

That was the best choice I could have made! The audiobook was fantastic, and as the story increased the stakes, I found myself completely engrossed by it.Īs Mark Sullivan explains in the preface, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is very closely based on a true story. But I was determined to read the whole book, and decided that maybe it would work better for me as an audiobook. For whatever reason, the first 50 pages or so just weren’t capturing me. I have to admit, I didn’t connect with Beneath a Scarlet Sky immediately. Now, with the opportunity to spy for the Allies inside the German High Command, Pino endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by fighting in secret, his courage bolstered by his love for Anna and for the life he dreams they will one day share. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at the tender age of eighteen to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitler’s left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third Reich’s most mysterious and powerful commanders. In an attempt to protect him, Pino’s parents force him to enlist as a German soldier-a move they think will keep him out of combat.

When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six years his senior. He’s a normal Italian teenager-obsessed with music, food, and girls-but his days of innocence are numbered. Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivanīased on the true story of a forgotten hero, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours. It’s a lovely book, and also great to talk about – perfect for book clubs and general conversation alike.

She gifted it to me for my birthday, and I just finished it now while she’s visiting my husband and me. I don’t know why I didn’t pick it up before, but this spring, my mother-in-law started reading it and enthusiastically recommended it to me. Mark Sullivan‘s Beneath a Scarlet Sky became a bestseller a few years ago, and its striking cover was impossible to miss.
