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Lädt ... Sisters in Resistance: How a German Spy, a Banker's Wife, and Mussolini's Daughter Outwitted the Nazisvon Tilar J. Mazzeo
   Keine Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch.   ) wagner.sarah35 | Aug 8, 2022 |  As she states early in the book, this is not a story about heroes, these people largely had personal rather than humanistic or even redemptive motivation. That doesn't make the story any less compelling nor the value of their actions any lower. Because the story involves people from several governments as well as acquaintances, there is a bit of information that has to be given in order to make this into a narrative rather than a brain dump. Part of that entails some repetition, since we may well need a piece of information we learned while immersed in the part of the story that involved many of the Italians but now we are immersed in a bunch of Americans and their objectives. So to make sure we have all the pieces of each puzzle (and this is not a story about one simple puzzle) we are reminded of things we learned in one context so we can apply it in this new context. Technically, yes, that is repetition, but the kind that is essential to any storytelling, fiction or nonfiction. This is a propulsive read, in part due to relatively short chapters and each of them separated into sections, but also because there is so much intrigue. Even knowing how it will turn out (the case with nonfiction) we are anxious for these people when they are trying to make deals, or trick each other. Are there many truly likable people here? Not really. But we can, on some level, understand their motivations. Couple this personal level of narrative with the larger historical aspect of what was at stake and, as readers in the 21st century know, the value of the diaries. I didn't have any real complaints about the book, it managed to keep quite a few people and a lot of information organized for the reader while also providing a compelling narrative. Does it read like a spy thriller? Well, duh, it is a spy thriller, a real life one. Maybe we want our true stories to be more boring and only movies and fiction book to be exciting and dramatic. No, we aren't that jaded yet, are we? I would recommend this to history buffs who have an interest in World War II period intrigue as well as those who enjoy spy novels and want to read some true stories as well. Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( ) pomo58 | Apr 21, 2022 | Zeige 2 von 2 keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
"In 1944, the war had reached its climax in continental Europe. News of secret diaries kept by Italy's former Foreign Minister, Galeazzo Ciano, had permeated public consciousness. What wasn't reported, however, was how three women-a Fascist's daughter, a German spy, and an American socialite-risked their lives to ensure the diaries would reach the Allied forces, who would use the papers as key evidence against the Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials. Just a year earlier, Edda Mussolini, Benito Mussolini's daughter, had given Hitler and her father an ultimatum: release her husband, Galeazzo Ciano, from prison, or risk her leaking her husband's journals to the press. Knowing the diaries will expose Nazi lies and create a foundation for a criminal war crimes prosecution, Hitler and Mussolini vow to do everything in their power to see the diaries destroyed-even if it means liquidating Mussolini's daughter. To do this, they ordered Hilde Beetz, a German spy, to seduce Ciano in prison in order to learn the diaries' location. As the seducer becomes the seduced, however, Hilde shifts her loyalties and becomes a double agent, joining forces with Edda to save Ciano from execution. When this fails, Edda flees to Switzerland with Hilde's daring assistance to keep Ciano's final wish: to see the diaries published for use by the Allies. When the head of United States' intelligence, Alan Dulles, learns of Edda's escape, he sends in socialite Frances De Chollet, an "accidental" spy, assigned by chance to a mission that would change her life. Her task is to find Edda, gain her trust, and, crucially, hand the diaries over to the Americans. Against all expectations, what develops is a rich and humanizing friendship between the two women. One step ahead of the Gestapo agents who are hunting Edda, together they succeed in preserving one of the most important historic documents of the Second World War. Drawing from in-depth research and first-person interviews with people who witnessed parts of this true story, Mazzeo gives readers a riveting look into this little-known moment in cultural history and shows how, without Edda, Hilde, and Frances's involvement, certain convictions would never have been possible at Nuremberg. Sisters in Resistance is a powerful look at women's intelligence work during WWII, a moving story of unlikely wartime friendships, and an inspirational investigation into three people who, navigated the place where truth, loyalty, justice, and betrayal collide"-- Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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 Google Books — Lädt ...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)945.091History and Geography Europe Italy and region Italy United Italy 1870- 1900-1945Klassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt: (3.7)
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