Saving Madonna

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! This is a must read if you love historical fiction (specifically WWII era) and you appreciate just how important art is to human beings & cultures.

What was really incredible about Saving Madonna by Kate Bristow is that she's telling a story that is not often discussed in history classes, about efforts made to save artwork in Italy from Nazis. Through the characters, you definitely understand why they know that there are causes worth risking your life for and maybe one of those causes might just be preserving your cultural history. Art is such an incredible expression of humanity and as such, it has immense value to people. It's so fascinating to think what steps or risks people might have to take to keep that piece of humanity safe. Saving Madonna does well dealing with these questions.

I loved the characters in this story, their love and passion and bravery makes this a such a riveting read! It was a very emotional book for me and that's all the more the case because of how deeply I connected to these characters.

I couldn't put it down! It's well-paced and well-written. You can definitely read it in one evening and you probably will because of how immediately you'll be hooked!

I planned to get started on this new book but I read the whole thing in one sitting. I found it profoundly compelling, from the first page to the last. Although fiction, it's based on real events, real people, and is deeply researched. It's a remarkable debut novel.

Although there is an exciting plot of hiding works of art as well as partisans fighting against the Nazis and Blackshirts, there is a constant debate, is one's life worth sacrificing for the sake of art? There are many beautiful quotes answering this question throughout the book but this is my favorite: "Art is a universal language, a way of expressing our deepest thoughts and beliefs. Art connects us across geographies and demographics. It is a window to the past and a portal to the future. Above all, it gives us beauty in a world that can be very ugly."

Kate Bristow reminds us in the afterword that culture is still being systematically destroyed in places like Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. "The easiest way to erase a people and a sense of self is for the enemy to destroy what makes those people special." This book reminds us that we must be ever-vigilant to preserve our cultural heritage, the soul of who we are. I highly recommend this powerful book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC. All opinions & the review are my own.

This was a beautifully written story that took me back in history, about Italian people risking their lives to save art during the II World War. This is fiction, but based on real events, and is well researched. It's a great debut novel that I've finished in almost one sitting because it gripped me from the beginning and I had to see how it will develop and end.
Thank you to BookSirens, NetGalley, and Kate Bristow for the advanced readers' copy

I read a lot of books in this genre and would say this completely held its own. I enjoyed the premise of the story and learning about how the artworks were saved in Italy, more maybe could have been made of this. Enjoyable and would recommend.

A great historical fiction book set in Italy during the second world war. With the Resistance on the increase we find the Italian people working to save their artworks during such tumultuous times. This is fiction that is based on true events and is a wonderful story and a book that I just couldn't put down.

Loved the story, the characters and the premise. The strength of the people and their determination is what makes this story so real and believable. A wonderful read and one I highly enjoyed.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.