This was my first time winning an advanced reader’s copy (through a Goodreads giveaway). I derived a small thrill reading and reviewing a book before the official paperback release date of Jun 23, 2020. (Thank you Goodreads!)

I hadn’t heard of Ms. Robotham (or this book) prior to it showing up in my mailbox. This is apparently her second novel after a successful A Woman of War a.k.a. The German Midwife. A book, or any demanding creative work for that matter, is a labor of love that I am well acquainted with. So I hate to pour cold water on hard work that aims to educate and entertain: this book was not particularly successful at either. 

By her own admission, this book came about because Ms. Robotham wanted to feature her favorite city in the world, Venice, and she then set about finding an appropriate story. That ended up becoming The Secret Messenger, the story of a fictitious Stella Jilani during WW2, and her double life working for the Reich while secretly moonlighting as a Resistance worker against the Nazis and Fascists. The story is told through two perspectives: first and for most of the book, Stella; and second, her grand-daughter Luisa, who embarks on a quest to uncover the life of her grandmother after the discovery of an old Olivetti typewriter in her recently deceased mother’s attic. 

A story dealing with espionage and a protagonist working in the proverbial lion’s den in a war torn city, has the potential to be a real page turner. But Ms. Robotham’s storytelling is slow and often labored, missing a certain zip—I never felt I had to read just one more chapter before putting the book down. The story never really builds up the suspense and tension for which there are ingredients aplenty, but rather has it languidly lingering from beginning to end. Her prose rarely rises above the ordinary and sentence construction confusing on more than one occasion. E.g. “In the few minutes before I fall asleep, I reflect on the past twenty hours – as different as day and night for me.” These have hopefully been fixed in the final published version.

I also didn’t really feel much empathy for the characters despite their courage and tribulations in the midst of a harrowing war. Stella, the protagonist, seems to regurgitate the same thoughts every few pages in the book. In the same vein, descriptions and events seem repetitive. There are a few seeming surprises at the end, but easily anticipated. Finally, despite being an homage to Venice, the city didn’t really come alive in the pages. 

On the plus side, the book did make me revisit memories of my own visit to beautiful Venice almost a decade and a half ago. It also appears to be reasonably well researched and focuses on the resistance to the Reich/Fascism offered by Venetians—a subject often ignored by historians. It also made me look up the history of fascism in Italy and its role in the second World War and refresh my understanding of that great conflict.

Overall, a disappointing read and I am left wondering what this story could have become in the hands of a more skilled storyteller or perhaps with more rigorous editorial intervention.

I can see the book appeal to someone looking for one or more of a) historical fiction (esp. WW2), b) Venice c) strong female characters. Else I’d recommend passing on this.