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

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He heavily suspects O'Flaherty of being the mastermind, but his efforts to trap him keep falling flat. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to audibly read and review My Father's House. At great risk to themselves and family, some Romans helped escaped Allied prisoners and Jews, providing train tickets in false names, which helped them flee to Switzerland.

O’Connor has assembled a wonderful cast, which includes Contessa Giovanna Landini, mourning her husband; Delia Kiernan, wife of the senior Irish diplomat to the Vatican, a singer with the voice of an angel; Marianna de Vries, a freelance journalist; Enzo Angelucci, an Italian newsagent, and Major Sam Derry, an escaped British POW.So while I wouldn't read any planned sequels, I will certainly try more by O'Connor (I own a copy of Star of the Sea). I’d never heard of ‘the Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican’ before and was curious as to how he hid and protected so many from the Nazis. I can say with absolute certainty that this is one of the best works of historical fiction I have ever read. Although Hugh O’Flaherty is the key character I loved the way the author brought to life the other members of the group. He was deeply affected by the plight of the prisoners, the filthy conditions of the camps and the inhuman treatment meted out to the prisoners by their Nazi captors.

The Choir members all came from different social, ethnic and political backgrounds, but they were all united in their desire to save human beings from the Nazis. This is my first time reading this author and I look forward to reading more of his work in the future. The author contrived a marvelous cat-and-mouse conflict between Paul Hauptmann, head of the Gestapo in Rome, and Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, leader of 'The Choir', the group running the smuggling operation. My father's house' is set in wartime Rome, occupied by the Nazis and lead by Gestapo commander Paul Hauptmann, who takes a hands on approach to his work. And it was as he was talking about some of his other books that I realised just how long I’ve been reading him.He accomplished this by befriending several Italian people who shared his viewpoint and beliefs and were willing to risk their own lives to save others. The premise of this story set my heart racing and I just couldn't wait to get struck in but unfortunately, I just couldn't connect with the writing style and while I got about 3/4 ways through the book, I felt I was struggling and not getting my head around the story.

But, only at times, the different excerpts of the interviews that was written through out did confuse me a little bit of what the connection was.This author uses a highly effective way of developing the main characters (largely, choir members) by inserting a few pages on each, spaced throughout the novel. A deadly high-stakes battle of wits ensues in this astonishing, unforgettable story of love, faith and sacrifice, exploring what it means to be truly human in the most extreme circumstances. But Hauptmann’s net begins closing in on the Escape Line and the need for a terrifyingly audacious mission grows critical. I have often wondered as a girl raised solidly in the principles of the Catholic Church why something wasn't done to save the Jews by the church. A small band of unlikely friends led by this courageous Irish priest is drawn into deadly danger as they seek to help those seeking refuge and escape.

Hauptmann already has utter contempt for the Irish priest after he was appointed to serve as an official Vatican visitor to the Italian concentration camp for British prisoners of war.Changing time-lines, a character per chapter, perhaps my "abnormal-ness" is finding it a little difficult to cope with :-? But Hauptmann's net begins closing in on the Escape Line and the need for a terrifyingly audacious mission grows critical. The book alternates between that time period and twenty years later as those who aided in the escapes are interviewed by PBS. Beautifully crafted, his razor-sharp dialogue is to be savoured, and he employs dark humour to great effect. What we have here is a slice of the workings of the Rome Escape Line and Hugh's very necessary and risky involvement in the escape line.