Daughter of Genoa

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents Daughter of Genoa by Kat Devereaux, read by Nancy Carroll.

'A powerful journey of heartbreak, love, and bravery, this is a book that will stay with readers for a long time' - Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author

***

In Nazi-occupied Italy, keeping secrets could be deadly…

Genoa, 1944:

Widowed and alone, Anna Pastorino has been surviving on her wits since the Germans invaded. The daughter of a prominent Jewish antifascist, Anna lives a hidden life in her small flat near the harbour ... until an RAF bomb destroys her only shelter. When a Jesuit priest approaches her offering help, she has no choice but to accept. She follows her new friend, Father Vittorio, to a safe house above a printers’ shop in a quiet street near via Assarotti.

But the Tipografia Guichard is more than just a refuge. It’s a forgery workshop: a key part of the secret rescue operation headed by Massimo Teglio, the “Scarlet Pimpernel” of Genoa’s persecuted Jewish population. Drawn into a world of clandestine resistance, Anna discovers a new sense of purpose, a circle of friends, and a passion that brings her alive.

Soon, the little flat above the shop holds more secrets than anyone could imagine. As Anna grows closer to both Teglio and Vittorio, she must confront a past trauma of her own: a secret that might endanger her and everyone she loves.

***

Praise for Kat Devereaux:

'So intense and compelling is her storytelling and so extraordinary the real-life stories on which the narrative is based.' Liz Trenow, author of The Secret Sister

'A deeply affective novel that captivated me from the first page.' Shelly Sanders, author of The Night Sparrow

' A deeply intense and moving story of quiet courage.' Chris Lloyd, author of The Unwanted Dead

Critics Review

Daughter of Genoa is enthralling and eloquently bittersweet—a vivid historical portrait of the pivotal yet overlooked struggle to save Italian Jews in WWII, and how one unforgettable woman risks everything for love. Kat Devereaux writes with great authority and masterfully blends imagination and history. A deeply affective novel that captivated me from the first page.
Shelly Sanders, author of 'The Night Sparrow'
If you love fiction firmly based in history, Daughter of Genoa is definitely for you. Kat Devereaux conjures the terrifying, claustrophobic world of those working to save Jews under Nazi rule in Italy so skilfully that from time to time I had to force myself to look up and breathe, so intense and compelling is her storytelling and so extraordinary the real-life stories on which the narrative is based.
Liz Trenow, author of 'The Secret Sister'
Kat Devereaux’s knowledge and passion for the time and place jump off the page. Set in the rubble of Nazi-occupied Genoa, amid a group of ordinary people caught up in a war and risking everything to help others, Daughter of Genoa beautifully captures the numbing claustrophobia and stifling fear of individuals under constant threat of exposure or betrayal. Impeccably researched, it brought home to me a brief period in history I knew very little about, which is what the best historical fiction does, in a deeply intense and moving story of quiet courage.
Chris Lloyd, author of The Unwanted Dead
I’m so glad to have had a chance to read this book. It taught me about a piece of history which I had little or no knowledge about, the true story of the heroism of Massimo Teglio and others to save Jews during the Second World War. The story is told beautifully – I felt I was in the room with the characters – and although the dangerous situation is absolutely clear, there is nothing sentimental or exploitative in the telling. Most of all this is a story of kindness and courage – a real testament to what humans are capable of, and an antidote to the evil backdrop of Fascism that it also portrays. A book to cherish.
Keren David
Based on a true story, Daughter of Genoa is a moving and inspiring story, revealing the hope, humanity, and quiet heroism of ordinary people in their extraordinary efforts to help others. A powerful journey of heartbreak, love, and bravery, this is a book that will stay with readers for a long time.
Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Booklover's Library
Daughter of Genoa by Kat Devereaux is a moving and beautifully crafted novel that offers a poignant portrayal of individual courage and organized resistance during WWII. Set against the backdrop of Fascist Italy and Nazi occupation, it follows Anna, as she becomes involved in a secret rescue network that risks everything to protect the persecuted.


The story weaves together personal struggles and historical events, shining a light on the profound human connections formed in times of fear and uncertainty. Devereaux explores the moral choices people face in wartime—how ordinary individuals become heroes through small but brave acts of defiance.


With haunting beauty, unforgettable characters, and a vivid sense of time and place, Daughter of Genoa is a poignant reminder that even in the darkest hours, resistance—whether bold or quiet—is the only enduring voice that rises above the silence of history.
Suzanne Kelman
Daughter of Genoa takes the raw truth of the Second World War, and weaves a subtle, moving, often funny and utterly gripping story of everyday heroism in the face of unimaginable horror. In the towering, real-life figure of Massimo Teglio, thoughtful, resourceful Anna, and the extraordinary Father Vittorio, Kat Devereaux has created three characters who will stay with me for a long time.
Emma Darwin
I thoroughly enjoyed Daughter of Genoa – it’s a poignant and beautiful book which tells the incredible story of resistance with aplomb.
Fergus Butler-Gallie
A beautifully written work of historical fiction and a tribute to the brave men and women who helped the Jewish people flee certain death in Nazi-occupied Italy
Westmeath Examiner

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