World War II Book Review

The Cielo: A Novel of Wartime Tuscany
By Paul Salsini
ISBN-10: 0595406971
Review by Heather Froeschl

What people can get through when standing together, is sometimes unbelievable. When you couldn't imagine going on for another second, and a friend assures you that you can, you suddenly know that you will. In Paul Salsini's novel, "The Cielo," a group of villagers will come through horrific circumstances, very much different from how they were before, but ultimately, closer.

World War II reached into the hills of Tuscany, causing many farmers and young men to become partisans, fighting against the Germans in their own ways, often defending the most helpless right at the doorsteps. The villagers of Sant'Antonio are forced to leave by Hitler's SS troops. Fearing boarding a train to Germany, the 100 or so people flee to the hills where previously farmers had eked out an existence growing olive trees and making wine. In five abandoned farmhouses, broken into groups of nearly 20, the villagers gathered in fear of what would happen next. Shortage of food was the least of their worries, with German soldiers threatening to kill ten Italians for every German that the partisans kill. The woods are filled with dangers, mine fields, and desperate men, from escaped war prisoners to army deserters. Virtually trapped in the farmhouse, the souls gathered there, some knowing each other all their lives, and some not known in the least, must learn to reach out to one another, for if they do not, then even their sanity will be lost.

Sickness, desperation, bravery, betrayal, heartbreak and love all find the farmhouse to be home for months. Confronted by Nazis, bonded by terror, the villagers of Sant'Antonio find a family amongst themselves. Salsini's work brings history to life in rare form. Obviously, "The Diary of Anne Frank" comes to mind. The tale is told through the honest lives of the characters, through the human emotions of living. The beauty of this book is the raw humanity of it. Examining the terrible, atrocious actions of war, and balancing that with the heartbreaking compassion and outreach of one soul to another, "The Cielo" is an unforgettable read. You won't be able to put it down, through tears and smiles, until you reach the very end.