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A review by marilynw
The Italian Ballerina by Kristy Cambron
4.0
The Italian Ballerina: A World War II Novel
by Kristy Cambron, narrated by Barrie Kreinik
We have present day Delaney Coleman, whose life has been upended by a relationship breakup and the need to return home to care for her aging parents after the death of her grandfather. In the past, we follow Julia, a successful ballerina, whose career is cut short by the war. Delaney's story stays in the present day, as she and a man in Rome try to piece together the puzzle of the past. Julia's story jumps around, as does the story of Delaney's grandfather.
Something I love about good historical fiction is when I can learn about real life events, people, and places while enjoying the story. Once I learned about Syndrome K, I wanted to know more, so this story took me off to learn about this time and place when Syndrome K played a part in the lives and deaths of so many people. I also learned about the hospital, church, and people who were involved in helping others escape persecution and death and I'm amazed, once again, at the ingenuity involved in the use of Syndrome K.
The Italian Ballerina audiobook gave my brain a workout. We have five different timelines we are following, some with the same people, and we don't know how they will all tie in until much later in the story. And these timelines jump around, back and forth, which is confusing and makes the story a little harder to follow than if we could get the story in consecutive order. Also, I would have liked more information about one of the male characters by the end of the book. Since we get to see the story from several viewpoints, it would have been nice to see how this man fared after the war, rather than not getting answers to what happened to him.
I did enjoy this story very much and wasn't ready to leave the characters when the story was over. I don't know as much about Italy, and it's role in the war, as I do other aspects of the war and I may look for more on this subject. I plan to look at this author's other work, in the future.
Pub July 12, 2022 by Thomas Nelson on Brilliance Audio
by Kristy Cambron, narrated by Barrie Kreinik
We have present day Delaney Coleman, whose life has been upended by a relationship breakup and the need to return home to care for her aging parents after the death of her grandfather. In the past, we follow Julia, a successful ballerina, whose career is cut short by the war. Delaney's story stays in the present day, as she and a man in Rome try to piece together the puzzle of the past. Julia's story jumps around, as does the story of Delaney's grandfather.
Something I love about good historical fiction is when I can learn about real life events, people, and places while enjoying the story. Once I learned about Syndrome K, I wanted to know more, so this story took me off to learn about this time and place when Syndrome K played a part in the lives and deaths of so many people. I also learned about the hospital, church, and people who were involved in helping others escape persecution and death and I'm amazed, once again, at the ingenuity involved in the use of Syndrome K.
The Italian Ballerina audiobook gave my brain a workout. We have five different timelines we are following, some with the same people, and we don't know how they will all tie in until much later in the story. And these timelines jump around, back and forth, which is confusing and makes the story a little harder to follow than if we could get the story in consecutive order. Also, I would have liked more information about one of the male characters by the end of the book. Since we get to see the story from several viewpoints, it would have been nice to see how this man fared after the war, rather than not getting answers to what happened to him.
I did enjoy this story very much and wasn't ready to leave the characters when the story was over. I don't know as much about Italy, and it's role in the war, as I do other aspects of the war and I may look for more on this subject. I plan to look at this author's other work, in the future.
Pub July 12, 2022 by Thomas Nelson on Brilliance Audio