Thank you for stopping by I'm delighted to be sharing my review for Leo's War by Patricia Murphy as part of the blog tour today. There is also a fab giveaway to enter but first of all let's take a look at the description for the book...
It’s 1943 and young Leo tries to protect his disabled sister Ruby as the Nazis invade Italy. After his mother is arrested, he turns to Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty to save them. But he is no ordinary priest. Known as ‘The Pimpernel of the Vatican’, the Monsignor is the legendary organizer of the Rome Escape Line. Soon Leo is helping out with this secret network dedicated to saving the lives of escaped prisoners of war, partisans and Jews. But as the sinister Nazi leader Kappler closes in on the network, can Leo and his sister stay out of his evil clutches?
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What a brilliant opening this story had it really was perfect for engaging the reader and also setting the scene. This story follows Leo as he encounters danger around every corner but he is brave and very likeable. Patricia Murphy has brought to life some real characters from history along with creating some brilliant ones which bring so much to the story. There are characters you will hate to the ones who you will root for. At the heart of the story is Hugh O'Flaherty who in reality saved over 6,500 lives during the German occupation of Rome. Now Leo may be a fictional character but I could easily imagine him being right there in the thick of things with Hugh.
Even though the book isn't necessarily aimed at adults I think it had a great combination of historical detail, danger and an emotional aspect too. Which is a wonderful thing as I think this will appeal to readers of all ages, I'm in my thirties and this book easily captured my attention. Patricia Murphy manages to convey the emotion and detail without it being too overpowering for a younger reader. However Leo's War still portrays the destruction and evil that occurred during World War II. The pacing of the story is really good throughout showing how people could be courageous, strong and resilient in the face of terrible events and actions.
With thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources and Patricia Murphy for my copy.
Patricia Murphy is the bestselling author of The Easter Rising 1916 – Molly’s Diary and Dan’s Diary – the War of Independence 1920-22 published by Poolbeg.
She has also written the prize-winning “The Chingles” trilogy of children’s Celtic fantasy novels. Patricia is also an award winning Producer/Director of documentaries including Children of Helen House, the BBC series on a children’s hospice and Born to Be Different Channel 4’s flagship series following children born with disabilities. Many of her groundbreaking programmes are about children’s rights and topics such as growing up in care, crime and the criminal justice system. She has also made a number of history programmes including Worst Jobs in History with Tony Robinson for Channel 4 and has produced and directed films for the Open University.
Patricia grew up in Dublin and is a graduate in English and History from Trinity College Dublin and of Journalism at Dublin City University. She now lives in Oxford with her husband and young daughter.
Social Media Links
Website: https://www.patriciamurphyonline.com
Twitter: @_PatriciaMurphy
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Giveaway
Win a £30 Amazon Gift Voucher
(Open to UK Only)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
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