The book
A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE
★ “Mesmerising, tragic, horrifying, utterly unputdownable... An outstanding read for fans of WWII fiction and of writers like Anthony Doerr.”—Emily Melton, Booklist (Starred Review)
Shortlisted for Kerry Group Novel of The Year
A Parade Most Anticipated Book of the Year
In the final, perilous months of WWII, a secret network known as The Choir smuggles thousands out of Nazi-occupied Rome via a route known only as the Escape Line. But when a wounded airman falls from the sky, the entire operation is thrown into jeopardy. From the Vatican, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty struggles to maintain the fragile network as the ruthless SS Commander Paul Hauptmann closes in. Enter Contessa Giovanna Landini, a bold and defiant member of the Resistance whose actions will tip the balance of power. But in whose favor?
Brimming with suspense, unforgettable characters, and historical resonance, The Ghosts of Rome is a masterfully written novel of resistance, sacrifice, and survival from an acclaimed and bestselling storyteller.
“The power of The Ghosts of Rome comes from the dazzling variety of voices... not just a wartime thriller, but a meditation on how we remember, how we resist, and how, even in the darkest times, humanity endures.”—The New York Times Book Review
The author
Joseph O’Connor
Joseph O’Connor’s Star of the Sea was an international bestseller, a New York Times, Economist Notable Book of the Year, and a Sunday Times Number 1 bestseller. It won France’s Prix Millepages, Italy’s Premio Acerbi, the Irish Post Award for Fiction, the Nielsen Bookscan Golden Book Award, an American Library Association Award, the Hennessy/Sunday Tribune Hall of Fame Award, and the Prix Litteraire Zepter for European Novel of the Year. He is the author of nine novels and is the Inaugural Frank McCourt Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Limerick. Shadowplay was named Novel of the Year at the 2019 Irish Book Awards and was a finalist for the prestigious Costa Book Award.
Press
- May 2 2025
Kerry Group Best Irish Novel of the Year 2025 Shortlist
— Listowel Writers' Week - Mar 1 2025
“Unforgettable.”
— Winnipeg Free Press - Feb 9 2025
“Gorgeous.”
— The Toronto Star - Feb 5 2025
“A thrilling, suspenseful, page-turner.”
— The Literate Quilter - Feb 4 2025
“Dazzling.”
— The New York Times Book Review - Jan 31 2025
“A stellar piece of storytelling.”
— The Daily Mail