This is a good, yet difficult book to read. It is a cross between a memoir and a history book.
In this story, we are taken on Elsa and Paul's journey from being Jews in Germany to being Jewish in Italy under Mussolini's rule. They run a Pensione (B&B) in southern Italy. It was fun to read about their journey and to hear about the guests they met.
A large part of the problem, however, was the pacing of the story. The story is told from the author's grandmother's point-of-view. While she does have some good philosophical treasures, it was too drawn out. Many times ideas were repeated, some repeated multiple times on one page. The "ramblings of an old woman," which she sometimes refers about her own speaking, needed to be edited. The story was interesting but the way it was written was not always up to the caliber of the story.
I will say that if you ever wondered about that time in history, this is a good book to read. There are parts about living under Mussolini's rule that are eyeopening. The way the guests and the Italians under his rule act offer insight into that part of history that not many know about.
The only other criticism of the book I have is that the author does not always explain why some of the guests were such a big deal. Names were revealed but mean little to many readers now. I just wish Webster offered a footnote of why these guests were so important during that time in history.
However, I do appreciate being allowed into the lives Elsa and Paul, as well as their guests. Not many reads focus on the everyday lives of people during this time and it was yet another perspective of a tumultuous time in history.
I received a free copy of One More Moon by Ralph Webster from BookishFirst in exchange for my review.
In this story, we are taken on Elsa and Paul's journey from being Jews in Germany to being Jewish in Italy under Mussolini's rule. They run a Pensione (B&B) in southern Italy. It was fun to read about their journey and to hear about the guests they met.
A large part of the problem, however, was the pacing of the story. The story is told from the author's grandmother's point-of-view. While she does have some good philosophical treasures, it was too drawn out. Many times ideas were repeated, some repeated multiple times on one page. The "ramblings of an old woman," which she sometimes refers about her own speaking, needed to be edited. The story was interesting but the way it was written was not always up to the caliber of the story.
I will say that if you ever wondered about that time in history, this is a good book to read. There are parts about living under Mussolini's rule that are eyeopening. The way the guests and the Italians under his rule act offer insight into that part of history that not many know about.
The only other criticism of the book I have is that the author does not always explain why some of the guests were such a big deal. Names were revealed but mean little to many readers now. I just wish Webster offered a footnote of why these guests were so important during that time in history.
However, I do appreciate being allowed into the lives Elsa and Paul, as well as their guests. Not many reads focus on the everyday lives of people during this time and it was yet another perspective of a tumultuous time in history.
I received a free copy of One More Moon by Ralph Webster from BookishFirst in exchange for my review.