Overview

1943. New Orleans. Rose Marino lives with her Sicilian immigrant parents and helps in the family grocery store. Her older brother and sister both joined the Army, and Rose prays for their safety as World War II rages overseas. Her parents expect Rose to marry a local boy and start a family. But she secretly dreams of being more like her fiercely independent widowed godmother. Behind her parents' back, Rose lands a job at the shipyard, where she feels free and important for the first time in her life. When the parish priest organizes a goodwill mission to visit Italian prisoners of war at a nearby military base, Rose and her vivacious best friend, Marie, join the group. There, Rose falls for Sal, a handsome and intelligent POW. Italy has switched sides in the war, so the POWs are allowed out to socialize, giving Rose and Sal a chance to grow closer. When Rose gets a promotion at work, she must make an agonizing choice: follow a traditional path like Marie or keep working after the war and live on her own terms. Inspired by little-known historical events and set to a swing-era soundtrack, The Italian Prisoner is an engrossing story of wartime love, family secrets, and a young woman's struggle to chart her own course at an inflection point in American history. Finalist- William Faulkner- William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition- 2019 Novel-in-Progress.

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9781662924132

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Reviews

Book Review 1: The repercussions of WWII are lovingly rendered through one woman's story, with an endearing cast of characters who all feel like family by the end. -- LALITA TADEMY, New York Times best-selling author of Oprah's Book Club pick Cane River, Red River, and Citizens Creek Book Review 2: So many wonderful moments, with well-drawn scenes and rendered emotions. The novel's time and place come alive. Speranza offers us Rose Marino, a young protagonist who truly grows over the course of the book, as well as secondary characters who breathe life onto the page and shape Rose's evolution. Here is the voice of the war and of young women finding their way, as they never have before and during the most difficult of circumstances. The Italian Prisoner is a tribute to how ordinary people were called upon to do extraordinary things and to endure extraordinary losses, both at home and abroad. An achievement for the literature of New Orleans and World War II. -- ALLISON ALSUP, Co-Founder and Creative Director, New Orleans Writers Workshop Book Review 3: I was completely transported to an earlier era. Elisa Speranza does an incredible job developing the characters and describing 1940s New Orleans. Such a beautiful story of a woman's role, forbidden love, and societal expectations - I couldn't put it down! -- MARY DEVLIN, Cambridge, MA Book Review 4: This beautiful blend of Italian and New Orleans culture had me feeling hungry and humming songs all the way through. The downside of reading great books is that they end... I want a sequel! -- GINA WAMMOCK, Black Mountain, NC Book Review 5: The Italian Prisoner brings the look and feel and sound and smell of the wartime French Quarter to life. It left me wishing I could walk through the courtyard and up the steps into Rose's family's apartment, plastic covered sofa and all, and spend an evening with the Marinos. What a fascinating dive into a little-known role New Orleans played during World War II. -- DANA ENESS, New Orleans, LA Book Review 6: As a lover of WWII stories, I was delighted to discover a previously untold storyline of romance between an American and a POW, with a spunky, modern heroine that I couldn't resist. The characters were richly drawn and avoided the tropes and stereotypes of so many home front stories. Bravo! -- CAROLE FLORMAN, Edgecomb, ME Book Review 7: I not only enjoyed it, but it transported me to another time. The author conveyed a sense of history so well that I felt as though I were actually experiencing aspects of civilian life during WWII. The pace kept moving briskly along, and I was interested from the beginning all the way through, as Rose was transformed into a confident, independent woman in a believable way. - MICKEY LEVINGER, Annapolis, MD Book Review 8: A thoughtful, pleasant journey in World War II era New Orleans through a young woman's eyes as she sees family, work, war, and romance cascade in new and unexpected ways. An authentic and delightful book, worth reading! -- ROBERT MILLER, Louisville, KY

Book Review 1: The repercussions of WWII are lovingly rendered through one woman's story, with an endearing cast of characters who all feel like family by the end. -LALITA TADEMY, New York Times best-selling author of Oprah's Book Club pick Cane River, Red River, and Citizens Creek Book Review 2: ... an essential contribution to the treasure trove of Italian American fiction and a transporting page-turner. I want everyone in my family to meet Rose, our inspiring heroine, whose extraordinary story will stay with me for a long time. -CHRISTOPHER CASTELLANI, author of Leading Men Book Review 3: ... intimate historical fiction at its page-turning best. -PAMELA ROTNER SAKAMOTO, author of Midnight in Broad Daylight: A Japanese American Family Caught Between Two Worlds Book Review 4: ... a compelling mix of freshness and familiarity, using a female rites-of-passage narrative to transport readers to 1940s New Orleans and to bring alive the timeless challenges of living in a nation at war. -ANN HAGEDORN, award-winning author of Beyond the River, Savage Peace, Sleeper Agent and more Book Review 5: ...a refreshing addition to the historical women's fiction bookshelf. -KAIA ALDERSON, author of Sisters in Arms Book Review 6: A dazzling World War II love story set in New Orleans that will pull you in from the very first paragraph. -JENNIFER SMITH TURNER, award-winning author of Child Bride, named the Best eBook of 2020 by the Black Caucus of The American Library Association Book Review 7: ... a beautiful book that will touch anyone who ever dared want more out of life. -CHARLES FORREST JONES, author of The Illusion of Simple Book Review 8: The author's keen eye for the history of those years are evident as delightful details of the city at war abound. -BRIAN ALTOBELLO, author of Whiskey, Women, and War: How the Great War Shaped Jim Crow New Orleans Book Review 9: With true-to-life family dynamics and the drama of first love, the author invites us to take a passeggiata alongside her heroine Rose. -SHAUNNA J. EDWARDS, co-author of The Thread Collectors Book Review 10: ...compelling, atmospheric, and refined. A truly magnificent read. -DIANNE C. BRALEY, author of The Silence in the Sound

Author Information

Elisa M. Speranza is the granddaughter of Irish and Italian immigrants, raised Catholic, and educated by nuns. She's been a writer and book nerd all her life. Her first paid job was in the children's room of her town's public library, and she was a journalist early in her career before spending thirty-plus years in the water and critical infrastructure business. The Italian Prisoner is her first novel. A native Bostonian and die-hard member of Red Sox Nation, Ms. Speranza moved to New Orleans in 2002. She is committed to celebrating and honoring the city's fragile and fascinating culture, environment, and history. She lives with Jon Kardon in New Orleans and Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. Learn more at www.elisamariesperanza.com.

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