A House in the Mountains Lib/E: The Women Who Liberated Italy from Fascism

Product Description


The acclaimed author of A Train in Winter returns with the final volume in her Resistance Quartet--the powerful and inspiring true story of the women of the partisan resistance who fought against Italy's fascist regime during World War II.In the late summer of 1943, when Italy broke with the Germans and joined the Allies after suffering catastrophic military losses, an Italian Resistance was born. Four young Piedmontese women--Ada, Frida, Silvia and Bianca--living secretly in the mountains surrounding Turin, risked their lives to overthrow Italy's authoritarian government. They were among the thousands of Italians who joined the Partisan effort to help the Allies liberate their country from the German invaders and their Fascist collaborators. What made this partisan war all the more extraordinary was the number of women--like this brave quartet--who swelled its ranks.
The bloody civil war that ensued pitted neighbor against neighbor, and revealed the best and worst in Italian society. The courage shown by the partisans was exemplary, and eventually bound them together into a coherent fighting force. But the death rattle of Mussolini's two decades of Fascist rule--with its corruption, greed, and anti-Semitism--was unrelentingly violent and brutal.
Drawing on a rich cache of previously untranslated sources, prize-winning historian Caroline Moorehead illuminates the experiences of Ada, Frida, Silvia, and Bianca to tell the little-known story of the women of the Italian partisan movement fighting for freedom against fascism in all its forms, while Europe collapsed in smoldering ruins around them.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.


Review


"Excellent, well-presented evidence of the incalculable strengths and abilities of women to create and run a country."-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"


About the Author


Caroline Moorehead is the biographer of Bertrand Russell, Freya Stark, Iris Origo, Lucie de la Tour du Pin, and Martha Gellhorn. Well known for her work in human rights, she has published a history of the Red Cross and an acclaimed book about refugees, Human Cargo.


Derek Perkins is a professional narrator and voice actor. He has earned numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. Augmented by a knowledge of three foreign languages and a facility with accents, he has narrated numerous titles in a wide range of fiction and nonfiction genres.