The Curse of Pietro Houdini set in Italy

Submitted: 30th August 2024

The Curse of Pietro Houdini – Derek B Miller

Fourth in our literary travel week courtesy of the Wilbur Smith and Niso Smith Foundation who are currently shortlisting the titles up for the grand prize is..

Off to Italy we go!

Map of locations in The Curse of Pietro Houdini

BOARDING PASS INFORMATION

Destination : Montecassino

Author guide: Derek B Miller

Genre: fiction

Food and drink to accompany: You’re in Italy for goodness sake!

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A novel to transport you to a monastery in Italy

Map of locations in The Curse of Pietro Houdini

Travel plans:

Massimo is only fourteen when the Allies bomb Rome, killing his parents. Not surprisingly, he wants to flee from the place he no longer calls home. Running off, he finds himself in Cassino, at the base of the Montecassino Abbey. This is where he meets Pietro, an artist of a kind. But the Germans are not far behind and this is where the next war is going to be fought as the Germans are working on securing the Abbey’s artwork. Pietro and Massimo have other ideas. But these are dangerous times and Pietro has secrets of his own.

Travel review:

What a delight of a book! A hard read in many ways too and dark of course given the themes of war. But a delight in the fact it is written in such a way that you can’t help but get on board with Pietro and Massimo. Themes of gender and more. Themes of war and the darkest recesses of humanity – there is one particular grim scene I am still shivering from.

The novel was unique given the location, themes and the story arc. A coming of age story set against the most brutal of Nazi control. It’s an odd mix and shouldn’t work – but it does.

And it does very cleverly.