The Last Masterpiece

 

The Last Masterpiece

Laura Morelli

Publication date: August 1, 2023 by William Morrow

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 4 👢👢👢👢

Summary: In a race across Nazi-occupied Italy, two women—a German photographer and an American stenographer—hunt for priceless masterpieces looted from the Florentine art collections.

In the summer of 1943, Eva Brunner is taking photographs of Nazi-looted art hidden in the salt mines of the Austrian hinterland. Across the ocean in Connecticut, Josephine Evans is working as a humble typist at the Yale Art Gallery.

When both women are called to Italy to contribute to the war effort, neither imagines she will hold the fate of some of the world’s greatest masterpieces torn from the Uffizi Galleries and other Florentine art collections in her hands.

But as Italy turns from ally to enemy and Hitler’s plan to destroy irreplaceable monuments and works of art becomes frighteningly clear, each woman’s race against the clock—and against one another—might demand more than they were prepared to give.

The Last Masterpiece takes readers on a heart-pumping adventure up the Italian peninsula, where nothing is as it seems and some of the greatest works of art and human achievement are at stake. Who might steal and who might save a work of art—and at what cost?

Inspired by the incredible true story of the Monuments Women, the Fifth Army WACs, and the looted Florentine art collections during World War II, the latest historical novel by USA Today bestselling author and art historian Laura Morelli plunges readers into the heart of war-torn Italy.

My thoughts: Morelli delivered another well researched story in this latest release on the push to save Florentine art. Most commonly known as the Monuments Men, the Allies Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Program aimed to protect the cultural property of those countries impacted by the atrocities of WWII. This latest book was at its core a female perspective of the race to secure some of that valuable art. With her characters Eva and Josie, Morelli provided readers with insight from both the Allied and Nazi sides. Each side had similar goals when it came to protecting the art but each side had very different motives. Many readers will be astounded by the lengths that museums across Italy went to to protect their culture. It was fascinating to learn the various hiding places that were used by the Florentines and even the Nazis. Eva and Josie had just enough of their own plot lines and not their mission to lighten the book. Morelli focused on the art but didn't shy away from the devastation of the war. This was a very well balanced book with its research and its characters. Easy to follow and very educational this was an enjoyable read. 

Thank you to publisher William Morrow books in partnership with BiblioLifestyle Tours for a gifted copy of this book.