My Father's House: AS SEEN ON BBC BETWEEN THE COVERS (The Rome Escape Line, 1)

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I have come to see neutrality is the most extremist stance of all; without it, no tyranny can flourish. It details raw courage and the selfish acts of all those who worked with Hugh to raise funds and find accommodation for the growing number of escapees. The Vatican City was supposed to be neutral, but during WWII, it was a place where Allied troops and Jews were smuggled. This novel revolves around Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, based in Rome during WWII and the organiser of an escape route for prisoners of war. I tried taking this one in smaller bites and just reading a few pages a night, but it didn't work for me.

Life inside the Vatican is described in excellent detail as are the numerous back streets and hidden places in the city of Rome.O’Connor is on stellar form with this ensemble thriller… while the story’s inbuilt tension urges you on, it’s the sheer vigour of O’Connor’s beautifully turned phrases that really makes the book sing… an expert storyteller. At times, I feel as if I’m just behind Hugh as his feet tread the streets or alleys in fear of discovery.

It is an unforgettable novel of love, sacrifice and what it means to be human in the most extreme circumstances.Hugh O'Flaherty who, along with a cast of several others plus the inhabitants of Rome played a central role in getting escapees and the like put from under the noses of the Nazis during the occupation. The novel is told as a countdown to the Rendimento (whose literal meaning is performance) a daring mission which is to take place on Christmas Eve 1943. It all comes to a head on Christmas Eve, as the net closes on our courageous group and the outcome is far from certain.