I loved this book – as I loved Ms Robotham’s first, “The German Midwife”. She has a powerful voice and her first-person narration is beautiful. I felt connected to the main character, Stella, throughout, and her fears were my own, as were her joys. Venice – such a unique location for a WW2 story, and yet it was a true story! Just when we think we know all there is to know about that horrible war, more stories surface, forever educating, forever helping us remember. “The Secret Messenger” twists and turns, like the watery mazes of Venice, and the farther along in the book I got, the more involved I became. The ending was wonderful, the friendships beautiful, and the romance just right. Having said all that, while dual timelines can be fascinating, I wasn’t a fan of this one. I understand wanting to connect to the present tense reader, but I found it interrupted the main story and dragged it out needlessly. Maybe it’s just me, the historical fiction lover, but I really didn’t care about the present day story.
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