{"product_id":"a-castle-in-wartime-one-family-their-missing-sons-and-the-fight-to-defeat-the-nazis-9780525559313","title":"A Castle in Wartime: One Family, Their Missing Sons, and the Fight to Defeat the Nazis","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"I was gripped by \u003ci\u003eA Castle in Wartime\u003c\/i\u003e--it contained more tension, more plot in fact--than any thriller.\"--Kate Atkinson, author of \u003ci\u003eBig Sky \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eCase Histories\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn enthralling story of one family's extraordinary courage and resistance amidst the horrors of war from the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Rooms\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs war swept across Europe in 1940, the idyllic life of Fey von Hassell seemed a world away from the conflict. The daughter of Ulrich von Hassell, Hitler's Ambassador to Italy, her marriage to Italian aristocrat Detalmo Pirzio-Biroli brought with it a castle and an estate in the north of Italy. Beautiful and privileged, Fey and her two young sons lead a tranquil life undisturbed by the trauma and privations of war. But with Fascism approaching its zenith, Fey's peaceful existence is threatened when Ulrich and Detalmo take the brave and difficult decision to resist the Nazis. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen German soldiers pour over the Italian border, Fey is suddenly marooned in the Nazi-occupied north and unable to communicate with her husband, who has joined the underground anti-Fascist movement in Rome. Before long, SS soldiers have taken up occupancy in the castle. As Fey struggles to maintain an air of warm welcome to her unwanted guests, the clandestine activities of both her father and husband become increasingly brazen and openly rebellious. Darkness descends when Ulrich's foiled plot to kill the Fuhrer brings the Gestapo to Fey's doorstep. It would be months before Detalmo learns that his wife had been arrested and his two young boys seized by the SS. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSuffused with Catherine Bailey's signature atmospheric prose, \u003ci\u003eA Castle in Wartime\u003c\/i\u003e tells the unforgettable story of the extraordinary bravery and fortitude of one family who collectively and individually sacrificed everything to resist the Nazis from within. Bailey's unprecedented access to stunning first-hand family accounts, along with records from concentration camps and surviving SS files, make this a dazzling and compulsively readable book, opening a view on the cost and consequences of resistance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCatherine Bailey is an award-winning television producer and director, making a range of critically acclaimed documentary films inspired by her interest in twentieth century history. She is the author of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestseller \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Rooms\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBlack Diamonds\u003c\/i\u003e. She lives in West London.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Penguin Adult Hc\/Tr","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50922605707538,"sku":"9780525559313","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8f098c67-ca72-4e5e-81ad-4de0d4e6e289.jpg?v=1738934379","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/a-castle-in-wartime-one-family-their-missing-sons-and-the-fight-to-defeat-the-nazis-9780525559313","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}