FICTION: "The Golden Hour," by Margaret Wurtele

Minneapolis author Margaret Wurtele's debut book, "The Golden Hour," is set in an idyllic location -- a Tuscan villa in Italy. However, it's less than an ideal moment in time for our characters. We open in 1944, as our 17-year-old narrator, Giovanna, and her wealthy family are forced to share their winery with occupying Nazi soldiers. Her brother, Giovanni, has run away to help Partisan Italian forces aid the Allies.

Wurtele's choice of an Italian perspective for her World War II novel is an interesting one. Fascism, after all, began in Italy, and the Italians began the war allied with Germany. Far from being obvious, political allegiances in the novel shift as the political landscape shifts. Giovanna's father was once an ardent Fascist, and throughout the novel his loyalties waver, depending on which side seems more likely to win.

Giovanna opens the novel knowing very little about Nazism. She finds herself drawn to Klaus, a married Nazi soldier, and begins a dangerous romance with him.

As she learns about Nazi treatment of the Jews and begins to assist her brother in his Partisan efforts, however, Giovanna's attitude begins to change. This shift in allegiance is helped by another romantic possibility: The plight of the Jews is attractively conveyed to her by a handsome young man, Mario, whose life she helps to save.

One does wonder at Giovanna's entire ignorance of the Jewish predicament until nearly halfway through the book: Even though Italy's adoption of Hitler's "racial purity" stance didn't occur until late in the game, surely Giovanna would have been aware of, say, Jewish students being forbidden to attend schools? (Mario is described as attending the same school as her brother.)

Still, Giovanna's flaws are what make her a refreshing heroine. Though she is capable of heroic action, she is also capable of being selfish and short-sighted, just like any 17-year-old. For instance, unlike her saintly friend Violetta, Giovanna is not drawn to tending the sick and wounded soldiers: "Try as I might, I just couldn't feel the kind of desire to heal and help these people that Violetta clearly had."

When Giovanna is drawn to help, it is for personal reasons -- such as to help handsome Mario and her own brother. And in the name of helping those she loves, she makes several difficult decisions, some of which have far-reaching consequences.

Although not strictly a "young adult" book, the book's engaging young heroine and clear, accessible prose make it a suitable read for a range of ages.

It's part historical novel, part adventure story and part romance, kept together by a flawed, naïve narrator who struggles to do the right thing in the heightened circumstances of war.

Laura C.J. Owen is a writer in Tucson, Ariz. You can read more of her work at www.lauracjowen.com.