Daughter of Genoa : a novel / Kat Devereaux.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"Enthralling and eloquently bittersweet--a vivid historical portrait of the pivotal yet overlooked struggle to save Italian Jews in WWII, and how one unforgettable woman risks everything for love. Devereaux writes with great authority and masterfully blends imagination and history. A deeply affective novel that captivated me from the first page." -- Shelly Sanders, bestselling author of Daughters of The Occupation and The Night Sparrow

"Based on a true story, The Daughter of Genoa is a moving and inspiring story, revealing the hope, humanity, and quiet heroism of ordinary people in their extraordinary efforts to help others. A powerful journey of heartbreak, love, and bravery, this is a book that will stay with readers for a long time." -- Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Booklover's Library

The author of Escape to Florence returns with a thrilling adventure set in the war-torn 1940s and inspired by true events, about a young woman who risks everything to help Jewish Italians flee the fascists, and falls in love with the brave aviator behind a daring secret rescue operation.

Anna's family fled to America years ago, to escape the Fascist regime, but Anna had stayed behind. Alone and terrified of discovery, Anna meets Father Vittorio, a Jesuit priest who takes her to shopkeepers Bernardo and Silvia, an older couple who offer shelter and safety without question. But when Anna discovers that this kind, quiet couple is part of a network of ordinary people daring to help Father Vittorio smuggle Jewish citizens, stripped of their status and rights, out of Italy, she is determined to help.

Anna offers skills essential to the cause: she has a deft hand at ledgers and forgery, talents she learned at the high-powered job she held before the Racial Laws were passed--a past she conceals. Working in secrecy, not knowing others' real names or sharing her own, Anna begins producing fake identity cards and soon meets another member of the operation: a man known as Mr. X., whom she recognizes instantly as the wealthy aviator Massimo Teglio. And suddenly, without warning--despite the threat of imprisonment, torture, and death--Anna finds herself taking the most dangerous of risk of all: falling in love. And she's not the only one.

Based on the true story of the DELASEM--the Delegation for the Assistance of Jewish Emigrants, an organization of brave volunteers working tirelessly to save innocent lives from the concentration camps--Daughter of Genoa is a poignant look at those who loved and lost yet continued to risk everything to create a better world.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Inspired by real events and the work of the Delegation for the Assistance of Jewish Emigrants (DELASEM), a Genoa-based organization active between 1937 and 1947, Devereaux's (Escape to Florence) new novel deftly weaves imagination and history into a story of courage, danger, love, and loss. Anna is a young widow alone and in hiding in Fascist-controlled Italy. After her home is destroyed in an Allied bombing raid, she meets Father Vittorio, a Jesuit priest who takes her to a safe house above a printing shop. The shop's proprietors are part of DELASEM, and soon Anna joins the cause, drawing on her knack for forgery (though she conceals where she learned the skill) to help them produce fake identity cards that will allow Jewish Italians to escape the country. When she meets another operative, known as Mr. X (a character based on the aviator Massimo Teglio), her life changes, and she once again faces danger and unexpected personal loss. With its dramatic narrative, unforgettable characters, and breathtaking pace, Devereaux's book is one of the best works of World War II historical fiction published in recent years. VERDICT A powerful story rooted in history and peopled by memorable characters that will appeal to fans of World War II fiction.--Carolyn Mulac

Publishers Weekly Review

Devereaux (Escape to Tuscany) serves up a dramatic story of fascist resistance and a love triangle in 1944 Genoa. After Anna Pastorino's home is destroyed by an RAF bomb, Father Vittorio arranges to hide her in the home of a typographer and his wife, knowing that the fascist police would arrest and turn her over to the Germans if they find out she is Jewish and has been using false papers. The industrious Anna once worked as a bookkeeper for a prominent shipbuilder. Now, seeking to keep busy, she helps aviator Massimo Teglio create forged identity cards for the resistance. As they work together, Anna falls for Massimo, who remembers meeting her brother years earlier. Meanwhile, as Father Vittorio's tuberculosis symptoms worsen, he grapples with his attraction to Anna. The plot thickens when Vittorio learns Anna had been fired by the shipbuilder shortly before the war for being Jewish and her dismissal was linked to her husband's death. Devereaux sustains an acute sense of the danger faced by her characters, and she adds depth with their personal dilemmas, such as Vittorio's crisis of faith. Fans of WWII fiction won't want to miss this. Agent: Broo Doherty, DHH Literary. (Dec.)

Booklist Review

During WWII, Allied bombs devastated civilians in Italy. Anna, who is half Jewish and the widow of an Italian man who had been disavowed by his family, is bombed out of the meager apartment that held all she had left. She is rescued by Vittorio, a Jesuit priest, and taken to the home of an older couple, where she eventually becomes part of an underground group that creates forged documents that allow Jews to escape capture. The group is run by "Mr. X," who Anna recognizes and comes to love. Meanwhile, Vittorio, plagued by poor health and over-scrupulousness, comes to love Anna. Emotions are very complicated in a war zone, and knowing who to trust can mean the difference between life and death. When the bombs fall, finding survivors is difficult and emotional. Deveraux's latest (after Escape to Florence, 2023) is based on a true story and the author finishes with a recounting of what happened after the events of the novel. Daughter of Genoa is a satisfying human story that stands out in the field of WWII fiction.