This old story by a British naval officer is mainly about a devout Catholic priest mininstering to the besieged citizens of strategically placed Malta, then under British control, during the Second World War. But it includes stories told by Father Salvatore about the long and troubled history of Malta from the attack of the Phoneciains in 1500 B.C.E, the Romans in 60 A.D. the Turks in 1565, and the Italians in 1940-43.
There is a lot of interesting history, although it is not called an historical novel. There is no doubt that the Maltese were and still are an interesting and fiercely independent people.
There are endless battles described in excruciating detail, mostly at sea or in the harbour, a few unlikely romances, and conflicts and jealousies within the Catholic heirarchy as Father Salvatore is exiled to a monestary in the nearby island of Gozo. And doubt develops in Father Salvatore, about some of the more bizzare tenets of his faith. His own family is shamed by the betrayal of his bother-in-law to the Italians.
I suspect that anyone who has visited Malta would find this book very interesting. I have not, and as I read it I changed my tentative rating of it many times.
The copy that my friends loaned me was in very small print with insufficient margins between the writing and the binding making it needlessly trying. I realize that this is a problem attributable to the publisher, not the author, but a problem nevertheless.
I finally settled on 3.5/5
Thanks, Neil and Linda.
The Passionate Reader 