I read Scottoline's After Anna first, and wasn't a huge fan, but decided to give her a second shot with Eternal since I felt her writing probably lent itself better to historical fiction. I definitely think Scottoline's writing in Eternal fit the storyline and mood more consistently, and it feels like she found the right place for her talent. I liked that she chose a lesser known part of World War II to cover; I hadn't read much about what it was like in Italy during that time. I wish some of the characters were slightly better fleshed out, and if they had been, that would have boosted by review by a star or two.

Rome as magnificent as she was, was merely a bystander to the glory and horror wrought by man, and that was the way of the world, now and forever.
War was eternal, but so was peace.
Death was eternal, but so was life.
Darkness was eternal, but so was light.
Hate was eternal, but above all, so was love.

I have really enjoyed Scottoline's writing on historical fiction. She takes great lengths to research and look at history in a different light. The setting is different than most World War II/Holocaust novels being set in Rome. Setting the stage for the people and why they were led into the war. It takes three families, each different backgrounds. The main focus of these families are two best friends and girl. Both boys grew up to love the love girl and the girl loved both boys. She could not pick until her heart found peace in the boy that was for her.

Elisabetta family life is somewhat sad. Her father is drunk but loves his daughter with his whole heart and her mother is bitter. Elisabetta works for a woman at the best Italian restaurant and is more like a mother to her than her own. Marco comes from a family cyclist. His father racing in the well known Tour of France. When Marco discovers a secret of his father, it changes everything for him. Marco is drawn to the Fascist movement that is taking over Italy. Sandro's family comes from a long line of Italian Jews. Sandro has a great future ahead of him in mathematics and he desires a future shared with Elisabetta.

Their story has many elements of the war, friendship, love, and life. Doing the right thing at any costs that each one of these characters must face. It is stirring love story that I will not forget!

A special thank you to Penguin Group and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

My favorite book of 2022. I love all of this author’s books, but this one has stayed with me a long time! I could not put it down. I’m recommending it to everyone!

As she flexes her writing skills from mystery/thrillers to historical fiction, Lisa Scottoline adds her considerable talents into this powerful book set at the beginning of WWII in Italy. I had not read many stories centered on the Italian point of view, so much of the background in the story was new to me. That always adds a depth to a story, pulling the reader....me....deeper into the lives and many challenges met by our three main characters. Ms Scottoline has always built characters that are true to the eras in which they live, adding small details along the way to enrich the story. If this is her first try at historical fiction, the only question is .....why did she wait so long?

If Lisa Scottoline writes it, I will read it. Granted, historical fiction is not my favorite genre, but I do enjoy dabbling in it occasionally. Eternal was well written and full of emotion.

Remarkable. I almost skipped it as it seemed so different from the usual stories I love by Lisa Scottoline. The basis of Eternal is a love story during World War II. I can sum this novel up simply and sufficiently…… breathtaking.

This book was definitely difficult to finish, but it was also difficult to put down. It tackled a difficult storyline well and was led by great characters. I will admit that there were times where I had to stop reading this book so that I could dry my eyes, since there were a few parts of the book that had me crying like a baby. I loved the friendship between Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro, and although at first, I didn't like how the narrative extended beyond those three, by the end, I really liked that the narrative extended beyond them.

Believe it or not, but this is the first Lisa Scottoline book I’ve read. I am lead to believe that this is not a typical book for her. I found it to be sappy and her characters cardboard like. The most interesting part was the actual history. And, honestly, she did not have to show off her knowledge of Rome by exhaustingly naming all the streets the characters biked, walked, or rode on. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review

Awesome WWII historic fiction. Learned much able how the war and antisemitism played out in Italy. To this point, my WWII reading has been centered in England and France.

This is my second Scottoline book and she is becoming one of my favorite authors.

I loved the characters. I hated what happened to some of them. The food descriptions were awesome. Made me hungry and want to book a trip to Italy!

Truly historical fiction at its best.

There is heartbreak and sadness but also resilience, courage, the love of family, and the strength of community. Scottoline is a seasoned writer, but this is her first historical fiction novel and it is a good one. However, I wanted more depth for Sandro’s character, more emotion, more insight into his inner life. When Elisabetta makes her choice between the two young men, her heart just knows which is the right choice. I like details, interior motivations, and more depth. Regardless of these few detractors, I can feel Scottoline’s love for her characters and her effort to write this lamentable history in a way that brings light and honor and I think she is successful.

Eternals by Lisa Scottoline. A special thanks to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book our thoughts and opinions are my own.
Lisa Scottoline has written a beautiful heart breaking love story set in the Rome, Italy durning WWII. The story starts in 1957 as Elizabeth decides to tell her 13-year-old son who her father really was. We then travel back to Rome in 1937 when Elizabeth her and her two best friends Marco and Sandro. They are just teenagers going To school getting their first jobs and hanging out as best friends. Both boys take interest in Elisabetta and she too has interest in both of them. The boys agree to let the best one when her heart.
As Mussolini spends more and more time with Hitler things in Italy begin to mirror the things happening to the Jews in Germany.
Sandro and his family are Jewish and go through the trials and tribulations of being Jewish in the 1940s.
Elizabeth’s family disintegrates as her mother runs off and her father passes away.
Marco, who has a reading disability drops at a school and begins to work full-time for the fascist government.
The horrors of war force these young adults to grow quickly. Their relationships with each other change dramatically throughout the book. But those who survive the war have a stronger love for each other and their country.
This is a stunning piece of historical fiction and so well done from reading about some of the events that took place during the book and reading the authors note on her preparation for the novel it appears to be very well researched. I highly recommend this book as a favorite for anybody who likes historical fiction!

🇮🇹 BOOK / REVIEW 🇮🇹

#Eternal, by @lisascottoline, has been on my #bookshelf for FAR TOO LONG. I saw it giving me the side eye this weekend, so I figured it was time to pick it up 😆 Thanks for my copy, @putnambooks 💕

Fair warning ... you need to be in the right headspace for this one. It's very long (almost 500 pages) and complex, but utterly breathtaking. I read a ton of #historicalfiction books, but haven't gravitated to ones that focus on Mussolini or the rise of fascism, so this was highly educational. What I loved most was the romance, albeit complicated, and the strong bond between characters. I was rooting for everyone in this book - to fall in love, follow their dreams and find their way in the world. The book ended on a surprisingly high note, which I really appreciated. A solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

For the most part, I loved this book. It did get to seem very long winded. I was fine with that and engaged until the end. There was so much detail and character building, and then it started just rushing through the happily ever after. Like Marco proposed, skip grieving and get to more babes, etc. It just didn’t seem like there was as much effort put in to the end as the rest of the book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book, all thoughts are my own. Normally I am drawn to Lisa Scottoline thrilling stories and this historical fiction does not disappoint. This book focuses on three teenagers before the WWII and spans decades afterwards. Great reading! I am torn between wanting more thrillers or more historical fiction.

This was my first book by Lisa Scottoline. I do believe she may become one of my favorite authors. I became addicted to her writing style from the first few chapters. This book is very descriptive, and it some may become bored quickly. A teenage romance was also the center story of this book, and I am not into YA, but I made it through that. I did learn some things about Mussolini. A great historical fiction read!

I may be one of the few avid readers out there who hasn’t read a book by Lisa Scottoline. She has 33 novels to her credit and has been published since 1994. Eternal is her maiden voyage into historical fiction (most of her books are thrillers/mysteries).

I’ve read several other novels set in Italy during WWII: Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan (5 stars), From Sand and Ash, by Amy Harmon (4 stars), and Courage My Love, by Kristin Beck (4 stars). In Eternal, Scottoline painted a vivid portrait of war-torn Rome and the struggles of her main characters, Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro. At 480 pages it was a longer book, but it never dragged. Her prose was at times emotive and charged, while at others it was packed with action. She did such a terrific job describing her characters physical traits that I could see them in my mind’s eye, although too many men seemed to have square jaws. In the beginning of the book, she did a fabulous job explaining what Italian terms meant, but it got to be too expository and annoying. Using the English terminology would have been an improvement and more respectful to the reader. Unfortunately, I saw the conclusion coming a mile away, which was a disappointment. The chapters were unduly brief, and words were repeated too often (a pet peeve of mine), but if you are a fan of historical fiction, Eternal is worth your time. Oh, and the audiobook’s narrators were hard to beat. Be sure to check out the companion videos on lisascottoline.com. 4 stars.

Eternal blew me away with its insight into life under Mussolini's rule before and during the war.
This book focuses on friendship, war, love and how life can change in an instant when Mussolini and Hitler turn the world upside down. I learned so much about Fascism. through reading this book. Thank you LIsa Scottoline for bringing Rome to life during this time period.

What a wonderful historical piece. Lisa has killed it once again. The setting, the love triangle, the horror of the Nazi party. It was all so well written. Easy to follow writing and you felt for the characters. You could feel when they were elated, anger, horrified, saddened.

This was a wonderful book by Lisa Scottoline. I was not sure what to expect with this one because I have not read this genre from her, But she nailed it!!