Historical fiction set in war-time Rome
The Ghosts of Rome – Joseph O’Connor
In the final months of World War II, a clandestine group known as The Choir smuggles thousands of escapees out of Nazi-occupied Rome. So, this novel is based on a true story and that makes it all the more astonishing.
Map of locations in The Ghosts of Rome
BOARDING PASS INFORMATION
Destination : Rome
Author guide: Joseph OConnor
Genre: historical, inspired by true facts
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A novel to transport you to war time Rome
Ghosts of Rome (c) The BookTrail
Map of locations in The Ghosts of Rome
Second in a trilogy but you can still read this as a standalone as I did. There’s enough backstory to help and enough intrigue to draw you in.
It’s firmly set in Rome during war time:
‘Forgotten squeeze-throughs, old back streets, ruined walkways, lost pavements. Tunnels from the long ago, sunken aqueducts, sewers, manholes. The burrows beneath the church of San Nicola in Carcere and the passageways off the Largo de Torre Argentina where Julius Caesar was murdered. Ossuaries. Vaults. Undercrofts.’
I mean, this book really recreates wartime Rome and it’s a stunning piece of research as it feels very much a constant yet not overly dominant part of the story. This is about the real life escape route called the Rome escape line.
The Choir were the subject of book one – a group who plan the rescue and survival of allied forces trapped and injured in Rome during WWII. I felt I got to know them and understand them very quickly despite not having read the first book. What a group of people! The dangers they faced. Honestly, I felt nervous turning the pages half the time, wanting to warn them somehow.
I believe the story was inspired by the real life heroic efforts of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, renowned for his involvement in the very means of escape evoked in the book.
Quite remarkable when you think about it!
Map of locations in The Ghosts of Rome
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