Eternal by Lisa Scottoline

 Eternal 

by Lisa Scottoline


What war destroys, only love can heal.

Eternal by Lisa Scottoline was published on 20th July 2023 by No Exit Press. My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.




Synopsis

Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro grow up as the best of friends despite their differences. Elisabetta is a feisty beauty who dreams of becoming a novelist; Marco the brash and athletic son in a family of professional cyclists; and Sandro a Jewish mathematics prodigy, kind-hearted and thoughtful, the son of a lawyer and a doctor. Their friendship blossoms to love, with both Sandro and Marco hoping to win Elisabetta's heart. But in the autumn of 1937, all of that begins to change as Mussolini asserts his power, aligning Italy's Fascists with Hitler's Nazis and altering the very laws that govern Rome. In time, everything that the three hold dear--their families, their homes, and their connection to one another--is tested in ways they never could have imagined. As anti-Semitism takes legal root and World War II erupts, the threesome realizes that Mussolini was only the beginning. Against this backdrop, the intertwined fates of Elisabetta, Marco, Sandro, and their families will be decided, in a heartbreaking story of both the best and the worst that the world has to offer. Unfolding over decades, Eternal is a tale of loyalty and loss, family and food, love and war--all set in one of the world's most beautiful cities at its darkest moment. This moving novel will be forever etched in the hearts and minds of readers.




My Review

This is an absolutely wonderful story based on the love, friendship and courage that Elisabetta, Marco and sandro have for each other during the rise of Fascism and the Second World War. The power of emotions that this incredible story creates leaves you, at times, feeling emotionally drained as you face what these childhood friends have to deal with as fascism and the war take hold of their lives.

The relationships that Lisa has created within Eternal and how they all relate to each other is outstanding and you will feel as though you are with them and know each of them personally. You get to know the trio plus their families, friends and comrades as well as the completely different backgrounds they all come from.

The book is incredibly thought provoking in many ways and has you questioning a lot of what took place during this era in Rome, as well as elsewhere in Europe and it does leave you feeling incredibly moved at the depths of darkness that took over this wonderful, romantic city. 

There are ties when you will be upset and angry though also joyous as you read the story that that evolves over decades showing all sides of humanity and , fortunately, love prevails.

For me this quote from the book is really powerful in summing up the effects of what the three friends went through and endured and what we all need to remember.

"War was eternal, but so was peace.

Death was eternal, but so was life.

Darkness was eternal, but so was light.

Hate was eternal, but above all, so was love "


For me this was an incredibly moving 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟  read and I will be looking out for more books by Lisa in the very near future.

About The Author


Lisa Scottoline is a #1 bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of 33 novels. Lisa's books are book-club favorites, and she and her daughter Francesca Serritella have hosted an annual Big Book Club Party for over a thousand readers at her Pennsylvania farm, for the past twelve years. Lisa has been President of Mystery Writers of America and she reviews fiction and non-fiction for the New York Times, Washington Post, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She also writes a weekly column with her daughter for The Philadelphia Inquirer entitled Chick Wit, a witty take on life from a woman's perspective, which have been collected in a bestselling series of humorous memoirs. Lisa graduated magna cum laude in three years from the University of Pennsylvania, with a B.A. degree in English, and cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she taught Justice & Fiction. She has over 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 35 countries. She lives with an array of disobedient pets, and wouldn't have it any other way




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