Early One Morning By Virginia Baily

Synopsis


Chiara Ravello is about to flee occupied Rome when she locks eyes with a woman being herded on to a truck with her family.

Claiming the woman's son, Daniele, as her own nephew, Chiara demands his return; only as the trucks depart does she realize what she has done. She is twenty-seven, with a sister who needs her constant care, a hazardous journey ahead, and now a child in her charge.

Several decades later, Chiara lives alone in Rome, a self-contained woman working as a translator. Always in the background is the shadow of Daniele, whose absence and the havoc he wrought on Chiara's world haunt her. Then she receives a phone call from a teenager claiming to be his daughter, and Chiara knows it is time to face up to the past.  

My Review

I received this book from Net Galley in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it is not the usual type of book I read but I am so glad I was given the chance.

This book follows a young woman named Chiara who makes a silent pact with a young Jewish woman whose family has been rounded up from the Ghetto and they are being sent to a concentration camp. Chiara claims the woman's son Daniele as her own and the story follows there life together. The book is set parallel in the 1940s and 1970s. When we get into the 1970s Daniele is missing and Chiara is living alone and has just received a letter from a woman who is looking for Daniele. We find out that Daniele has a daughter he does not know about named Maria. I don't think there is much more I can say about the story without spoiling the outcome.

This book was very good but it did leave me wanting more and to know more about the characters. And a couple of characters I felt were just given up on. I would recommend this book as it is a very enjoyable read. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.