Beneath a Scarlet Sky: A Novel

Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, the USA Today and #1 Amazon Charts bestseller Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man's incredible courage and resilience during one of history's darkest hours.

Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. He's a normal Italian teenager--obsessed with music, food, and girls--but his days of innocence are numbered. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six years his senior.

In an attempt to protect him, Pino's parents force him to enlist as a German soldier--a move they think will keep him out of combat. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at the tender age of eighteen to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitler's left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third Reich's most mysterious and powerful commanders.

Now, with the opportunity to spy for the Allies inside the German High Command, Pino endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by fighting in secret, his courage bolstered by his love for Anna and for the life he dreams they will one day share.

Fans of All the Light We Cannot See, The Nightingale, and Unbroken will enjoy this riveting saga of history, suspense, and love.

BUY THE BOOK

Published May 1, 2017

523 pages

Average rating: 8.3

627 RATINGS

|

Community Reviews

annalee.ray
May 07, 2025
10/10 stars
Amazing!!
Anonymous
May 04, 2025
10/10 stars
It is very hard to believe that this is a true story. What a remarkable life! So many twists and turns out would be too much had it been written in Hollywood. The author s did such a good job researching Pino Lella's life and the slice of history he lived. Thoroughly enjoyed.
aviationmet
Mar 31, 2025
6/10 stars
After Mark Sullivan's The Last Green Valley (which I LOVED), I had high hopes for this one. It was okay. Interesting insight into Italy during WWII, but I wonder how true to real life this "based on a true story" telling really was... It seems like the main character could do just about anything without being harmed, while those around him were shot, blown up, or captured. And to top it off, according to the afterword, he should have been on PanAm Flight 103 (Lockerbie bombing, if you don't recognize the reference), yet ended up delaying his plans a day - escaping death once again. I dunno ... not my favorite, but not awful either...
Amber Fifer
Oct 06, 2024
Beautiful story of love in WWII occupied Italy. Will uplift, inspire, and devastate you all in one fell swoop.
lovlilynne
Aug 05, 2024
4/10 stars
Couldn't get into it. What I did read of it seemed very juvenile.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.