Despite the invasion in 1943 by the Allied troops, the Nazis held on to Italy till the very last of the Second World War. The Scottish author Eric Linklater was able to observe the final years of the war in Italy in official capacity, working for the publicity department of the British War Office. Linklater spent six months in 1944 in Italy as the War Office's official historian. In 1952, he published a semi-official report about the British campaign, although his 1946 novel Private Angelo presents a much fresher and more original account of the final years of the war.

Private Angelo is repeatedly described as and self-acclaimed a soldier without courage, lacking il dono di coraggio. His claim is accepted as factual, and without any shame, throughout the novel. Angelo's fear makes most of his actions capricious, often resulting in unexpected outcomes. Thus, quite without volition, Angelo switches sides, ending up fighting for the Italians, the germans and the British in quick succession. His position changes from common soldier, to tutor of a high-ranking Nazi officer, from a POW "slave" labourer to a hero.

Not just private Angelo's fate responds to such a capricious pattern. Throughout the novel, Angelo is committed to the nobleman Count of Pontefiore, who plays a very dubious role, despite of which he gets into real trouble.

Private Angelo is a comic novel, and mostly lacks a coherent plot. The novel operates like an opera buffo. The Italian characters all take their fate with a great deal of resignation. The Nazis are portrayed as dead serious till the very end, while the British come away as largely lucky. For the Italians, there is no question about ideology or courage. They are just plain practical: survival, no matter how. ( )

A diverting tale of Angelo who wanted to have courage but thought that he was to much of a coward. Occasionally amusing with lots of characters the novel starts at the point in world war two when Italy are no longer allies with the Germans. Angelo has lots of adventures. ( )

Den bästa krigsroman som skrivits.

This book proclaims itself to be `composed entirely without metal type, the first book published in Great Britain to be produced by means of photocomposition on the Intertype Fotosetter'.