*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity. This review is being posted as part of the The Girl From Sicily blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.
Title: The Girl From Sicily
Author: Siobhan Daiko
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★
Lucia
loved her brother Dinu to the depths of her soul, but she also worried about
him. He was intelligent yet ambitious, resilient yet hot-headed, and there was
a dark side to him that could lead him into terrible trouble one day.
Sicily,
1943: Lucia and her twin brother Dinu have always
been inseparable, but their bond is threatened when Gero, the son of close
family friends in America, arrives in their village. Although she finds herself
developing feelings for him, Lucia worries about Gero’s dangerous connections
and their influence on her brother.
As
the chaos of World War II closes in, Lucia must navigate love and loyalty to
make a difficult choice. Will she risk that the consequences of her decision
could bring untold horrors and affect her family for decades to come?
2005:
When Jess inherits a baglio, an ancient feudal farmhouse in Sicily, from the
grandmother she never knew, she’s determined to uncover the truth about her
family’s hidden past. Following the death of her parents and on the brink of
divorce, Jess travels to the island alone. There, with the help of a charming
Sicilian, she embarks on a quest to unearth a web of long-buried secrets.
But
answers come at a price, and Jess must decide if she’s ready to confront a
truth that could change everything…
The Girl From
Sicily is the latest fascinating historical fiction novel from author Siobhan
Daiko. This is a compelling and easy read exploring themes of secrets, family relationships,
history and romance set against the beautiful and mysterious backdrop of Sicily
during the second world war, post-war and in the early 21st century.
When I started
this book, I was expecting something similar to Siobhan Daiko’s previous books
focusing on the Italian resistance but the story unfolded into a heart-wrenching
tale about multiple generations of a family torn apart by the Sicilian mafia. I
was captivated by the mysteries of the story as Jess tries to uncover her
family history, a difficult task when up against the strict rules regarding
secrets practised by Sicilian society.
Our story is told
through a carefully constructed multi-POV narrative, primarily focusing on the
perspectives of Lucia and her granddaughter Jess but we also get to see the perspectives
of Lucia’s twin brother Dinu and her daughter Carula too. I loved the use of a
dual-timeline, particularly the way subtle parallels between the two timelines
were woven into the story.
Siobhan Daiko is one
of my must-read historical fiction authors so I was very excited to be able to
take part in the blog tour for The Girl From Sicily and it certainly did not
disappoint. I have reviewed three of her previous novels here on Yours, Chloe -
The Tuscan Orphan, The Girl From Venice and Daughters of Tuscany – and I will
link them at the end of the post.
When you read a
book by Siobhan Daiko, you’re almost guaranteed to find beautifully written strong
female characters and Lucia and Jess in The Girl From Sicily are certainly no
exception. I particularly found the exploration of Lucia’s relationship and
bond with her twin brother Dinu to be fascinating, especially as it would play
such a key role in the plot of the story. The romance subplots in both
timelines were also well written and a nice inclusion.
Overall, this is a
really interesting and easy read for fans of World War Two and 20th
century historical
fiction, especially those with a key interest in Sicilian history.
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