This post contains affiliate links. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan is one of the best books I’ve read this year! This is a true account of Pino Lella’s life during the years of World War II in Italy.
About Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
The story opens with a girl-crazy teenage Pino asking a random woman he meets, Anna, for a date to the movies. Anna says yes, though his friends say it is mostly to get rid of him, which is true. She never shows up for their date.
However, Pino’s light-hearted days disappear as the Nazis take over Italy. Pino’s parents send him and his brother to the Alps to keep them safe. Little do they know, the work Pino soon embarks on there puts him right in harm’s way.
Later, his parents send for him because he is about to turn 18, so he must join the military. But they have a plan they think will keep him safe–join the Germans. Pino is opposed, but in the end, his parents win. Soon he is fighting for the other side and earning scorn from all of those outside a few family members who know and love him.
However, when he is home for a few weeks after an injury in battle, he happens to catch the eye of General Hans Leyers, one of the top Nazi commanders in Italy. Leyers recruits Pino as his personal driver, giving Pino the perfect opportunity to become a spy and work for the resistance.
My Thoughts on the Book
This story was so intriguing, and I found it hard to believe that it was based on a true story. However, as is my pet peeve, I wish that when authors write these types of books, they would stick to the true story as closely as they can. When they take liberties, even small liberties, with the story by condensing the timeline or combining characters as Sullivan says he did, I distrust the story because I’m always wondering what is true and what is fiction, which weakens the story a bit in my mind.
However, I also understand that by the time Pino tells his story, he was well into his 80s, and the events had happened 60+ years ago. Though the author did his research and interviewed others involved in the story, by the time Sullivan was working on the book, many had passed away.
While I loved the entire book, I found the epilogue, which explained what happened to Pino after the war, a bit depressing.
If you’re looking for a dramatic World War II story that takes place in a locale most WWII historical fiction does not, I highly recommend this book!
I give Beneath a Scarlet Sky 5 out of 5 stars on the Mom’s Plans’ scale.
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