The Bishop’s Villa

Naspini (Nives) delivers a moving historical set in occupied Tuscany during WWII. René, a cobbler whose maimed hand kept him out of the army, harbors an unspoken love for Anna, his widowed seamstress neighbor, whose son was recently executed by German soldiers. Before he can declare his feelings, she sneaks off to join partisans in the forest, leaving behind a note asking René to continue visiting her apartment, so the Nazis won’t suspect she’s left. The charade marks René’s first step from timidity to defiance. He also sabotages soldiers’ boots in his workshop, “fixing” them with rusty nails. When the Nazis discover Anna’s absence, they imprison René at a seminary–turned–concentration camp, leased by a spineless local bishop to the puppet Italian government. There, René withstands vicious beatings without giving up any information. Naspini subtly shows René’s continuing evolution, from his refusal to join in antisemitic taunts to treating a freezing and starving Jewish prisoner with dignity. Drama ensues as René conspires with his fellow inmates on an escape plan, only to face a betrayal. Naspini’s sobering portrait of moral weakness in the face of power will stay with readers a long time. (Nov.)