Our Darkest Night
Inspired by true events, a powerfully moving story of love and sacrifice in World War Two Italy
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
TO SAVE THOSE SHE LOVES, SHE MUST MAKE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE.
In Our Darkest Night, internationally bestselling author of The Gown, Jennifer Robson, tells an unforgettable story of terror, hope, love, and sacrifice, that vividly evokes the most perilous days of World War II.
Inspired by true events. Perfect for readers of The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, The Child on Platform One by Gill Thompson and The Girl I Left Behind by Andie Newton.
'A tale of devastating simplicity and poignant sweetness' Kate Quinn
'A powerful, emotional, and unflinching story of love, sacrifice, and resilience' Chanel Cleeton
'Haunting and inspiring, heartbreaking and hopeful, this novel is unforgettable' Kristin Beck
Venice, 1943: Under the Nazi occupation, life is increasingly perilous for Italian Jews. Antonina Mazin has but one hope to survive - to leave her beloved parents and hide in the countryside, posing as the bride of a man she has only just met.
Nico Gerardi was studying for the priesthood until circumstances forced him to return home to run his family's farm. A moral and just man, he refuses to remain a bystander to Nazi and fascist atrocities. The only way to keep Nina safe - and protect secrets of his own - is to convince prying eyes that their sudden marriage is a love match.
But farm life is not easy for a cultured city girl who dreams of becoming a doctor like her father, and Nico's provincial neighbours are wary of this soft, educated stranger. Even worse, their distrust is shared by a local Nazi official with a vendetta against Nico.
As Nina and Nico come to know each other, their relationship deepens, transforming into much more than a charade. Yet both fear that every passing day brings them closer to being torn apart...
Don't miss Jennifer's enthralling historical novel about one of the most famous wedding dresses of the twentieth century - Queen Elizabeth's wedding gown - and the fascinating women who made it. Perfect for anyone who's captivated by The Crown, The Gown 'will dazzle and delight' (Independent).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Robson (The Gown) shines with this stellar WWII story. In 1942 Venice, Antonina Mazin, a young Jewish woman, aspires to be a doctor like her father, despite crackdowns by Mussolini's government on the rights of Jews. As the political winds turn more ominous, Antonina's father arranges for her to go into hiding in a remote village, masquerading as Nina, the Catholic wife of local farmer and former seminary student Niccol Gerardi. While their relationship at first is only for show, the two fall in love while working for the Resistance. But when a Nazi officer discovers Nina's true identity, their lives are placed in jeopardy. The brutal reality and atrocities of war are on full view with devastating clarity. Expert characterizations and perfect pacing are rounded out by lyrical prose ("She lay on her side, stricken, watching the last of the sun fade to nothing, and she waited for the stars to bloom"). This will break readers' hearts.
