There are 2 intersecting storylines. One is a lovely tale of a Sicilian community helping Jews evade the Nazis during WWII. (I would have liked to hear more about these interesting characters.) The other is set at the Vatican and aims to vindicate the apparent lack of action from the Pope. I found this storyline repetitive and slow-going, so I was skimming through it wanting to get back to Sicily.
Though the book is the second in the series, it worked well as a standalone.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the complimentary copy of this book; my review is an honest one. ( )

As the war rages on in 1942, a group of Jewish musicians are being rounded up onto trains by Nazis. Through the relentless work of resistance members and friends, they are hidden away and freed from the trains. At the same time Pope Pious XII is debating what to say publicly about the massive loss of life at the hands of the Nazis. Making the difficult decision to retain neutrality, Pope Pious XII quietly assists in the relocation of thousands of Jews, including a special group of musicians. With the assistance of Father Biaggio Sanguinetti, the group of fifteen Jews finds a new home and new identities in the small Italian town of Bellafortuna where they find how to create music together. When the German's occupy Bellafortuna, the residents use their ingenuity to keep everyone safe and when the Nazi's threaten the Roman Ghetto, the Pope's network and the Italian people come together to save as many people as they can.
Saving the Music is a beautiful story of hope and fear during World War II. Set in the fictional village of Bellafortuna, Sicily, the stories of several characters from A Song for Bellafortuna are continued, but it is not necessary to read beforehand. The theme of music is strong within the story and is what brings everyone together regardless of religion or language and keeps spirits high during the darkest of times. The characters are all wonderfully created and quickly became people that I cared about. The writing skillfully showcased the beauty of Bellafortuna and the resident's immense capacity to care for others. While Bellafortuna is fictional, the actions of the Italian people and Pope Pious XII were very real. Reading about the Pope's difficult decisions that were made to save lives, all while receiving criticism for not speaking out against Hitler's atrocities was profound showing that true heroes do not act in order to receive praise, but will gladly risk themselves in order to do what is right.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )