1944, Venice: Stella, a member of the Venice Resistance Central Brigade, takes a job working in Nazi headquarters to help pass information to the resistance. Stella, an anti-fascist, risks her life daily by working among Black Brigade fascists and Nazi’s where she helps type and translate documents for them. Working for the enemy, Stella is asked to translate a document that will change her future and cause her to choose between her country or her family.
2017, Bristol: Luisa’s mother dies and she begins to go through her things. She unearths a plethora of artifacts that relate to her grandmother in her mother’s attic. Luisa seeks to find answers about who she is and the roots of her maternal family.
Historically: This is one of the stronger novels that pays homage to the women involved in the movements of resistance. The Jewish ghetto raids, the Bloody Summer of Venice, the bombing of Guidecca, the Riva dei Sette Martiri tragedy, and many others made a detailed appearance in this fictional account. The Nazi reprisals in Venice that were witnessed by Stella really struck a chord with me. The Ca’Littoria and Santa Maggiore jail are mentioned several times in this novel, though never any harrowing details.
My technical notes: Out of forty chapters total, fourteen of those chapters took place during modern day with Luisa’s character in 2017/2018. Luisa’s chapters in 2017/2018 are notably much shorter. Most of the story centers around the past during 1944 in Venice with Stella (26 chapters to be exact). A romance is involved and does play a large role in the story; however, I felt like it did not detract from the historical elements. I felt the romance complemented the story well. No vulgarity and no sexy details.
I really enjoyed this novel and learned a lot about Venice during 1944. I enjoyed the mystery behind Stella’s job and co-workers, which kept me trying to figure out who Stella could trust and who she couldn’t. Sometimes there were too many descriptions of the scenery concerning Venice that caused me to feel disengaged. I did not specifically look forward to Luisa’s chapters until the second half of the book. I appreciated that most of it focused on Stella rather than Luisa. The ending was fast paced and I blew through it. Overall, it really caused me to think about how we measure valor and it was a good read. Lovers of WWII historical fiction will enjoy The Secret Messenger.
This image was taken from a travel guide and can be found here to learn more.
Mandy Robotham is the author of The German Midwife, her first novel. The Secret Messenger is her second novel.