to be spiteful and not get the second. I primarily read series books and enjoy the additional character development, but I want to read the next book in the series because I want to, not because I didn’t get closer. Excellent book but be prepared to read both.
It took me a long time to decide how to rate this book. A message of trust in God and forgiveness threads through the entire story, and the innocent faith of Isabella is balanced by the evil, vindictiveness, and selfishness of Susanna and Alfredo Obizzi. It was hard to accept Isabella’s acceptance and forgiveness of even heinous acts – such as an attack by Obizzi that resulted in the loss of her unborn child. The story begins in Italy in 1914, and the first part covers the experiences that brothers Franco and Benny have during the trench warfare and gassings of WW I. Franco survives and ends up working in Tuscany at the Martellito vineyard owned by Georgiano and Susanna. It is here that Franco meets, falls in love with, and marries Isabella. Most of the tension arises from the deep unhappiness and jealousy that Susanna feels for Isabella. Things get bad when the depression hits and really bad when Mussolini begins his rise to power and Obizzi begins a vendetta against the families. And again, underlying all this was Isabella’s purity, her belief in the goodness of man and the power of love. If I hadn’t found this message overly simplistic, I may have rated the book higher than three stars.
Interesting WW2 story about Italian wine country & how the war affected their families, their heritage, their communities…..testing loyalties & challenging convictions.
Too contrived and predictable.
This book seemed to be meant more as a history than as a story. The plot was fairly standard, but it portrayed life in Italy during a troubled time. The characters seemed to be idealistic more than real. The God-like heroine transformed characters to their betterment and helped them live with their problems.
Boring. Couldn’t finish it. Turned to other books. Same old story told the same old way.
This book was a little too “course of miracles” for me, Wish I had known this before I started reading, I wouldn’t have wasted my time. It was well written, though.
This book should ordinary life during turmoil.
I was disappointed with this book. It was hard to keep reading it. I skipped to the end and found out it was the first installment. Definitely not going to buy the next one.
Charmingly predictable love story w historical significance
Hard to get into it