Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of The Italian Ballerina by Kristy Cameron. I loved the Italian setting and the (unknown to me) historical context of Syndrome K. I found the structure awkward—jumping from 1941 to 1943 to the present and back again. I was also left wondering about what happened to AJ and what was Calla’s story after the war. I thought the title was an odd choice since there was no development of her interest or pursuit of ballet. Too many plot holes…

The Italian Ballerina
by Kristy Cambron
Pub Date: 12 Jul 2022 | Archive Date: 12 Aug 2022

The setting was so amazing, you can picture the places beautifully in your mind. The book runs through the mind like a movie.
Enjoyed the read greatly.

Such a beatifully written historical Christian romance. I enjoyed the transfer between time periods. I discovered so much history I was unaware of that I found myself, after finishing the book, searching the Internet for more facts.

Why don't they teach more of this in high school? So truly captivating.

Just pulled me in I cried, laughed, and rejoiced with our characters.

I highly recommend The Italian Ballerina.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The story was written in two time frames, one during World War II and one in current time. Normally I don’t care for that style but this author made the story flow so well that it wouldn’t have made sense to write it any other way. The story follows two American medics who save a young Jewish girl and what becomes of their lives. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would like to that NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy prior to publication.

The Italian Ballerina
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have read many Holocaust books and this novel approaches the events from a slightly different point of view. I always learn from historical fiction novels, in this case I didn’t know about Syndrome K used to hide healthy Jews from the Gestapo in Italy. This novel could have been 4-5 stars easily, had it not been for the constant change in times and locations in no logical order. It took me about a third into the book, before I started to be able to follow what was going on. I also found Delaney hopping on a plane after a brief video call with a stranger and actually staying with him in Italy a little far fetched. The mistery of the suitcase was a little ridiculous, it could have been opened many times before, but hey, then the book couldn’t be dragged on as it did. Disappointing read, I would not have finished it if I didn’t feel I needed to write a review. 3 stars at best.
Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love historical fiction, especially stories set in WWII and the Holocaust, which was why I was very excited to read this. I know I am in the minority of reviewers here which makes me sad as I wanted to enjoy this book. However, I found the writing to be overly simplistic at times and frankly overly dramatic in other scenes. I found it hard to like the characters as there was not a lot of development.

In the novel, the author moves back and forth between WWII and the present day, and in present day there are 3 different geographies. We learn the story of two US Army medics, a British ballerina, a young Jewish girl, and how their story is uncovered two generations later by a couple of their descendants. The timeline jumps should have flowed but here they felt erratic. As the story jumped from the war years to present day, there was no consistency or link between the two. I just could not become invested in the story.

2.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. (less)

This book is a beautiful heartrending melding of two people's stories in world war 2 and a young woman's story in the present. During the last part of the book, I couldn't help but tear up as I was into the story and parts of it was heartbreaking and other parts simply tugged at the heartstrings. Cambron has a way of writing that draws you into the story and don't mind the flipping back and forth between time periods. The pacing is excellent in giving you a view of Court's and Julie's journeys at the beginning of the war, their journeys in the midst of it, and Delaney's in the present trying to find out about Calla's story. Slowly your questions get answered as you follow Court, Julie, and Delaney.

Do you like World War 2 stories? Yes. Me too.
Have you read many set in Italy? No. Me either.
Have you been to Rome? Studied in Rome? Au Paired in Rome?
Yes, yes, yes, me too.

This is by far my favorite Kristy Cambron novel. I always understood what was going on even though there were about four storylines and I never got bored with any of them. I wanted to know what would happen next with each one. And this does not always happen to me with dual time books.

I loved the present day story because

a) I love Rome and I could picture all the locations and so many things made me smile.
b) I know Europeans and soccer.
c) I love spontaneous trips to Europe.

I loved the historical story because

d) We've all had friends like Penn and Court.
e) Calla is the sweetest, though I'm not sure what a six year old was doing with toe shoes. Their muscles are not developed for that yet. But everything else ballet related was accurate and coming from a professional dancer that says a lot.
f) Syndrome K was brilliant.
g) Julia. I cried. That is all. She is my favorite.
h) All I could think of at one point was there's an opera house in Malta that was bombed during WW2 and they built a stage in the middle of the ruins. I saw a ballet there a few years ago and someone needs to write a book about it.
i) Every ballerina knows an Anton. Sad, but true.

I could say so much more, but I do not want to give anything away. Italy and Ballet. Doesn't get much better than that.

A compelling and well researched story that talks about people in different ages and how some part of their story can be hidden.
I appreciated the style of writing and the character. The plow is well developed and kept me hooked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I simply love Kristy Cambron’s books and this one did not disappoint. It follows a similar pattern to her other books; switching between time periods, multiple story lines that all come together in the end, and characters that are well developed and relatable. I read this in one day because I just had to get to the end! The backdrop of the WWII provided the perfect historical component that she writes so well. And of course, there has to be a love story, or two. So a little of everything, something that each reader will find to love about this story. I highly recommend this book, or any of her books. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher and I appreciate the opportunity. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Four people, split by time and geography, this story unfolds through the Nazi years in Rome telling the lives of a British Ballerina named Julia and a young Jewish girl with no name. And the lives of a small town doctor and her grandfather, a veteran of WW2, in the Present day. The grandfather, Dalaney Coleman it seems has a secret past and slowly his involvement in the rescue of Italian Jews. But there is also another secret … the secret identity of the young Jewish girl with no name.

It is a gripping tale, once started, you won’t want to put it down.
Thank you for allowing me to read it.

I enjoyed this one . The author is a master at historical fiction. I always love her attention t
O detail . I found the timeline a little difficult too follow.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

I love stories that are written in dual time line and those in the present are trying to solve a mystery from the past!

Del is quite confused when her family receives a letter from someone in Italy insisting that her recently deceased grandfather has something of theirs and they want it back. Her grandfather, a WWII medic, shared very little about his time during the war. But through a bunch of letters written in Italian and a trip to Rome, Del discovers that her grandfather saved the life of a little girl who watched her parents shot to death as they attempted to flee the Jewish ghetto. In Rome, she meets Matt…the grandson of the little girl and together they uncover the truth and learn more about their grandparents and each other than they ever thought was possible.

I really enjoyed this story. There was a lot of jumping around as far as the years of the war were concerned and that confused me at times but it all came together beautifully.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Kristi Cameron for access to this lovely story!

The Italian Ballerina, I have to admit when I first heard this title I thought to myself...another ballerina book? Really? Not too long ago I read, A Midnight Dance by Joanna Davidson Politano, and then Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin (both highly recommended). I felt like I didn't really want to read another ballerina story, but the cover of this book was so delicious and I have read almost everything Kristy Cambron has written. So I dove in. Head first. And it was magnificent.
This powerful WWII novel is written in Cambron's signature split time format. At the beginning there is a pre-war timeline for two characters, a wartime timeline (which has multiple locations until they merge together) and a present day timeline. It could be a bit confusing at first. I found that I read in chunks, reading all three time lines until their order repeated and then I would stop and take a break. It helped me keep track of where in the timeline I was starting and finishing until the story dwindles to just two timelines. That was probably confusing, but that was how I felt at the start.
Kristy Cambron takes all these broken piece and broken people and somehow weaves them into a picture of beauty amidst the ugliness of war. I cried, choking back sobs. Sometimes I hate when my favorite characters go through hard and horrible things. But isn't that what a great writer does? Make her characters face the unspeakable with courage and grace? *sigh* My heart often feels a type of full contentedness/yet slightly sorrowful when I am finished one of her stories. A longing for the story to go on, or to start again at the beginning and soak it all in one more time.
It really wasn't about ballet at all, that was definitely a side element. The Italian Ballerina was about bravery, compassion, love. It was about doing what's right in the face of unspeakable danger, unbreakable bonds formed through adversity. Again, it was magnificent. I highly recommend it.

Thank you Thomas Nelson Fiction and Bethany House for the free DRC of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I've read all of Cambron's books. I've really enjoyed them, but this one was a bit of a struggle for me.

I'm a huge fan of WW2 novels, and the premise of this one sounded interesting. However, the timeline was more confusing than I anticipated, and it led to places that just felt disjointed. The unity between the timelines wasn't what I expected based on other books by this author. As a result, I had a hard time getting and staying engaged. There was a large cast of characters, which also made it hard to feel truly connected (though I did like Julia's storyline). I appreciated the Italian setting, as that's not common in many books I read in this genre.

Kristy Cambron has written some seriously good World War II fiction that reaches in and touches the reader's heart. So I chose to read The Italian Ballerina based on what I've read by her before. I found this book hard to read, not because of the subject matter, but because of the disconnect among all of the stories Kristy is trying to weave together. The chronologies of the various parts of the story are disjointed and out of order from one part of a chapter to another. This is the only criticism I have for the book.

The major players are: Court, a medic in the Army; AJ, Court's commanding officer; Julia, a prima ballerina; Anton, her dance partner; Calla, an orphaned Jewish child; Matteo, Calla's grandson; Delaney, Court's granddaughter. There are some minor characters who add to the plot and make it a more cohesive whole, but these are the ones the reader needs to keep up with most.

The narrative bounces back and forth, to and fro, hither and thither, and basically all over the place--from Court's life before the war, during the war, and a little bit after the war; from Julia's life as a ballerina, as a nurse, and as a resistance fighter; from Calla's life during the war to modern day towards the end of her life when dementia is taking over; and finally Matteo and Delaney picking up the pieces to the stories and making them into a cohesive whole.

This would be a strong four star book if it weren't for the chronology ricocheting all over. There are times when Court's life is described during the war, then before the war, then after the war and the timeline is all out of whack. The multiple settings within the book do not detract from the story and in some places enhance it. It is still worth reading--it just takes a concentrated effort to keep up. Three Stars.

Thomas Nelson and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Wow.

Finishing this book, like other Cambron books I've read, leaves me in an interesting state. Like I'm not sure how to process what I've just read. I don't typically like books with sadness to them, but her books have that and somehow I still love them. They are beautiful. Haunting. It's hard to put into words.

Cambron's stories are puzzles. You start off so completely confused and then, slowly, you start to understand how the timelines connect. This one was especially challenging because we had five different timelines!!! The other interesting thing is that, because some of the story is set in the present day, you know certain outcomes, but it doesn't detract from the story at all. Her books are ones to read at least twice, so you can fully appreciate all the pieces fitting together.

With so many timelines to deal with, I felt like not everything was as developed as it could have been. I ended with some questions still, and the present-day relationship was a little rushed in my opinion, but despite that, I enjoyed this book.

Syndrome K was a very interesting piece of history that I had never heard of before. Humans never make anything new, not really. I started to suspect a certain event happening in one of the storylines but I did not expect how it happened.

Once again, I would love to see this made into a movie! I will definitely be reading it again. Cambron has a gift and her books are works of art. Treasures. Very few authors can compare.

"Loss was so different than she'd once imagined. It didn't only arrive with a funeral. Sometimes it was a longer journey. A deeper pain. And the road to forgiveness an uncharted trek through years of one's experiences."

"Grief is an unpredictable foe. My mother says there's no easy way around it and no fast way through. You just have to walk in pace with it, however long that takes."

With simple yet poignant prose, Cambron weaves a story that is equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. As Del and Matt work to uncover the connection between their grandparents, they discover a beautiful story of courage, sacrificial love, and an unbreakable bond formed between their two families—that all began with the choice of one man, a paramedic who decided to take a chance and save a little orphaned Jewish girl one day in 1943.

Characters: I found each of the characters deeply sympathetic right from the start. Dear Court. He was such a broken, flawed character, and yet my heart ached for him. It was so touching to watch him interact with Calla and find healing through her. She gave him the hope and courage to try again, to not give up on himself even though he’d made mistakes, and to face up to his past.

AJ was the perfect side character, and I so enjoyed the unexpected romance between him and Julia. Their love was so sweet and pure and beautiful. I always love a good slow-burn romance!

Despite how much I loved Court and AJ, Julia might be my favorite character. Besides her gift for ballet and her concern for others, her stubbornness and unrelenting courage made her all the more admirable. She was so wise and true and brave.

I didn’t connect with Del and Matt quite as much, although I enjoyed exploring modern-day Rome alongside them. The aspect of the book I didn’t like was their romance. Besides the fact I didn’t think it was necessary or added much to the story, I was disappointed that the author left the thread of his ex-wife and daughter hanging. There didn’t seem to be any effort on his part to mend that relationship, even if they couldn’t get back together.

Plot: The prologue gripped me right away and sent me head over heels into the action. Cambron was a master at gradually revealing this story lost in the dust and secrets of the past in a way that satisfied my curiosity while still preserving the element of suspense.

The dual timeline wasn’t always my favorite, and I did find the time jumps a little confusing at first, but as the story progressed, I was able to keep track of them more easily. The plot is a bit slower than your average WWII story since it’s more character driven, but that makes it just as riveting, if not more. The complex layers of the character connections added so much to the story.

The historical details, especially that of Syndrome K, were fascinating and woven in so seamlessly that they fit right with the pace of the rest of the story. With historical precision, Cambron creates a story that stays true to the raw brutality of war while still retaining a hopeful tone—and a promise of a future and legacy beyond the loss of war.

And let me just say, that plot twist at the end came out of nowhere. I was totally not expecting it and it broke me. I don’t often cry when reading fiction, but this one had me in tears. That’s all I shall say because *spoilers*!

Prose: Cambron’s prose is simple and unembellished, and while not particularly striking or dramatic, comes across with profound simplicity that makes the story flow seemingly effortlessly. That’s the very best kind of prose, in my opinion. Elegant with a touch of vintage, her prose perfectly fit the mood of the time period.

Content: There are several instances of shooting where at least two main characters are shot. Several characters die, and assault is implied.

Perfect for fans of heartwarming, inspirational family stories with a dose of realism thrown in, The Italian Ballerina will break your heart in a million pieces and put it back together again in this breath-taking masterpiece. As Matt and Del try to piece together their families’ past and Court, AJ, and Julia fight to save Calla, you’ll be reminded of the unbreakable bond of family and how not even the horror of war can destroy it.

Very lyrical and lovely. I enjoyed the flow and the imagery. Kristy Cameron has a way with words that just grabs you and sucks you in. I love her books!

This book starts slowly but then picks up the speed of a bullet train! It is an incredible story based on fact! The heroes of WW II are many and the people in this book are part of that genre. This is a heartbreaking tale affecting many families, and (no spoilers here) is a must read! Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishing for the epub!