The Italian Ballerina

A World War II Novel

By: Kristy Cambron

Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

At the height of the Nazi occupation of Rome, an unlikely band of heroes comes together to save innocent lives in this breathtaking World War II novel based on real historical events.

Rome, 1943. With the fall of Italy’s Fascist government and the Nazi regime occupying the streets of Rome, British ballerina Julia Bradbury is stranded and forced to take refuge at a hospital on Tiber Island. But when she learns of a deadly sickness sweeping through the quarantine wards—a fake disease known only as Syndrome K—she is drawn into one of the greatest cons in history. Alongside hospital staff, friars of the adjoining church, and two Allied medics, Julia risks everything to rescue Jewish Italians from the deadly clutches of the Holocaust. Soon a little girl who dreams of becoming a ballerina arrives at their door, and Julia is determined to reunite the young dancer with her family—if only she would reveal one crucial secret: her name.

Present Day. Delaney Coleman recently lost her grandfather—a beloved small-town doctor and World War II veteran, so she returns home to help her aging parents. When a mysterious Italian woman reaches out claiming to own one of the family’s precious heirlooms, Delaney is compelled to travel to Italy and uncover the truth of her grandfather’s hidden past. With the help of the woman’s skeptical but charming grandson, Delaney learns of a Roman hospital that saved hundreds of Jewish people during the war. Soon, everything Delaney thought she knew about her grandfather comes into question.

Based on true accounts of the invented Syndrome K sickness, The Italian Ballerina journeys from the Allied storming of the beaches at Salerno to the London ballet stage and the war-torn streets of World War II Rome, exploring the sometimes heart-wrenching choices we must make to find faith and forgiveness, and how saving a single life can impact countless others.

• Split timeline: WWII and present day
• Stand-alone novel
• Book length: approximately 107,000 words

©2022 Kristy Cambron (P)2022 Thomas Nelson

Great story I didn’t want it to end!

What a beautiful story of love, through the ages, and a great reminder that love triumphs over evil. Fantastic job by the narrator, and I loved this story so much!

Nicely put together

Good job keeping my attention. The story was nicely put together. It was Well preformed.

Normal people doing extraordinary things.

A great story and the narrator was exceptional. I love these historical fiction books based on true events. These people showed uncommon courage. I hope people like these heroes still exist today.

The readers multiple voices

The reader really brought the book to life w all the different voices! Loved all the twists and turns until the very end. A really nice love story

Beautiful story

The fluidity of the story was wonderful,
The characters were well defined and easy to follow. Beautiful account of an awful part of history.

What a gorgeous read!!!

Absolutely a joy to read. So immersed in the story, I forgot what day it was. Well written with such grace and love. A must read!!!

Slightly flawed

Fantastic narrative. Loved the reader. Parts just got too heavy handed with references to religion. It just didn’t flow well.

Good mystery and descriptions of Italy, like being there.

A bit too mushy near the end, but very well plotted. 3 timelines were a bit hard to keep track of at first.

Beautiful story

This is a story of how hope and love shine even brighter in great darkness. It is probably one that is better read than listened to despite the wonderful narration because of the complexity and sheer number of timelines and separate characters and settings. I had trouble keeping them all straight in my mind. Once several converge, everything is much more straightforward. While this novel holds a great deal of sadness, it is a testament to the sacrifices many made in the war to save those they could. Worth your time.

A very enjoyable read!

This is the second book I've read from the Italian perspective of WW2. The first was a true story, but this makes me want to read more WW2 Italian perspectives.