Beneath a Scarlet Sky: A Novel

For some (illogical) reason I thought this book wouldn't be great, since it was priced at $1.99. and I've read lots of Nazi/WWII books this year, but the author's background comments prompted me to download it, and boy am I glad I did. This is a whale of a book, one you will get hooked on and read it well until the night until you're finished. It is a fantastic book in so many ways. One, you will learn about WWII in Italy, which not many historical novels cover. Second, you will be treated to a magnificent story based on the true life experiences of "Pino" Lella, who until this book was written was an unknown hero, and follow his amazing story throughout the latter part of the war, when Germany "occupied" Italy (the Italy fascist leadership, led by Mussolini, was aligned with Hitler). Pino is a nondescript 17 year old, son of upper middle class parents, whose primary focus in life (as most 17 year old young men) was to have a good time with his friends and begin to enjoy the companionship of young women. As events unfold, Pino is nearing the point when he must take part in the war (enlist or get drafted/conscripted). If he joins the Nazi's, he will be sent to the Russian front where the survival rate is about 50%, so his parents encourage him to join the "Organization Todt", where Italian men stayed in Italy supporting the German war effort in building trucks, weapons, ammunition, and other supplies to aid the Nazis. Pino is vehemently opposed to helping the Nazis, whom he despises, but his father convinces him by telling him he can do more good as an "observer" (spy), passing inside information back to the Italian partisans resisting the German army. As it turns out, he has acquired expert driving skills, and through serendipitous events he is assigned as the "driver" for German General Hans Leyer, the #2 Nazi leader in Italy, with close ties to Hitler. Much of the book details his travels and service for General Leyer, and he is able to pass valuable intelligence back to the partisans. General Leyer has lodgings in Milan, and Pino meets and falls in love with the General's Italian maid, Anna. That story line, their romance, is well written as well. As it begins to become clear that the Allies are making significant progress, General Leyer realizes that Germany will be defeated, and he begins to put in place records that will portray him as an American sympathizer, while still dutifully supplying needed equipment and food to the Nazi war effort. No spoilers here, but the end game in the book is extremely well-written, and through both tragedy and the joy of finally freeing Italy of the Nazis we have an eyewitness account of how the retreating Nazis, their fascist collaborators, and the partisans ultimately play significant roles in the final months and days of the war. The author is a true master (while relatively unknown, he is a frequent collaborator with James Patterson on many of his bestseller books). You will not laugh, but you may smile, and you will certainly be saddened. This is an epic saga that is movie worthy, and I just found out prior to writing this review that the movie has already been cast and will be released (most likely) in 2018. I loved this book. It was educational while also being a moving and compelling story. You will enjoy it on many levels, as I did, and I highly recommend you add it to your reading list. Again, one of the best books I've read this year, and in this genre, one of the best books, period.

Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan Review 5/4/17 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. Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. He’s a normal Italian teenager—obsessed with music, food, and girls—but his days of innocence are numbered. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six years his senior. In an attempt to protect him, Pino’s parents force him to enlist as a German soldier—a move they think will keep him out of combat. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at the tender age of eighteen to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitler’s left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third Reich’s most mysterious and powerful commanders. Now, with the opportunity to spy for the Allies inside the German High Command, Pino endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by fighting in secret, his courage bolstered by his love for Anna and for the life he dreams they will one day share. Fans of All the Light We Cannot See, The Nightingale, and Unbroken will enjoy this riveting saga of history, suspense, and love. What did I like? I love history, mystery, intrigue and romance… all my favorites all in one book. This was such an interesting book and some of the history of course most of us know. I was so intrigued with this story that I did a little research on my own and saw the work that the author put into the telling of Pino’s story. I can tell you that I was pulled in every minute and had such a tough time putting this book down. I have heard the same remarks from several of my friends that have also read the book. What will you like? Even though this book has a little liberal use in the story you will see the story from a unique perspective that will have you holding your breath. The horrors of the time are all spelled out, so I want to warn you but it is told in a way that we can all understand what Pino and all the other members of his family went through. I know the different things that my dad told me about the time that he was there and saw several photos that gave me nightmares at the time and still haunt me. This story really brought the things that I already knew and the research that I did on my own, plus the discussions that I have had about this book to a new light. I highly recommend this to anyone with an interest of that period. The work and effort that was put into the book shows in every page and tells Pino’s story that no one has heard before.

J'aime beaucoup lire des histoires vraies et je ne lis pratiquement qu'en anglais. Il n'est pas difficile à lire et je le recommanderais aux personnes qui comme moi, veulent se perfectionner en anglais. L'histoire du héro qui a maintenant plus de 90 ans m'a complètement emballée. Et dire qu'il y a des hommes dont le courage n'a pas de limite. Les vraies valeurs sont l'amitié et l'obstination au péril de sa propre vie. J'attends avec impatience la sortie du film pour cette année !

A true story!! I was impressed with this 17 year old young man, Pino who rescued many Jewish people during WWII and also acted as a spy. However what is even more remarkable lies in the fact that he got involved in rescuing and spying without deciding to do so in the first place. Chance did! First, he was sent 9 months in the Alps with his brother and children to escape Milan bombing. He lived there with a priest who trained his physical condition in order to be able to cross the Alps. He did not know then that the ultimate aim was to get refugees over to Switzerland! But he did it willingly and for months, winter included, not only did Pino have to overcome the dangers of the Alps themselves, but also the threat of being discovered by the Germans. At 18, called back to Milan by his father, Pino had to enlist and became a General's driver totally by chance! Pushed by his uncle to spy on the General, he did it as a matter of fact!!! The author met Pino(as well as other witnesses) who told him his story. This makes the events told here very reliable. A great read!

A good and fast reading to a well paced history. I fully recommend this book for a good read. I'm not sure if it's an historical acuarate book but surely it's a good tale.

Italy's wartorn soul could not stand the introspection war trials produced. So the stories of guilt and heroism have laid untold in the annals of history. The author takes up the challenge to expose the atrocities the Germans and Fascists committed in Milan and elsewhere is Northern Italy by describing the amazing life of one Italian teenager that dared to spy on Hilter's right hand engineer as he ordered the brutal treatment of slaves, stole gold which he secreted to Switzerland, and ripped the last bit of food from starving Italians to keep his army fed. Written from Pino Lella's perspective, the Italian's culture of wonderful food, strong Catholic faith, and long centuries of history becomes a great backdrop to WWII. This story will make your soul soar and your eyes tear up as victory is followed by death and destruction.

1943 en Italia era una parte de la guerra mundial que no conocía tanto. Este libro basada en la historia real de Pino Lelo es increíble ..El libro engancha desde el principio , y aprendí muchos datos sobre esta parte de la historia..