World War Ii Romance

"Edoardo Ballerini’s adroit narration conveys the subtle changes in the family, set against the splendor of Valetto’s changing landscape."- Bookpage From the bestselling author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, Dominic Smith’s Return to Valetto tells of a nearly abandoned Italian...

The Quality Street girls are gearing up for Christmas, but with the factory now making gas masks, as well as the nation’s favourite chocolate sweets, it’s anything but normal. They’re having to make other adjustments too. Reenie is in the doldrums after being demoted at work, while Mary has got her hands full getting used to married life and a ready-made family. New girl, Ada, isn’t sure she fits into factory life at all. Then, just as the Christmas party season gets into full swing, Toffee town gets a shock, and soon it isn’t just Christmas cheer that’s in short supply.

Düren / Rheinland 1939: Mina ist auf der Flucht. Sie kommt mit falschem Namen bei ihren bis dahin unbekannten Verwandten - der Schmiedefamilie Hansen - unter. Im Verborgenen sucht sie nach ihrem Vater und stößt dabei auf ein Familiengeheimnis, dessen Geschichte bis ins Jahr 1889 zurückgeht. Währenddessen bricht der Zweite Weltkrieg aus und droht die Familie auseinanderzureißen. Ostpreußen 1944: Der Krieg ist nun auch in dem masurischen Dorf Steintal spürbar. Wehrmachtssoldaten werden in den Häusern einquartiert, darunter ein Sohn der Familie Hansen.

Opal has always dreamed of leaving her small island home in Malta to study ballet in France. However, upon arriving with her cousin Celine and best friend Lulu, she quickly realizes that nothing is as expected. Opal is forced to mature rapidly in order to protect herself and her companions from exploitation and the looming threat of war. A fateful injury lands her in the care of Andrei, a young Russian doctor with whom she develops a profound bond. As the consequences of her choices begin to unfold, Opal faces the most difficult decision of her life—one that will shape her future forever.

Werther in Westfalen, 1933: Josephine, die jüngste Tochter von Anton und Anna Leyen, hat die Liebe zu Süßigkeiten geerbt und arbeitet in der Zuckerwarenfabrik ihrer Familie. Als sie den jungen Manfred kennen lernt, verliebt sie sich Hals über Kopf. Durch eine Idee von Manfred kreiert Josephine ein neues Bonbon, das einzeln verpackt und immer gleich groß ist – die ersten Markenbonbons sind erfunden. Die beiden heiraten, aber ihre Liebe wird auf eine harte Probe gestellt, als die Nationalsozialisten an die Macht kommen und Manfred, der jüdischer Herkunft ist, Repressalien ausgesetzt ist.

Tuscany, 1942: having moved from England to the beautiful city of Lucca before the outbreak of war, Lizzie Thornton adores her job as tutor to eight-year-old Cristo – despite the fact that his father, Count Antonio de Falco, is a notable fascist and supporter of Mussolini. Then war is declared, and Lizzie is suddenly regarded as an enemy in the country she loves so much. When new tutor Vincenzo Baldini arrives, Lizzie is exposed to a new secret world; Vincenzo is actually a member of the Italian resistance, running an anti-fascist propaganda magazine.

1942. Evie Sinclair has enlisted in the ATS to serve her country. Her mother disapproves, wanting her to stay and help run the household, but her father supports her bid for independence. Though conditions are austere and the training is intense, Evie is proud to become a qualified gunner girl, part of the team operating the anti-aircraft batteries. When she meets RAF bomber pilot Matt Goodwin at a dance, it's not long before they fall in love. But then tragedy strikes. Matt is killed on a mission, leaving Evie bereft - and expecting a child.

As war rages, Barbara Sinclair is desperate to escape her unhappy home life. And with the threat of German bombs ever present, Barbara reluctantly agrees to marry John, her childhood friend, who is leaving to join the RAF. But an encounter with Alex Everton, a dashing Spitfire pilot, complicates matters for Barbara. With emotions running high, she begins to question whether she has made a terrible mistake. With the constant threat of death all around her, Barbara must try to find a way to deal with the complexities of her difficult home life and her emotional relationships, too.

Rejected, frustrated, and no longer confident about God's plan for his life, John Sweet takes a year-long assignment in Atlanta, Georgia. The city is bustling with preparations for the Cotton States and International Exposition to be held in the autumn of 1895. Sarah Fuller is also new to the city but is trying desperately to make a home for her lonely father and motherless little sister. When a special assignment for the Exposition puts John and Sarah in close contact, they discover that while their pasts are completely different, their future dreams are much the same.

Summer 1939 - When war breaks out, Sylvie is marooned with her cousin Nell's family in the Chiltern hills and cannot return to her Normandy home. During the early days of rationing, blackouts, and the threat of bombers in the skies, Sylvie and Nell have to grow up quickly. Yet as the war rages around them, it's the competition and jealousy between the two that dominates their lives. When the girls fall in love with the same man, their relationship is truly tested. But the war pulls them all apart and changes the course of their lives – until their secrets are revealed.

21-year-old Alix is studying in Paris, far away from Sasha, her Serbian father and Leonora, her English mother, as World War Two breaks out. Finding hope even in troubled times, romance sparks with fellow student Raoul; but she soon learns young love can be tumultuous. So, when Steve, a handsome American pilot with Serbian ancestors, enters her life, she can't ignore her feelings toward him. And making a decision will be even harder as both men leave for war.

After their dreams of starting a family are crushed, Philippa and her husband Marco need a fresh start. Focusing on repairing the crumbling walls and leaking roof of the Cotswolds house they impulsively bought seems easier work than repairing their relationship. When Philippa finds a hidden memorial hidden deep in the garden, the discovery only pushes them further apart. But as Philippa determines to uncover the truth behind the memorial, could the secrets it reveals be the key to finally putting their heartbreak to rest?

Shortly before the Japanese invade, the van Hoorn family throws their famous Sinterklaas party at their tea plantation in West Java. One of their guests, Mattijs, a Dutch pilot, hopes to forge a future in the Dutch East Indies, possibly with the family's daughter Anna, but she is torn between her dreams of Holland and her desire to belong. Meanwhile the housekeeper, Diah, keenly observes the goings-on around the plantation, wondering how much to tell her freedom-fighter brother.

Das Leuchten über der Heide. 1943: In den Wirren des Krieges wächst die Bäuerin Alma über sich hinaus. Als ihr Bruder Franz eingezogen wird, führt sie den Hof allein weiter - unterstützt von dem französischen Kriegsgefangenen Robert. Trotz aller Widerstände verlieben sich die beiden ineinander. Alma wird schwanger und damit im Dorf noch mehr zur Außenseiterin. Als der Krieg vorbei ist, kehrt Robert nach Frankreich zurück. Alma führt ihren Hof auch allein durch die Nachkriegszeit - bis ihr Bruder heimkehrt und sie wieder in den Hintergrund drängt. Doch damit will sie sich nicht mehr abfinden.

Die Schuld einer Liebenden. "Adele ist verschwunden." Mehr mag die Fremde nicht sagen, die sich in einem Café einfach so an den Tisch der Anwältin Cara setzt – und kurz darauf ebenfalls spurlos verschwindet. Die Frau lässt lediglich ihre Handtasche zurück und die kryptische Bitte, Cara möge sich um den Inhalt kümmern. Neben anrührenden Feldpostbriefen aus dem Zweiten Weltkrieg finden sich in der Tasche Unterlagen über den Verkauf einer Villa in Kassel zu einem symbolischen Preis.

Nacha is living a normal life in Old Town, Warsaw, when the Nazis invade Poland. After months of heavy shelling, her family believes things can't possibly get any worse. Then the city falls, and she and her family find themselves faced with a level of antisemitism they've never experienced before. They're locked into a ghetto, and she fears they'll never see freedom again. When the Nazis begin rounding up Jews, Janek, a Polish Catholic teenager, doesn’t let the warnings of executions for those caught helping Jewish people stop him.

LA SECONDE GUERRE MONDIALE AU COEUR DES INSTITUTIONS RELIGIEUSES ITALIENNES. Florence, 1933. Alors qu'Angelo Bianco arrive tout juste d'Amérique après le décès de sa mère, ce sont la gentillesse et les plaisanteries de son amie Eva Rosselli qui lui redonnent le sourire. Bien que d'origines et de confessions différentes, les deux enfants grandissent comme frère et sœur, avant que leurs sentiments ne se transforment en amour. Pourtant, devenu adulte, Angelo choisit la prêtrise : une décision qui met un terme à une complicité de plus de dix ans.

"Warum, glaubst du, blinken all die Sterne nachts am Himmel?", fragt Augusta ihre Schwester. "Damit wir danach greifen, Grete. Verstehst du das nicht?" Kurz darauf schleicht sie sich vom elterlichen Hof und begibt sich auf einen gefährlichen Weg in die Reichshauptstadt. Ihre Tochter, die sie unfreiwillig zur Welt gebracht hat, lässt sie zurück. Stattdessen träumt sie von einer Karriere in Berlin, die sich schon bald darauf erfüllt. Augusta steigt zu den fähigsten Stenografinnen der Stadt auf und nimmt sogar an Konferenzen mit dem Führer teil.

Terrore e speranza, amore e sacrificio: un romanzo ispirato a una storia vera. 1943. Per gli ebrei italiani la situazione si fa di giorno in giorno più difficile e pericolosa. I nazisti hanno occupato gran parte del paese, e il rischio di essere imprigionati e deportati è sempre più concreto. Per Antonia Mazin, ormai, l'unica speranza di sopravvivere è lasciare la città e i genitori, cambiare nome e rifugiarsi in campagna insieme a un uomo che conosce appena, Niccolò Gerardi.

Germany, 1938: A young interfaith couple discover true love, but they must keep this love a secret—from family, from friends, and especially from the Nazis. She lives in the Jewish Quarter, and he lives in the city proper. Charlotte, a young girl of 15, wanders into Georg’s cobbler shop to have some shoes repaired. Georg, enamored by Charlotte’s charm and grace, decides right then and there that he is going to marry her.