Beneath a Scarlet Sky: A Novel

I’ve always taken an interest in the Italian campaign of WW2, as my Dad fought there. However, it’s generally been from an allied perspective with some insight into the Axis forces movements. I’m sorry to say that my knowledge of the privations suffered by the Italian civilian population was pretty scant. I also carried some pre conceived prejudices about the state of mind of the Italian people and their support for Mussolini. This book is an eye opener. It has given me a clearer perspective of just what the nation had to suffer as a result of their lunatic leader’s deluded policies, and the autocratic manner in which Italy was controlled, not only from a military point of view but also from an ‘ordinary person in the streets’ point of view. Pino’s Story is inspirational from start to finish. A true story given literary clarity by Mark Sullivan’s excellent descriptive narrative. This is an exciting, interesting and inspiring book, I was moved by the emotional ups and downs of Pino’s life, and by those with whom he had contact, friends, family, clergy and even enemies. Thanks for writing this book. I would highly recommend the audible narration that goes with the book, it’s a great in car journey companion.

This is an amazing story that so needed to be told. I have not been able to put it down. We hear much of the Second World War from the German, Jewish or Allied perspective but I have never personally heard it from the Italian perspective. This should be part of the school curriculum.

I fell a little bit in love with Pino Lella while reading this. He starts of quite a cocksure young boy flirting with the girls and trying to win them over with his cheeky charm. But then war comes to Italy and I watched him turn into a brave and resilient man who turns spy, putting himself constantly in incredible danger. This book taught me so much and made me feel a whole range of emotions. It made me smile with joy as Pino ski’s with a pregnant lady on his back and weep with horror at the atrocities he witnesses. The author doesn’t shy away from the brutality of war instead he opens your eyes to it while also showing glimpses of how wonderful other humans can be. The worst times can often bring out the best in people. As for the enemies the author portrays them as the monsters they are but also gives us rare moments that show they are capable of being human too. The only other book regarding war that captured me so completely was Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. They both encompass love and romance in amongst the brutal death and destruction brought on by war. I’m so glad the author included what happened to them all at the end as I had come to care deeply and this also led to a few shocks including the fateful Pan Am flight. This was February’s book club choice at Novels&Natter and because we pick the book in advance we had no idea of the unfortunate timing and that war would become major news while we were reading it. For some it made the book a difficult read but we all still loved it.

Thank you for writing this book and telling this story. I think it may be one of the best books I've ever read. I wish I'd read it before I went to Milan a few months ago.

It was a very fast paced story. I held my breath in parts. What these people endured through WW2 is beyond belief. My Grandfather served in Northern Italy during this period for the British Army. I now want to visit Milan. Well worth a read if you like historical novels!

A well written story based on fact which made it all the more compelling to read. One of the THE best books I’ve read in quite some time and I read a lot! I literally could not put this book down and devoured it. It’s rather fast paced in parts but doesn’t feel rushed and certainly doesn’t feel like the author is rushing to finish the book. The only criticism from me is that I wanted more, I didn’t want it to end. A joy to read. I hope the film will do the book and Pino Lella justice. As an aside, the book is the genre I enjoy reading most; World War II spy fiction and I found this as fascinating as Pino’s story in terms of what was happening in Italy at that time. Most books of this genre that I’ve read are set in France or Germany so it was interesting to read and understand more about Italy’s war. Highly recommended this book. Don’t normally write reviews but rate this one.

I've never read a book based during WWII before and can't recall why I chose this book but I enjoyed it. Pino Lella is a young man during the war, living in Milan with his parents and brother and sister. As the war intensifies, he is sent to stay with Father Re in the Alps where he is called upon to use his mountaineering skills to guide Jewish people across the treacherous mountains and to safety in Switzerland. That's not even half of the story of what Pino did during those tumultuous war years. He walks a dangerous line between working for a Nazi leader and being a spy for the resistance. Pino is a real person. So are many of those mentioned. There is some discussion regarding how accurate the story is but honestly, I'm not sure it matters. As a book, it's a well-written and engaging story with plenty of intrigue, danger, adventure and romance to keep the reader fully immersed in the bitter cold of an Alpine climb or the sweltering heat of a Milanese summer day. Whether or not the exactly correct places or timelines matched with reality didn't matter to me or my enjoyment of the experience of reading it.

I downloaded the book as a sample initially and loved the writing style of the author straight away. I then bought the book for its ridiculously cheap sale price- and have read it until my eyes felt sore, my phone felt hot and the battery dwindled to a thin red line. I'm not often brought to tears by a book -I don't cry at films-I'm terribly repressed in a northern British ridiculous way- but this book had me in tears on a regular basis- it also had me smiling and laughing and nodding along to aspects of life that are so contemporary so comparable to humanity - that the decades described so admirably could have been yesterday. I'm not into history although I very much understand the importance of it- my great grandad was sent to England by his family to escape the war-he was Austrian Jewish and even now my dad who worked for him at their kosher butchers can't stand the sight of Amy memorabilia at markets. This grabbed me though this account- so human so relatable so scary and awful and funny and terrifying, agonisingly sad- and a story that's not well known-it's as if you the reader are being told a secret known only to the writer the teller and yourself- and I'm -it's changed me -my perceptions of war were always that it's the wrong way to go about things- but I've never once been able to understand how it happens and why people are driven to such atrocities - and this book eases you into the perspective of someone who has lived through it-and makes it so obvious that I'm wondering why I hadn't realised it before. Life isn't black and white or good and bad- and it is extremely short. As Pino Lella said- we would do best to live life moment by moment and find things to be grateful for. Thankyou to this wonderful complicated flawed and generous soul and to the writer who devoted a decade to his story. History.

Una historia de la que se puede decir que la realidad supera a la ficción. Misterio, amor, valentía, en un país dominado por los nazis y fascistas, una historia de valor, lealtad y paz, que te hace darte cuenta de lo afortunados que hemos sido quienes no hemos vivido una guerra. Un recordatorio de que hay que vivir cada momento "con smania" ;)

Fantastic historical novel based on one man’s true story. So fascinating and terribly sad what this poor man endured. Wonderful writing. Recommend it to anyone to 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.

I was torn in two by this book. I wanted the story to continue ... I wanted it to end! I wanted to find out more about Pino’s life but I also have a “to be read” list that is just growing. I found this book to be a riveting page turning historical novel. I highly recommend reading it. Put it on your “Read me first list”. Fabulously written by Mark Sullivan who portrayed real life people as characters. The story begins in Milan, 1943, where the Nazis continued their advance in conquering Europe. The story revolves around 17 year old Giuseppe, “Pino”, a typical adolescent who finds himself joining an underground railway. The railway helped Jews and others escape over the Alps into safer areas. When Pino turns 18 his parents, in order to protect him, forced him to join the German Army. This prevented him from being conscripted by the Germans and sent to fight the Russians on the Eastern Front. He wound up in Italy as the personal driver to General Hans Leyers who was Adolf Hitler's personal left hand man. This was the opportunity for him to become a spy, inside the German High Command, for the Allies. The fact that most of the characters were based on real people lends credibility and excitement to the read. If you enjoy WWII historical novels, this is definitively a must read!

I would recommend this book to people who like historical fiction, adventure and spy thriller, war fiction or simply would like to increase their knowledge or know the world of 1943-45, the second world war, especially Italy. IF THE GENRE INTERESTS YOU A BIT, GO GRAB IT, YOU WON'T REGRET. I gave 5 rating because description is beyond powerful than words. When Mark Sullivan said my life felt dull after hearing Pino Lella's story of 2 years, I feel it. The book not only gives you a insight of the war time but also learn life lessons through it. The language is also very easy and simple to understand. It ends by a beautiful message of a 90 year old man who lived his lide fully and it made me cry too. JUST GO FOR IT! You'll thank me later :')