Lilia - Ganzini, Linda

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Résumé :
The darkest day of my life came when the Nazis took my brother. I felt helpless as the war tore our family apart. His last words to my mother: 'Mama, if I don't go now, they will kill us all.' I saw the pain in my mother's eyes. I felt her heart cry words she could never speak. ~ Lilia
A powerful must-read! Get ready for an emotional rollercoaster that rides up there with The Diary of Anne Frank. The writing of this historical memoir is outstanding.
Poignant and moving, yet startlingly compelling. Stunning.
I can only hope someone turns Lilia into a feature film.
Against the backdrop of fascist Italy during World War II and the Holocaust, Lilia sets the stage for the harrowing story of a family whose depth of heart overcomes a war tearing them apart-years marred by unfathomable tragedies, immense loss, upheaval, and countless betrayals.
From a young age, Lilia resigns herself to a world crushed by misery, abject poverty, and a broken, bitter mother who suffered insurmountable grief. The burden of war, loneliness, and adult responsibilities rob Lilia of a carefree childhood. Witnessing her parent's challenge to stay alive during the Nazi occupation becomes Lilia's greatest sorrow, one she makes the most heroic efforts to conceal. Ultimately, tragic loss dims the flame of Lilia's belief in her future. Just as her prayers feel unanswered, a seed of love reignites her faith, changing her destiny forever, leading her towards an unforgettable and inspiring triumph over tragedy.
This poignant account will transport you to a lost moment in history that irreversibly changes a quaint Northern Italian village, transforming its people for generations to come. Through the eyes and courageous spirit of a brave young girl, Lilia's family story comes to life on the page and will remain on your mind for a long time coming.
Where there is love, hope remains.


Praise for Lilia
The indignities, atrocities, and terrors visited on a poor family in a tiny Northern Italian village during WWII place in stark relief the human toll war takes on those the history books never document. Told with deep emotion and love, Lilia's story steals your breath at the misery and hardship visited on a young girl forced to grow up far too fast in a world torn apart by the greed for power in fascist Italy. Yet there are rare moments of beautiful joy too. Through it all, Lilia's incredible well of resilience never runs dry. Ganzini's poetic prose renders this story both a warning about the slide into fascism in modern times and a beacon of hope for the strength of the human spirit. Read it now.
Lilia is a labor of love, and it shows. The amount of detail, emotional nuance, and attention to the unfolding story of a family held together by love and hope lends itself to an exquisite and heartfelt narrative. Linda Ganzini has created a work that reflects the cruel realities of the past and heralds a clarion call to the time we currently find ourselves. Like Lilia and her family members, we can choose resilience and allow our personal stories to become beacons for our collective human journey. This is an important book for a transformative moment in our history.

Biographie:
Linda Ganzini is an award-winning Canadian author, graphic designer, and artist of Italian heritage. Inspired by her family's extraordinary history, she wrote LILIA, a sweeping historical novel based on her mother's true story of resilience and survival in Friuli, Northern Italy during World War II. Born in Canada to Italian parents, Linda spent many summers in Italy, where her deep connection to her family's homeland inspired a lifelong passion for its history, culture, and people. Her career in graphic design has earned international recognition, but her greatest passion is preserving family stories that might otherwise be lost to time. Through LILIA, Linda hopes to honour her mother's legacy while inspiring readers to cherish their own family histories and the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit. Learn more at www.lindaganziniauthor.com...

Sommaire:

LILIA is a gripping, cinematic novel inspired by my family's extraordinary true story of resilience and survival during World War II, under Mussolini's Fascist Italy and Hitler's brutal Nazi occupation.

Amid the devastation of war, a young girl and her family struggle to endure unimaginable loss, betrayal, and the daily terror of Nazi rule. Stripped of her childhood and forced to navigate an unforgiving world, Lilia clings to the one thing that cannot be taken from her: hope.

A powerful story of courage, family, sacrifice, and survival.

Through Lilia's eyes, history comes vividly to life as every decision carries the weight of survival. From the hardships of poverty in Northern Italy to the constant fear of war, occupation, and the Holocaust unfolding around them, she witnesses her parents' desperate fight to protect those they love, discovering that even in humanity's darkest hours, compassion, faith, and hope can endure.

Years after the war, an unexpected encounter rekindles the possibility of love, healing, and a future neither imagined.

Perfect for readers of World War II historical fiction, WWII fiction, Holocaust fiction, Italian historical fiction, and inspiring stories based on true events.

If you enjoy the emotionally rich historical novels of Kristin Hannah, Heather Morris, and Mark Sullivan, you'll find an unforgettable journey in LILIA.

Inspired by true events, LILIA is a deeply moving novel that transports readers to one of history's darkest chapters while celebrating the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit. A story of love, hope, and survival that will stay with you long after the final page.