The Light Over Lake Como

A Novel

By: Roland Merullo

Narrated by: David Marantz

Two lovers separated in war-torn Italy struggle to reunite in a riveting and heartrending historical novel by the bestselling author of Once Night Falls and From These Broken Streets.

It’s 1945. The Nazi occupation of Italy is in its closing days. But risk is ever present.

It’s been nearly two years since Sarah Zinsi found tenuous sanctuary in Switzerland. Unmoored in a foreign land, she heeds a rumor that her village on the Lake Como shore has been liberated. Clutching her young daughter, Sarah navigates the arduous mountain trek back home to be with Luca Benedetto, the father of her child.

A resister to the end, Luca has one last assignment: assassinate Mussolini, the man who destroyed everything Luca cherished and who forced the love of his life to flee. Sarah’s path crosses that of a charismatic and kindly black marketeer turned partisan spy. He vows to keep mother and child safe as Luca’s perilous mission escalates and the Nazis’ final moves devolve into chaos.

But for Sarah and Luca, the pull of love, the will to survive, and the promise of a new family are greater than any odds against them.

©2024 Roland Merullo (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“There is much to admire in The Light Over Lake Como: the meticulous research, compelling structure, emotional intensity, and powerful, descriptive writing. This novel helps readers understand why Italy still has such complicated politics. World War II left its mark. Highly recommended.” —Historical Novel Society (Editors’ Choice)

Love the WW II setting

Story was good And enjoyable
Narrator was not compelling and the Italian pronunciations were poor

Disappointed by Narrator

If you’re going to have some read something with words in a different language, the least you can do is have them learn to pronounce those words correctly. Obviously this won’t bother you if you don’t known Italian, but I can’t be the only one that couldn’t stand the many mispronunciations.

It was a good story, I just had a hard time getting into it. I usually enjoy war-time historical fiction, but this one was just whatever.

Great Historical Fiction

Liked the characters and a view of history. I recommend the book. One of my favorite authors.