Echoes of War in Aussie Readers

Sep 25, 2021 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-authors, 5000-2021, net-galley, read-on-kindle, historical-fiction, own-read, arc, 2021-release

It was 1936 in Calabria, Italy and the farm where Giulia Tallariti lived with her Mamma, Papa, two brothers and two sisters, was a happy home filled with love. Nonna Mariana and Giulia鈥檚 aunt weren鈥檛 far away, and Giulia鈥檚 desire was to become a healer like her Nonna, to care for those who needed it with the herbs and remedies that had been handed down for generations. But Giulia鈥檚 Papa was against herbal medicines, declaring it to be witchcraft, and was preparing to find a suitable man for Giul ...more

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Sep 24, 2021 Helen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: review-copy-from-netgalley

This is a beautifully told story set in Calabria, Italy starting in 1936 where we meet a young Giulia Tallariti and move through life with her and her family as she grows to a woman and we share what she goes through during some very hard times Mussolini鈥檚 rein, World War 11 and the aftermath of war, this story pulled me in with the descriptions of the setting and life.

Giulia lives in a small village amongst the mountains and close to the Ionian Sea with her parents Andrea and Gabriella, her sis This is a beautifully told story set in Calabria, Italy starting in 1936 where we meet a young Giulia Tallariti and move through life with her and her family as she grows to a woman and we share what she goes through during some very hard times Mussolini鈥檚 rein, World War 11 and the aftermath of war, this story pulled me in with the descriptions of the setting and life.

Giulia lives in a small village amongst the mountains and close to the Ionian Sea with her parents Andrea and Gabriella, her sisters Teresa and Paola and brothers Vincenzo and Antonio, she dreams of being a healer like her Nonna but her father has other ideas, these were the days of arranged marriages and Giulia is determined to not have that happen to her, after a stand-off with her father Giulia is sent to a monastery to learn the art of being a healer under a famous herbalist, here Giulia learns more than being a good healer and makes true friends. It is not long before Giulia is being pushed again by her father on her return home.

Family life on the farm is not always easy especially as they are ruled by a fascist government and when family members her father Andrea and brother Vincenzo are called up to fight for Italy, this leaves the females of the family to run the farm and Paola does this really well the woman stand together and strong as they do what has to be done.

When World War 11 erupts throughout Europe and Italy is fighting with the Nazis people are torn with what is right, there are tragedies that devastate the family but still the woman keep going with what has to be done and Giulia stands tall and proud as she continues to help people.

I loved this story from page one, I have read many stories set in World War 11 and most have been set around Paris so being in Italy and seeing it from the Italians鈥� point of view was fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable, getting to know Giulia and seeing her grow in strength and find love through such hard times was fabulous. I found this story heart-wrenching at times and yes there tears from me, I couldn鈥檛 help but cheer Giulia on throughout her journey from Italy 1936 to Australia 1953.

To think that this story come from a photo of Tania Blanchard鈥檚 grandfather was awesome, this is one that I would highly recommend the history and settings of the times were just wonderful, but above all it shows the courage and strength that the woman showed when times were tough.

My thanks to Netgelly and the publisher for my copy to read and review
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Sep 11, 2021 Rina rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars.

This was an epic story about how war affected families and relationships - I think the book was very appropriately titled. It was a story about the echoes of war(s), indeed.

I liked the overall concept of the story, and I really appreciated that the Author incorporated elements from her own heritage and stories from her own grandparents. Giulia鈥檚 strong relationship with her family was clearly the core of the story, and her love for natural medicines showed her 鈥榤odern鈥� side of wanting ...more

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Nov 13, 2021 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian, arc, romance, historical-fiction, war, world-war-ii, aww2021, historical-fiction-challenge-2021

This is the second Tania Blanchard novel I have read and I have enjoyed both of them enormously. She is definitely becoming one of my favourite historical fiction authors and I appreciated this somewhat unique perspective of World War II.

Giulia is a young girl living in Calabria, right at the 鈥渢oe鈥� of Italy. Her family has a small farm that provides for their livelihood but Italy is going through a time of upheaval with division between the north and south and the ambitions of Mussolini, who wan This is the second Tania Blanchard novel I have read and I have enjoyed both of them enormously. She is definitely becoming one of my favourite historical fiction authors and I appreciated this somewhat unique perspective of World War II.

Giulia is a young girl living in Calabria, right at the 鈥渢oe鈥� of Italy. Her family has a small farm that provides for their livelihood but Italy is going through a time of upheaval with division between the north and south and the ambitions of Mussolini, who wants to create an empire, increase Italy鈥檚 territory and provide more land to farmers. There鈥檚 also the brewing situation in Europe with the rise of Hitler and Mussolini鈥檚 treaty with him, which seems almost certain to drag them into more wars.

Giulia is sixteen and has already shown that she has some gift as a healer, like her maternal grandmother. Her father though, is very against this and wants her married off and settled, against Giulia鈥檚 will. He鈥檚 very much a 鈥淚 am your father and my word is law and you will obey鈥� type of figure, which causes a lot of problems between him and Giulia. She wants to learn her craft and be apprenticed with her grandmother 鈥� she鈥檚 not interested in marriage and babies and keeping a home. It鈥檚 arranged that she will go to a monastery and study with a healer there but her father will think she is having some instruction on manners and behaving herself.

I鈥檓 old enough to be Giulia鈥檚 mother but reading this sent me right back to being this indignant teenager and wanting to defy my parent鈥檚 every command. Of course they didn鈥檛 want to marry me off to some random guy their age, unlike Giulia鈥檚 father but it was the same vibes. I felt for Giulia because she had so much that she wanted to achieve and her ambition was stifled so often by her father. And he鈥檚 very much a product of his time and location, the authoritarian Italian father whose job it is to see his daughters are taken care of but he was so focused on this one thing, because unfortunately in this time, girls had no protection without being married. They get to sixteen or so and they leave their father鈥檚 homes and go straight to their husband鈥檚 homes and start producing babies. Looking back now, it鈥檚 a bleak life, especially in times of hardship when feeding big families becomes difficult. Her father believes a lot of what her grandmother does is 鈥渨itchcraft鈥� and he鈥檚 not really willing to listen to reason.

I haven鈥檛 read a lot set in Italy during WWII 鈥� most of what I end up reading is very much focused on German/French/British settings and I was surprised tor read just how much damage retreating German troops did in parts of Italy after Italy 鈥渇lipped鈥漵ides and declared war on Germany. Italy was a country that had overstretched itself before the beginning of this war, with conflicts in Africa from pacifying Liberia and invading Abyssinia/Ethiopia and also sending troops to assist in the Spanish Civil War. I think Italy hoped that Britain would be convinced to sue for peace early on, preventing a long and drawn out battle but the way events went didn鈥檛 go that way and the country suffered heavy losses, particularly in the invasion attempt of Russia. In the book, both Giulia鈥檚 brother (and his friends) as well as their father are conscripted to join WWII forces, even though her father is in his 40s. A younger brother also seeks to avoid conscription towards the end of the book, by hiding in the surrounding mountains, along with others of a similar mindset who also wish to rout out the Germans.

There鈥檚 a lot that gets included in this 鈥� it鈥檚 really a coming of age story of Giulia as she gains confidence in herself and her abilities as a healer and although I鈥檓 not at all religious, I enjoyed her various times at the monastery and the friends she made there. I loved her spirit and her standing up for herself against a future she didn鈥檛 want at a time when she was very much powerless in controlling her own destiny. She somehow persisted and made it work. Her and her siblings also had really good bonds as well and that was nice to see. They supported each other. And there is a love story in this as well, which is very sweet.

I still have one book by Tania Blanchard on my TBR pile and another book by her unread and I really have to try and prioritise them! The two I have read are so much my type of thing, I鈥檓 sure I鈥檒l love the ones that are unread also. I highly recommend this.

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review*** ...more

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Sep 30, 2021 Tien rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review, historical-fiction, kindle, net-galley, australian-author

I am partial to war stories but this novel, Echoes of War, isn't really a war story but a story of womanhood but set within a time of war. This is not to say that the protagonist wasn't affected by war but just that she was not directly involved in it. All in all, it did not detract from the story of passion, resilience, and strength of this girl's journey into womanhood.

Giulia Tallariti, our protagonist, is a passionate young woman who has a very clear vision of her future. A vision which was n ...more

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Sep 20, 2021 Nell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved this book! I was totally enthralled straight away. It opens in southern Italy in 1936, with young Giulia struggling with her purpose. We follow Giulia's journey of growth, purpose, respect, love and faith. All of this through the early stages of the war. Quite a read! Highly recommended. A first for me by this author, but not the last! ...more

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