My Father's House: AS SEEN ON BBC BETWEEN THE COVERS (Rome Escape Line Book 1)

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This book was informative, gripping, moving and evoked emotion. My only complaint is that at times I felt as if it was not going to end. But overall, a very enjoyable, educational, moving book. Based on a true story, My Father's House is a powerful thriller from a master of historical fiction. It is an unforgettable novel of love, sacrifice and what it means to be human in the most extreme circumstances. On 10 February 1985 his mother was killed in a car accident. [6] The mother of his character Sweeney in The Salesman (1998) died in the same manner. My Father's House by Joseph O'Connor was a book that I was so eager to get my hands on and I was so excited when I got a copy from Net Galley to read in return for an honest review. I am such a fan of Joseph O'Connor and would rate Star of the Sea in my top 30 favourite books . The novel, set in Rome in 1943, is based on the extraordinary true story of a Catholic priest, Hugh O’Flaherty, and the running battle of wits he and a team of unlikely conspirators played against Rome’s terrifying Gestapo leader, Paul Hauptmann.

The pope sort of says to him: Do you think you invented being humane? Like, where do you get off thinking that you and your little band of helpers is more important than 2,000 years of Christianity? You do realize this is the Vatican, you do realize that St. Peter, a man who met Jesus Christ, and who witnessed the transfiguration, you do realize this is where he’s buried? And do you really want the Nazi tanks rolling into St. Peter’s Square and the swastika flying from the Basilica? Because maybe you better have a think about that, while you’re saving the world. O’Flaherty and his accomplices are driven by a strong sense of moral justice, sensitively rendered by O’Connor. “There’s a swamp between you and the right thing,” as an English comrade of O’Flaherty’s puts it. “How far out are you going to wade?” The boorishness of the occupying Nazis — they “slobber, brangle, murder folk songs” — contrasts starkly with the beauty of Rome itself. The countess waxes lyrical about “that particular redolence of old, heated dust”; for O’Flaherty, the city’s inhabitants are “like people stepped out of a Caravaggio, long-nosed, alluring, courtly. The street singers, the vagabonds, the bawling men arguing...” The novel’s evocative scene-setting, its propulsive narration and its powerful depiction of bravery and unity in extremis, all make for an engrossing read.” As a note, Pope Pius XII seemed to know of O'Flaherty's activities and knew what he did could endanger the Vatican, but allowed him to continue. Breathtaking … SHADOWPLAY is a book undaunted. … As much as this is a hugely entertaining book about the grand scope of friendship and love, it is also, movingly – at times, agonisingly – a story of transience, loss and true loyalty.’ Sadie Jones, The GuardianWalter Scott historical fiction shortlist announced". BBC News. 1 April 2011. Archived from the original on 7 April 2011 . Retrieved 12 June 2011. Thank you to the (new-to-me) Irish author, Joseph O’Connor, Dreamscape Audio, and NetGalley for this wonderful ARC, in return for my honest review. What an ensemble of narrators: Aoife Duffin; Gertrude Toma; Barry Barnes; Stephen Hogan; Barnaby Edwards; Laurence Bouvard; David John; Roberto Davide; Thomas Hill. Diplomats, refugees, and escaped Allied prisoners flee for protection into Vatican City, at one fifth of a square mile the world’s smallest state, a neutral, independent country within Rome. A small band of unlikely friends led by a courageous Irish priest is drawn into deadly danger as they seek to help those seeking refuge. An interesting aspect of this book, for me, involved the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Nazi aggressors. The Pope even makes an appearance in this story. I need to read some non-fiction of this aspect of the war – there is a lot to learn and try and understand.

September 1943: German forces occupy Rome. Gestapo boss Obersturmbannführer Paul Hauptmann rules with terror. Hunger is widespread. Rumors fester. The war’s outcome is far from certain. Italians have the beautiful word “sprezzatura”: the ability to make something that is difficult seem effortless. It’s a quality every good writer aims for.Four thousand frightened prisoners crammed like abused beasts, half starved, into a couple of barbed-wired stony fields. One doctor, a drunken pervert. No letters. Two latrines. Compulsory hard labour. Frequent beatings. September 1943: German forces have Rome under their control. Gestapo boss Paul Hauptmann rules over the Eternal City with vicious efficiency. Hunger is widespread. Rumors fester. The war’s outcome is far from certain. Diplomats, refugees, Jews, and escaped Allied prisoners flee for protection into Vatican City, the world’s smallest state, a neutral, independent country nestled within the city of Rome. A small band of unlikely friends led by a courageous Irish priest is drawn into deadly battle of wits as they attempt to aid those seeking refuge. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also”