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.

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523 pages

Average rating: 8.29

560 RATINGS

24 REVIEWS

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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.

Anonymous

Jul 05, 2024

8/10 stars

Amazing story of Pino Lella, a teenager in Milan during the rise of Hitler and Mussolini. Faced with the atrocities of war and what the fascists and Nazis were doing to his city and his country, he was moved to do incredible acts of heroism but in the process saw some unspeakable things that he could never forget.

Paukku

May 25, 2024

6/10 stars

Three and a half stars. An interesting but overlong tale. Most books I have read about WW2 focus on England, Germany, or France, so the focus on Italy brought a new perspective.

SherylStandifer

Apr 25, 2024

10/10 stars

I found a new author to read! Mark Sullivan takes the reader on a wild ride of the Nazi occupation in Italy, during WW2 - an episode about which not much is written. The main character, Pino, comes from a well-to-do family of tradesmen and women, living in the Fashion District of Milan. The Nazi’s and the fascist Black Guard have taken control and the Nazi’s, in particular, are escalating the hunting down of Jews. They are also absconding with all the food supply for their troops, leaving the Italians starved and economically suppressed. Pino’s parents send him and his brother, Mimo, north to the Alps. While there, Pino, a strong skier, and eventually Mimo, are enlisted by the boys’ school Father to smuggle Jews across the alpine border to Switzerland. Later, when Pino comes of age for service, his parents bring him back home to enlist - for, if drafted rather than enlisting, he’ll be sent to the front lines and most likely sacrificed. And it’s after enlistment that he, by chance, meets the head of Nazi occupation in Italy, becoming his driver. Much intrigue ensues, including meeting Mussolini. He also meets the love of his life. This story was amazing. Some have stated it’s not all true. But just enjoy it for what it is, then - a story that’ll keep you reading throughout the wee small hours.