Saving Madonna
In northern Italy in 1943, Luca is the son of a farmer who is just trying to help his family survive the occupation by the Germans. He has no intention of joining a resistance of any kind. Then Elena, an art curator, comes back into his life. They become involved in resistance of a different sort. They are trying to keep the country’s rich cultural heritage alive by hiding paintings and other works of art from the thieving Nazis. Elena is working for Pasquale Rotundi, Superintendent of Fine Art for the Marche region. Together they come up with a plan to save many of Italy’s masterpieces by moving them to the Vatican.
Saving Madonna is a fascinating novel that combines both real-life historical figures and fictional characters to create an exciting story about the actual effort to save art during World War II. The activities of the Italian resistance at that time are shown through the brothers of Luca and Elena, and the horrible death toll of the war does not escape some of the characters in this novel. The inhumanity and cruelty of the Nazis is portrayed through the actions of more than one character. The effort to keep the paintings from being stolen is not just a fight to keep art. It is a fight to keep a culture from being erased, and the author does a great job of explaining that. The story is compelling, and the romance between Elena and Luca is a pleasant escape from the horrors of war. This book is recommended to those who enjoy World War II fiction, Italian history, and art history.
