Pino Lella is a young man who loves to watch movies and dreams of leaving Milan behind for America. For Pino, the war is mostly an afterthought. His family owns a successful leather shop in the heart of Milan and they seem to be immune to the war raging in other parts of Europe. Until one night Pino and his brother are at a movie when the theater is destroyed by mortar shells. It becomes clear that there is no escaping this war. His parents send them off to Casa Alpine, a retreat in the mountains, to help Father Re. What Pino doesn't realize is that he will be assisting Father Re with helping Jewish refugees escape through the Alps to Switzerland. Time after time, Pino braves the harrowing, brutal elements to help the innocent escape to freedom. As his eighteenth birthday approaches, his parents summon him home. Rather than wait to be drafted, they want Pino to enlist, but with the German army. They feel that Pino will be safer in the German army rather than fighting with the resistance. A series of events leads Pino to become the personal driver for General Leyers, the second highest ranking German official in Italy. This allows Pino to help the resistance from the inside. He sees and hears all and communicates that to those who are fighting to keep the evil from completely taking over Italy. In the process, he falls in love with Anna. The maid for General Leyers mistress. Together they try to foster their beautiful love in a world full of evil. Will their love be able to survive? Will Pino be able to continue aiding the resistance without getting caught?
Beneath a Scarlet Sky has to be one of the most engrossing books that I have read in 2018. The book is based on a true story. Pino Lella was a real man. However, he was in his late 70's when he first tells the author his story. Many of the people who could corroborate or fill in holes have passed on, leaving the author to use his imagination to fill in some of the details. Which is why the book is categorized as fiction. The stories from Pino's time at Casa Alpine alone are enough to fill an entire book. Those stories alone make him a hero. But once he became the drive for General Leyers, his heroic efforts are taken to the next level. I couldn't help but be mesmerized by his story. It was incredibly beautiful and heartbreaking. Just as is every story from World War II. Pino's WWII story doesn't end well, no WWII story ever ends well, but his story was particularly heartbreaking. And there was a secret revealed that was even shocking - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS.
Bottom Line - Beneath a Scarlet Sky has over 21,000 reviews with a 4.8 rating. Nearly 22,000 people are not wrong. This book has everything, danger, espionage, valor, and most of all love. I have read 90 books in 2018 and I am so glad that I finished the year with such a magnificent book.
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