Beneath a Scarlet Sky review tells you about the novel in which the story revolves around the character of protagonist ‘Pino.’ This novel is based on the true story of a young boy living in the era of World War ll. Mark Sullivan has written the historical novel Beneath a Scarlet Sky, beautifully. Through the medium of literary genre, he has elaborated the effects of war on an individual’s life. He tells us about the life of Pino before World War ll and how he gets changed after the breaking of the war.

The story of Pino reminds us of many other stories that deal with the theme of consciousness. These include Araby and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young man by James Joyce, and To the Light House by Virginia Wolf.

Beneath a Scarlet Sky Review: Story Outline

In the outset of the novel, a teenage Italian boy Pino is a very normal being. He loves food, music and beautiful dames. In a very early age, he falls in love with a widow named Anna. She was almost six years senior to him. However, his parents wanted to save him from her. Therefore, they sent him to the army. Pino became a soldier and sees many hidden drastic and dire realities with his open eyes. He thus turns from an ordinary love boy to a strong soldier. The war brought a change in his life. The writer has deliberately shown the reader how the lives of people were affected by the constant danger of World War ll.

Pino serves as a spy in alliance with Germany and faces the terror of War. When the World War ll was near to break, Pino becomes upset with the idea of his family and friends. He gets worried about thoughts of himself how will he save his life if the enemy captures him. In the storm of such dangerous thoughts, he feels relaxed and soothing whenever his brain jumps. He reaches in the world of his beloved in his imagination. Pino feels a great need of love in such circumstances. He says that love is the only thing that can make his life happy.

Pino misses the company of his family and decides to live the rest of his life with his family and friends, helping them in each and every circumstance. Thus, he cast away the proposal for going to war. Instead of going to war, he helps Jews of Casa Alpina in terms of driving them away to Switzerland from the threat of Nazis and Germans. He feels happy to help people. Later on, he learned from one of the priests of Casa Alpina that ‘one must have faith in God’. He then struggled hard with a firm belief in God and became an absolutely different person.

Bottom Line

Beneath a Scarlet Sky review somewhat shows that Mark Sullivan does not succeed to make the novel interesting for the readers. However, with the help of creating a surprise in the story, he engages the readers to the epilogue of the book. Many people do not belong to the era of World War ll. They want to know what happens during and after the war. Also, how the war affected the lives of the people. The author conveys a positive message in the portrait of a hero who never leaves hope during his enterprise.

You have an option to read more variety of book reviews (e.g., A Man Called Ove Book Review), under the book category.