The mysterious ways of life and fate

Synopsis

Bologna, 1929. A newborn baby boy is abandoned by his desperate unmarried mother, who believes he is dead and that she is to blame. Heartbroken, she leaves her child, accepting that her actions will haunt her for the rest of her days. But unbeknown to her, the kindness of a stranger means the starving baby survives. And so begins the extraordinary life of Rinaldo Scamorza…

Following several years in an orphanage, where Rinaldo still holds onto the hope that his mother will come to claim him, he is entrusted to a heartless foster-mother who treats her charges as nothing more than financial opportunities. Yet amidst the cruelty and violence of this loveless environment Rinaldo meets fellow orphan, Evelina, and the two children create a bond which they believe will never be broken. 

Rinaldo holds tight to the few people who show him love, and he becomes a loyal, intelligent and kind boy. But his life is shattered when aged barely 13, Evelina is sold into prostitution by their foster-mother. 

As he grows up and becomes more resourceful, he finds work as an errand boy in a brothel, where he encounters Evelinaonce again. But in his efforts to help her escape her life of exploitation, another dark misfortune pulls them apart and she disappears. 

When at last Italy begins to emerge from the shadows of World War II and Bologna’s economy recovers, Rinaldo uses his intimate knowledge of the city to change his life for the better. But through everything, the successes and the moments of loneliness and misery, the women he yearns to see again – Evelina and his mother – are always on his mind…

Fans of Angela Petch, Helen Fripp, Dinah Jeffries, Rhys Bowen and Louise Douglas will adore this captivating historical novel.

My review

When in Bologna in 1929 a new born is being abandoned by his mother, believing he died, nobody would expect the hardships the infant is going to endure.
Because Rinaldo Scamorza’s childhood is not an easy one, growing up in an orphanage, moving to a cruel foster mother using Rinaldo and other orphans only as a way to gain money. Despite all the hardship, there is one silver lining, and that is Evelina, also an orphan. An unbreakable bond is being created, that even cruelty and forced into prostitution cannot break.
Even if Rinaldo doesn’t have the best cards in hand, he grows up to be a loyal, intelligent and most important, a resourceful young man, forcing fate to turn for the better. And never stop believing that the two most important women in his life, his mother and Evelina will find their way back to him. 

From the start, I knew this wouldn’t be an easy book to read. Not because I wouldn’t like it, but because I knew that our main characters won’t be given any gifts and would be fighting hard to just survive.
And from the first page it was obvious I wasn’t wrong… 

Reading about children being orphans, always tugs at my heartstrings. Because no matter if the parents have no choice or deliberately give away their child, I always hope that the child will be in a happy place.
Taking in account that the story starts in 1929, no so long after the first World War, and not so far from the second one, we know that Rinaldo and Evelina won’t have it easy, which made my poor heart break. 

Rinaldo’s story doesn’t get better, even if there are some happier moments for him. Him meeting Evelina even under dire circumstances showed us that small bits of happiness and love can be found.
But even if his story made me sad, I also admired his determination. He never backed down for any job and finds opportunity every time all over again. 

And what I admired even more about him, that even if he did some minor offences like stealing, he has a good sense of right and wrong. Obviously he known that stealing is not right, but he also knows that there are lines he is not crossing, no matter how bad his situation is. 

There were also moments that people restored my faith in mankind again, because they showed kindness and compassion towards Rinaldo, no matter how bad their own situation is. However again life shows us that sometimes life is unfair and their acts of kindness don’t always go repaid… 

Maybe in this story there were a bit too many coincidences for my liking, to keep up the credibility of Rinaldo’s story. But maybe that is how things go in life too… Maybe that is Life and Fate’s way to make some wrongdoing right again, by throwing coincidences on your path, for not letting you lose hope and keep believing that a reunion with your lost loves ones is still a possibility, no matter how improbable it may seem.  

A beautiful, heart – breaking but also heart – warming story about a lost boy finding his way in a world he doesn’t seem to belong to. But with hope, love and forgiveness in your heart, the right place can be found, surrounded by family by blood but also by choice.