Belinda Alexandra - Tuscan Rose

I read this book set for the most part in Italy before and during the world was into the wee hours of the morning. For people who might want an idea of what it was to live under fascism and il duce without being bogged down with the academic, it is an interesting read. Given the period within which it is set, there is reference to the 2nd world war, the conquest of Abyssnia - Ethiopia, Fascism and Nazism.

 

What fascinated me was the complicated story of Rosa (Tuscan Rose) who we see at the beginning of the book being sent to a convent as a child. The story is compellining because I wanted to know who Rosa was and was unable to guess until the end of the book.  All through the book Rosa forms surrogate families - from the nuns at the convent de santo spirito, her friends when she worked as a governess, Sibilla at the prison, At the hospital as she worked as a nurse, the Montagnanis, fighting with the patriots and eventually with Antonio.  Her life was not easy and "Sisyphus" was ever present such that every time she made two steps ahead there was something that pulled her back. Leaving the convent & Madre Maddalena, imprisonement under false pretexts, losing her job for having a louse, not being able to 'bond' with Luciano who loved Italy more than he loved her, losing all her friends. Yet each time she never lost hope. She loved enough to survive despite the impossible choices that she faced.

 

Florence must have been a small place with everybody's life linked with everybody else's.  What intrigued me was the life of Giovanni  Taviani & the kids he left behind, the deep secrets of Scarfiotti family and the nuns of Santo Spirito.  Reading the book made me have an peek into the life of adopted children, illegitimate children, single women & women in general in a very closely knit and family oriented place as Italy.

 

I am still searching for an answer as to why the nations wage war.  Is it simply greed & pride or looking to distribute resources that are not enough for all of us? Even in apparently restive places like Florence. The buzz word in this day and age is inclusive growth...the indifference towards one another. But is that alone able to save us from one another?