Once Night Falls

Written by Roland Merullo

Narrated by Angelo Di Loreto

A harrowing historical novel of the extraordinary acts of ordinary people in Nazi-occupied Italy.

Italy, 1943. Luca Benedetto has joined the partisans in their fight against the German troops ravaging the shores of his town on Lake Como. While risking his life to free his country, Luca is also struggling to protect Sarah, his Jewish lover who’s hiding in a mountain cabin. As the violent Nazi occupation intensifies, Luca and Sarah fear for more than their own lives.

In the heart of their village, their mothers have also found themselves vulnerable to the encroaching Nazis. But Luca’s mother, undeterred, is devising her own revenge on the occupiers. With Mussolini deposed and Allied armies fighting their way up the peninsula, the fate of Italy hangs in the balance, and the people of Lake Como must decide how much they’re prepared to sacrifice for family, friends, and the country they love.

The most trying of times will create the most unexpected heroes and incredible acts of courage in this stirring narrative as seen through the eyes of those devastated by war-torn Italy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Dec 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781799749271

Roland Merullo

Roland Merullo is the bestselling author of more than twenty works of fiction and nonfiction, including Once Night Falls; The Delight of Being Ordinary; The Talk-Funny Girl, an Alex Award winner; Vatican Waltz, a Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2013 pick; Breakfast with Buddha, an international bestseller now in its twentieth printing; Lunch with Buddha, selected as one of the Best Books of 2013 by Kirkus Reviews; Revere Beach Boulevard, named one of the “Top 100 Essential Books of New England” by the Boston Globe; and Revere Beach Elegy, winner of the Massachusetts Book Award for nonfiction. Born in Boston and raised in Revere, Massachusetts, Roland attended Brown University, where he obtained a bachelor of arts in Russian studies and a master of arts in Russian language and literature. A former Peace Corps volunteer, he’s also made his living as a carpenter, college professor, and cabdriver. Roland, his wife, and their two lovely daughters live in the hills of western Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.rolandmerullo.com.

Reviews for Once Night Falls

[sharon dean · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well written excellent book scary to think that this happened!

[Dian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very good read the characters were realistic with the hate and hardship people still survived the narrator did a good job

[K G · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

As a completionist I hate giving up on books but between the flat American narration and a complete lack of character depth, I just can’t do it. Made it about 1/3rd of the way in and while the history is quite interesting, the stories just aren’t; I’d rather listen to a true history book than this.
At the very least the book should have a cast of narrators to help differentiate the 6-8 differing characters - the selected narrator does very little to change his voice so unless you’re paying 110% attention it’s easy to miss a switch. Also, WHY use an American narrator for an Italian story?!?

[Brenda Shealey Steele · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lots of detailed information. Vivid memories made possible readers/listeners to have empathy for each character. So sad humans could be so cruel….

[rbelyk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great historical novel that creates a world of fear, deception and duplicity that was Italy during World War II. Difficult to put down.

[Diane Pater · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great history lesson,I will look for more Today ok

[paul9the9well9read · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Once Night Falls by Roland Merullo once again demonstrates the skill of a talented writer to create a highly engaging fictional story to surround some actual non-fiction. In several of his books, the non-fiction has concerned spirituality, but in this book a wonderful suspense story surrounded the actual events of the last days of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Author Merullo speculates what it would have been like to be a freedom fighter working to end Mussolini’s rule and to throw off the brutality of the Nazis who were his allies.
It is a wonderful, tense, highly suspenseful and very realistic feeling read. The constant fear the inhabitants of Italy (and any other country controlled by totalitarian dictators) leaps from the pages and engages readers emotionally in their plight. The horror of not knowing who to trust, of not knowing if your oldest and dearest friends and even relatives might betray you creates a sense of hopeless isolation that contributes to the terror of living in such circumstances, and serves as a warning to
Those who might choose to put despots into power for short term advantages, exchanging freedom for comfort and discovering it is a Faustian bargain.
I am always reading four books at once, some are ones that I am studying to learn from while others are things that have simply caught my interest. When I started reading Once Night Falls, I pretty much stopped reading anything else I was working on because Once Night Falls completely captivated me, making me glad I had a long airline trip ahead of me to give me time to immerse myself in the book.
This was a great book and I enjoyed all of it.

[bibliodiction · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliantly written

I have always been confused by Italy’s role in WWII, but I now feel I have a better sense of the political struggle.

I love learning how a story came to be almost as much as the story itself. And this is no different. What we thought we knew and what really happened are not always the same. This author took that inaccuracy and, through immense research, brought to life a story few understood.

I’ve found I love how this author’s writing style and dedication to facts, mixed with a bit of fiction, bring a story to life. I will definitely been on the hunt for more of his treasures.