The Ghosts Of Rome

An excellent novel, closely based on historical events in the Vatican and Rome during World War 2. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in history, good writing - in fact, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a good book.

All the characters are well written, and accurately portrayed, the times and places are so well described one feels as if they are they. And, even when notorious events - the Ardeatine Massacre, and other reprisals - take place one feels the immediate shock experienced at the time.

With thanks to NetGalley and Vintage Digital for an ARC.

"The dead don't bother me none. It's the living you got to be scared"
This is one of many great quotes that I've loved in this book. Joseph O'Connor, in his beautiful style, brings us again to occupied Europe where people fight with Nazis and are constantly looking for new ways to help and protect innocent people amongst them.
"The ghosts of Rome" is second in the trilogy and as it's precursor it's amazingly well written. History and fiction are blending seamlessly but what stood out to me most was how much time the author must have spent on research. In this book, I feel, we have an amazing insight on how impressive women were during those years. Thankfully the enemy underestimated them.
Massive thanks to NetGalley for the early copy although I'm afraid that no words will ever be beautiful enough to give this book a justice. It's a treasure that has to be devoured slowly
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BOOK BLURB :

February 1944. Six months since Nazi forces occupied Rome.

Inside the beleaguered city, the Contessa Giovanna Landini is a member of the band of Escape Line activists known as ‘The Choir’. Their mission is to smuggle refugees to safety and help Allied soldiers, all under the nose of Gestapo boss Paul Hauptmann.

During a ferocious morning air raid a mysterious parachutist lands in Rome and disappears into the backstreets. Is he an ally or an imposter? His fate will come to put the whole Escape Line at risk.

Meanwhile, Hauptmann’s attention has landed on the Contessa. As his fascination grows, she is pulled into a dangerous game with him – one where the consequences could be lethal

This is the long anticipated and wonderful sequel to "my Father's House" and continues the saga of the Escape Line and the Choir as they continue to arrange the escape of allied soldiers and airmen in occupied Rome under the noses of the Nazis and their increasingly frustrated and pressurised Gestapo commander Paul Hauptmann.

The tension builds as the Germans close in on the myriad hiding places throughout the city and the members the choir pull in different directions under the intolerable pressure they face.

The writing is lyrical, the characters intelligently and beautifully drawn and Rome itself and the Vatican are indelibly described.

This is a book to savour and you will shed tears at the end too.

‘The Ghosts of Rome’, (Rome Escape Line Trilogy,#2),by Joseph O’Connor,is simply outstanding and emotionally overwhelming.
After the exceptional ‘My Father’s House’,it feels like a blessing to read this.The first superb instalment felt truly like a one-off and then this turned out to be equally spellbinding.
This book is truly atmospheric, capturing the sense of being trapped in an occupied land.
The depiction of time place and the portrait of the main characters
feels grippingly realistic .
This is fascinating fictional storytelling based on the real life heroic efforts of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, renowned for his involvement in the smuggling of fleeing Jews and escaped allied prisoners out of Rome during World War Two.
The returning characters from the first book are so wonderfully written that it is like meeting old friends after many years and resuming conversation as if they’d only left the room for minutes.The threads of this tale are multilayered and contain so many levels like Rome itself.
It is haunting,suspenseful,thrilling,enlightening,moving and hopeful in almost equal measures.
Many thanks to Random House,UK,Vintage,and NetGalley for a preview copy.

The Ghosts of Rome is about the efforts of a group of patriots based in Vatican City to help a large number of allied soldiers and airmen escape from Rome during 1944 when it was under occupation by fascist Germany. It incoporates several historical events of the period into the fictional narrative and refers to ancient sites and place names throughout the book.
Having recently returned from a week exploring the sites of ancient Rome on foot, I found the book fascinating and an exciting read. It is the first book I have read by Joseph O'Connor but it certainly won't be the last.

Oh I absolutely adored this book! Set in Rome during WW2, the novel centres around the work of a group of Escape Line activists known at The Choir. The novel is packed full of fascinating characters and I was grateful for the character list at the beginning, which I needed to refer to quite a lot!

There are so many characters and interweaving plots that it's difficult to summarise in a review. What I will say is that this was so beautifully-written, so atmospheric and so rich in character descriptions that I couldn't put it down. It was also incredibly moving and I wept buckets at the end. I didn't realise this is the second of a trilogy and I will certainly be reading the first book now.

An absolutely wonderful novel that will stay with me for a very long time.

Joseph O'Connor is.a superb writer of character driven novels.

Classics such as Star of the Sea and Shadowplay deservedly gained plaudits.

In 2023 the start of the Rome Escape Line Trilogy was published- the excellent My Father's House .

Now the second novel The Ghosts of Rome arrives-featuring the same disparate group of brave individuals - The Choir- who plan the rescue and survival of allied forces trapped and injured in Rome during WWII.

This new story is as good as the first if not better as the key figures are now familiar and the dynamic between them more defined. The plot evolves around the rescue of two American soldiers and Polish pilot. The Contessa takes centre stage in the plot and is tormented by her nemesis the Gestapo leader Paul Hauptmann. The tragedies to the people of Rome and the cruelties of war are not hidden.

Joseph Connor again uses various stylistic devices in his writing- the descriptive scenes exude a poeticism and the use of radio interviews many year after the events to recount what happened to individuals add further interest. The energy, fear and desire to resolve and support from the group is crafted beautifully in dialogues and actions. Although fictional the period details are excellent and moving.

A worthy sequel and really enjoyable WWII story -Highly recommended

Looking forward to the final book in the series

I wondered if the author could add to what he had already written in his first volume, 'My Father's House'. I should not have worried. This second novel takes up the story of the Choir some months after the first, and life has become much more difficult for all the members; now living in cramped quarters in the Vatican City, their covers blown, under constant threat from the Gestapo, they nevertheless continue to manage the escape line, providing their 'Books' with shelter and support.

This time round the focus is less on Father Hugh O'Flaherty and more on Contessa Jo Landini, who provides a note of creepy fascination to the Gestapo boss, Paul Hauptmann. An injured Polish airman provides the catalyst for some very bloody intrigue and danger to the Contessa and the other members of the Choir. As in the first book, there is plenty of ingenious plotting, sympathetic characterisation and a real sense of personal danger for the protagonists. It's a great read. One thing I liked especially well was the recurring imagery of Rome as a city of ghosts, its age, its shadows, its hidden depths.

The next book in the author's series about the The Choir, the escape line based in the Vatican during the Nazi occupation of Rome. The focus shifts from Hugh O Flaherty who is a more ghost like presence in this novel. It is now Spring 1944 and the Nazi occupation us taking a toll on everyone. The author's sparse style adds to the tension as the choir cope with the nverending flow of escaping prisoners coming to Rome for sanctuary whilst dodging the Gestapo and trying to manage the 100s of allies they have in hiding. At the heart of this story is the battle to treat one injured soldier.
An exciting well plotted and written story that will jeeo yoh on the edge of your seat.

My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor is one of my favourite reads of this year. Listed for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, it told the story of the Escape Line that was operating during Nazi-occupied Rome, and how they managed to rescue nearly 6,000 prisoners of war, Jews and others from persecution by the Nazis. Their leader, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, operated from neutral Vatican City, with a group of people known as ‘The Choir’ who would help extract, move and save ‘Books’ from the pursuing Nazi forces.

Whilst the first book focussed mainly on O’Flaherty, the second, The Ghosts of Rome, zones in on Contessa Giovanna ‘Jo’ Landini; widowed, aloof, nerves of steel. It’s a wonderfully, breath-taking ride through occupied Rome, with danger breathing down your neck in every alleyway. I started this yesterday and simply couldn’t put it down.

O’Connor has deftly blended fiction and history together, creating well-drawn characters that are completely real, even that of the SS Commander, Paul Hauptmann, who dreams of his wife and children whilst interrogating prisoners. I cannot wait to read the final instalment and surely this must turn into a Netflix series at some point!

Out in January 2025. Thank you again to Vintage Books and Harvill Secker for my NetGalley ARC.