The Italian Ballerina + Giveaway

At the height of the Nazi occupation of Rome, an unlikely band of heroes comes together to save innocent lives in this breathtaking World War II novel based on real historical events.

Rome, 1943 . With the fall of Italy’s Fascist government and the Nazi regime occupying the streets of Rome, British ballerina Julia Bradbury is stranded and forced to take refuge at a hospital on Tiber Island. But when she learns of a deadly sickness that is sweeping through the quarantine wards—a fake disease known only as Syndrome K—she is drawn into one of the greatest cons in history. Alongside hospital staff, friars of the adjoining church, and two Allied medics, Julia risks everything to rescue Italian Jews from the deadly clutches of the Holocaust. But when one little girl who dreams of becoming a ballerina arrives at their door, Julia and the others are determined to reunite the young dancer with her family—if only she would reveal one crucial secret: her name.

Present Day . With the recent loss of her grandfather—a beloved small-town doctor and WWII veteran—Delaney Coleman returns home to help her aging parents, even as she struggles to pick up the pieces of her own life. When a mysterious Italian woman claims she owns one of the family’s precious heirlooms, Delaney is compelled to uncover what’s true of her grandfather’s hidden past. Together with the woman’s skeptical but charming grandson, Delaney learns of a Roman hospital that saved hundreds of Jewish people during the war. Soon, everything Delaney thought she knew about her grandfather comes into question as she wrestles with the possibility that the man she’d revered all her life had unknown ties to Rome and may have taken noble secrets to his grave.

Based on true accounts of the invented Syndrome K sickness, The Italian Ballerina journeys from the Allied storming of the beaches at Salerno to the London ballet stage and the war-torn streets of WWII Rome, exploring the sometimes heart-wrenching choices we must make to find faith and forgiveness, and how saving just one life can impact countless others.

My Review:

Phew! This one was a heartbreaker! I’m a bit of an emotional mess now that it’s all over. A vulnerable mix of aching and hope and everything in-between.

Kristy Cambron is known for writing complex dual timeline novels full of rich layers and important bits of history that should never be forgotten. She accomplishes that again with ‘The Italian Ballerina’ though I will admit to sometimes getting lost in the un-chronological yo-yoing in the past timeline. This might have been because I listened to the audible edition (expertly narrated by Barrie Kreinik by the way.) It probably would have helped to see the dates/places printed out every time we broke away from the present day. It’s not like there was a huge leap of decades — more like a 5-6 year span — but we’d be in 1943, then the next time in 1939 and then 1941 — and in the POV of two different characters so I was always scrambling to properly place the character and situations. I really enjoy dual timeline stories but I am finding that I enjoy them more when the historical story unfolds chronologically.

Amazed once again to discover yet another aspect of World War II that I knew nothing about. That an Italian hospital created a fictitious highly contagious sickness in order to hide Jews in quarantine wards is — well it sounds like it could only happen in fiction! And Cambron has cleverly woven it into a story that bridges decades and continents. How on earth does she keep it all straight in her mind as she writes?! Sheer genius!

I liked the contrast in the present day timeline. Not without its own emotional upheavals, but it was still lighter and served to highlight the powerful impact the choices of the past have on our present.

This book gutted me though — so not a light read but an important one.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Secondary Target, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 1 2024.

22 thoughts on “The Italian Ballerina + Giveaway”

  1. Oh, I do so love dual timeline stories. Kristy Cambron does have a way of writing stories on complex history content in a way that draws the reader in totally. I’ve loved the write up on this story since it was first discussed making it already on my TBR list. Your review greatly increases my desire to settle back for an amazing read.

    Thank you for the wonderful chance to win a copy!

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  2. I, too, am unaware of this. That is the prime reason I like reading historical fiction so much; learning about history that wasn’t in our school books. Kristy Cambron and dual timeline!! Know there will be depth. Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House kathleen[dot]e[dot]belongia[at]gmail[dot]com

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    1. Yes — depth…and tears! I think that most of my historical knowledge comes from fiction so I really count on authors getting it right and Kristy Cambron does. Good luck, Kathleen!

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  4. You would really be a emotion mess if you read We are the Lucky Ones that’s a heart breaker too. Looking forward to this book. cheetahthecat1982ATgmailDOTcom

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  5. Kav, this has been on my want-to-read list ever since I first heard about it. Count me in for sure! 🙂

    ckbarker at gmail dot com

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  7. I don’t normally pick up a book set in war time but I’m intrigued by the historical facts included in this one. I never knew about a hospital creating a fictitious disease in order to hide Jews, that is amazing. I so love learning history through fiction, don’t you?

    And believe it or not, I’ve never read a book by Kristy Cambron! It sounds like her books are must-reads, especially because historical fiction is my most favorite genre. 😁 Guess I get to discover a new-to-me writer 💖

    teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

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    1. I know! How did that miss our history books? Such a clever (and daring!) way to protect Jews from the Nazis. Kristy Cambron writes incredible stories — lots of gritty truth and compelling historical facts. Good luck, Trixi!

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  8. I read this book in 2022 and it is still one of my favorite books. Not entering the giveaway since this one is already on my keeper shelf, but had to add that this one is amazing and definitely worth reading! Sandy

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  9. I’m right in the middle of my very first dual time story. It’s been written kind of like you say this one is, the timeline is not that many years apart so I’m kind of scrambling myself to keep it all straight. Can’t say I love that style of writing yet, but I won’t say no to a second book and this one sounds like a must read for sure. You might make a me like them yet.

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    1. I find that dual timelines can be tricky and I much prefer when each timeline progresses chronologically. I do enjoy this type of story though and I love to see the way the timelines merge by the end. Good luck, Becky who is bravely reading out of her comfort zone!

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  10. My sister recommended this to me and I haven’t acquired it yet to read. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. leliamae54(at)aol(dotjcom

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