*Top Favorite of 2017*
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Review
6 UNFORGETTABLE STARS!!!
Brilliantly written and beautifully emotive, From Sand and Ash captivated me and captured my heart from the very first page. The vivid imagery transported me into the story and I couldn’t help but feel everything, from soul crushing experiences to heartwarming moments and everything in between. It’s a heartbreaking, emotionally gripping story of love, loss, and perseverance – of bravery, devotion, and unyielding faith. This may very well be my favorite Amy Harmon novel to date and remains my top favorite read of 2017.
Angelo is just a boy when he is forced to move from the United States to Italy to live with his Catholic grandparents while the rest of his family remains back in the U.S. Angelo has a pure heart and soul and feels a calling to become a priest, something he believes in wholeheartedly. His path is set in stone but his faith is tested when he falls for Eva.
Eva and her father are living with Angelo’s grandparents when he arrives in Italy. They are Jewish but are considered part of their family. Eva is beautiful and a talented violinist who has the world at her fingertips…until Germany occupies Italy and everything changes.
Raw, poignant, and intense, this story moved me completely. It’s a forbidden romance that is powerful, real, and passionate. There is beauty in the innocence of two children falling in love and their connection evoked so many wonderful feelings inside me. But there is also a very real pain felt when the love isn’t able to be nurtured. There are so many obstacles in Eva and Angelo’s way to a HEA and their journey is emotional and overwhelming.
“I have always been yours, Angelo,” she said, echoing the very words he’d thought while he preayer. She was his. “But you have never been mine.”
It was true. She had always come second. But now? Now, instead of coming second, he was simply being torn in two. The priest and the man warring with each other.
Despite the devastation they endure, they support each other and love unconditionally even when they can’t be together. They fight for each other even when there is little hope. Their love is not easy and at times it tears them up inside, but in the end it was truly epic. It’s all consuming and will remain one of the most amazing love stories I have ever read.
Angelo and Eva are two of my favorite characters. They are complex and well developed and are faced with challenges that only make them stronger. Angelo and Eva were grounded and they knew their strengths and weaknesses. They were vulnerable and imperfect, striving to be the best they could be while remaining true to themselves. I felt the desperation in their hearts, to help, to live, and to love. Their devastation, heartache, and sorrow was palpable, and I loved that there were still experiences that fought the darkness that descended on them.
In him I have found a slice of the divine, a morsel of peace, and when his lips are on mine, his hands on my skin, there is reason to believe that life is more than pain, more than fear, more than sorrow. I am hopeful for the first time in years. And strangely enough, I find myself convinced that God loves his children – all his children – that he loves me, and that he provided moments of light and transcendence amid constant trial.
From Sand and Ash is so much more than a historical romance. It’s about life, faith, family, hope, perseverance, and fighting for the future. It’s set in the late 1930s/early 1940s when Germany begins to occupy Italy. Like so many others, Eva and Angelo don’t sit back and watch it happen. They are in the thick of it, risking their lives for everything that matters. They are selfless, bold, courageous, and strong, and they remained resilient to adversity as they fought to change the world.
Sand and ash. The ingredients of glass. Such beauty created from nothing…From sand and ash, rebirth. From sand and ash, new life. With every song and with every prayer, with every small rebellion, Eva felt reborn, renewed, and she vowed to press on. She vowed to push back, to make glass from the ashes, and that courage was a victory in itself.
The timeframe and historical elements were true and realistic. I felt the injustice, fear, and pain and I was so angered with all that happened. The nightmare Eva, her family, and so many others suffered broke my heart over and over again. This novel is a stunning portrayal of the beauty of life especially when faced with the horrendous acts that took place in this story.
“When you play, Eva, I feel hopeful. They can take our homes, our possessions. Our families. Our lives. They can drive us out, like they’ve driven us out before. They can humiliate us and dehumanize us. But they cannot take our thoughts. They cannot take our talents. They cannot take out knowledge, or our memories, or our mind. In music, there is no bondage. Music is the door, and the soul escapes through the melody. Even if it’s only for a few minutes. And everyone who listens is freed. Everyone who listens is elevated.
Fully invested in this story, I couldn’t stop thinking about it when it ended. Weeks later it is still on my mind. I find myself desperate to reread this amazing story in order to relive the epic love, devotion, and goodness that surround Angelo and Eva again and again. A truly magnificent masterpiece, From Sand and Ash is a top favorite that I know will remain in my heart and stand the test of time.
*Note: The audiobook is AMAZING and I recommend it to everyone!!