Reviews

The Italian Ballerina by Kristy Cambron

kjpollard71's review

adventurous challenging emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A lovely WW2 tale. I had not ever heard of Syndrome K , and was delighted to hear of this scheme to outwit the Nazis and their despicable mandate to eradicate the Jewish people. Well written, this book kept my attention until the end. 

sgr123's review

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

humanpersononline's review

2.0

I really wanted to like this one! The concept was interesting, but where I found this book lacking was in the depth of characters — I really didn't connect with any of them as distinct people but rather only as vehicles for the plot (Courtney seemed to be the only exception for me) and felt that the romantic pairings felt forced.

I personally felt like there was a hint of a theme about chosen family and community, but it felt like it was scratching the tip — to be honest, I was almost disappointed that Court turned out to be the father of Penn's son — it felt like a missed opportunity to parallel the relationship he had with Calla.

Overall, while this book was not for me, I could see plenty of reasons why people would be enchanted with this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

bookmeagoodread's review against another edition

hopeful informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

christian_faith_and_fiction's review

5.0

Story Rating: 10/10 Christian Faith Rating: 2/3 A poignant and gripping World War II story, told from multiple points of view and time periods. I loved the characters and their relationships. I loved the mystery of the suitcase. The suspense at the end nearly broke me. One of the best wartime stories I have read.

jmilberg's review

adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

maxinefloyd's review

5.0

This is the second book I’ve read by Cambron. I love her writing style and the way she weaves historical events with current day fiction. This book has my attention from the first page and kept it through the end. It is both heartbreaking and heartwarming, with tragedy and redemption woven throughout. If you like historical fiction, especially set during WWII, definitely add this to your list. ♥️

crownjules73's review

2.0

I was excited to read this book because it is based on true events. The story is a remarkable one, and the characters from the past are fairly believable, although I struggled to connect with them. I also got lost in the past timelines, as if I had missed a bit, although this was probably exacerbated by my sporadic reading of the book (I found it very put-downable). The “present day” storyline was romantic and a little too clichéd and obvious for me (millionaire footballer with love+rat reputation suddenly becomes sensitive marriage material.) I was looking for a depiction of Italy under German occupation but aside from the facts I’d already read in the synopsis, I don’t feel like I learned much of what it must have been like to live through those times. Thank you for the advance copy but I would probably not have finished it if I hadn’t had to write this review.

alice007's review

adventurous emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

alexklinect's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I liked this historical fiction story and appreciated the redemptive nature. However, the characters' emotions seemed too over the top and almost cringey at a few points. There was more romance than I was expecting, although it was nice and clean (no spicy scenes). There wasn't much variety in the romance scenes; for example, every male character "raked his hands through his hair" and "tucked a lock of her hair behind her ears." It was also difficult for me to follow multiple characters through multiple time periods and places. I think the transitions were not very well done. And I'm still confused about

the character of Anton and what was his relationship with Julia was supposed to be

, and the ending did not answer any questions for me about that. This book definitely had potential but it left me wanting more clarity.
3-3.5 stars