The Tuscan Contessa

​IAuthor:  Dinah Jeffries
Publisher: Penguin Random House 
Reviewer: Beryl Eichenberger
In this book we are thrown back into wartime Italy and Jeffries produces a beautifully crafted novel while never forgetting the horrors of war. While this may not be termed the lightest of reads it is yet another story that reveals the bravery of ordinary people caught in the grip of war and what they will do to save the lives of those true to them. Tuscany in 1943 and Contessa Sofia de Corsi’s idyllic life is about to be disrupted as the Germans arrive in her beautiful village. 

She agrees to shelter a wounded British Radio operator unbeknown to her husband, putting all their lives at risk. But it is the feisty (with red hair to match) Italian/American resistance fighter Maxine who appears on Sofia’s doorstep and draws her into the underground fight that is at the core of the book. There are no middle paths during war and this is emphasised in the risks and secrets that enter their lives. Heart stopping moments, palpable fear and the romance of the ill-fated conspire to bring the warmth of Italy into your lounge and the acid taste of a world gone mad.