For readers of Orphan Train, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Book Thief comes an unforgettable novel inspired by a true story about the power of human kindness and bravery in a time of unimaginable heartbreak.
Germany, 1939: Thirteen-year-old Magda is devastated by the loss of her best friend, shy and gentle Lotte, cruelly snatched from her and sent to a concentration camp – the Star of David sewn on her faded, brown coat. As the Nazi’s power takes hold, Magda realizes she’s not like the other girls in her village - she hates the fanatical new rules of the Hitler Youth. So Magda secretly joins The White Rose movement and begins to rebel against the oppressive, frightening world around her.
But when an English RAF pilot lands in a field near Magda’s home she is faced with an impossible choice: to risk the lives of her family or to save a stranger and make a difference in the war she desperately wants to end.
England, 1939: Fifteen-year-old Imogen is torn from her family and evacuated to the Lake District, a haven of safety away from the war raging across Europe. All she has to connect her to the bombs and the battles are the letters she writes to her loved ones. Little does she know, on the other side of the enemy line, her fate rests on the actions of one girl who will change her life forever…
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Books by Debbie Rix
The Italian Girls
The Secret Letter
The Photograph
The Silk Weaver’s Wife
Daughters of the Silk Road
The Girl with Emerald Eyes
Available in Audio
The Photograph (available in the UK and the US)
A Letter from Debbie
Dear reader,
Thank you for choosing to read The Italian Girls. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you’d like to keep up to date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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The Italian Girls is my sixth novel and, like the others that have gone before, is based on the lives of real women of history with inspiring life-stories. In the Second World War, the Italians were faced with an extraordinary set of circumstances. Their Fascist government had sided with Nazi Germany, but many Italians were divided in their support. Millions of them were prepared to stand up against Fascist domination, tearing their country apart in the process. This novel traces the lives of two young women – one the daughter of a liberal lawyer who was fiercely anti-Fascist, and one a famous actress whose very existence depended on the support of the Fascist government. How their stories intertwine is the central theme of this novel.
I would also be very grateful if you could write a review. Firstly, because I’d love to hear what you think, but also because it could be useful for people who are new to my books. I’m always delighted to hear from my readers, so do please get in touch – email me via my website, or send me a message through Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads.
All of my books to date have involved some element of truth – a person, or events that have inspired me to tell their story, but this novel is the most closely aligned to real events and personalities.
The character of Isabella Bellucci is based in very large part on that of Italian actress Maria Denis. A famous ‘white telephone’ actress who worked for Cinecittà before the war, she was known as ‘Italy’s little sweetheart’. After a successful career making five or six films each year, Maria fell hopelessly in love with the highly intellectual and artistically gifted director Luchino Visconti. Many actresses had fallen in love with him – such were his legendary good looks and captivating personality. But his relationship with Maria was unique. She, above all others, was so devoted to him that when he was arrested for being part of the Resistance in Rome, she was prepared to risk her life to save him. For this devotion, she was never truly appreciated. Instead she was hounded by the Italian press and accused of being a collaborator and traitor – something from which she never truly recovered. She can be accused of many things