Feldman's Faves: April 6, 2026

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE

Thank you to everyone for your incredibly hard work last month. March was a crazy one for many of you and your efforts are very much appreciated.

Remember the name Julie Allemand – a guaranteed trivia night question in Toronto for years to come. And if you need to call a friend, just make sure that that friend is Tara.

Speaking of Toronto, there will be drama at the Roger’s Centre tonight since the Dodgers are back in town.

Finally, please join me in wishing Paula a very happy birthday coming up later this week. I guess she is rooting for Michigan tonight – GO BLUE!

This week’s theme is somewhat ‘Europeanish’, I guess….

THE GHOSTS OF ROME By: Joseph O’Connor – The Ghosts of Rome is book #2 of the series I started last week. While some critics argue that this one isn’t as good as book #1 (see below), I actually liked this one better. The story has more suspense, the characters are better developed and the back and forth from past to present is a little more fluid this time around. As one reviewer notes, “This is the second book in Joseph O’Connor’s new trilogy inspired by the true story of the Rome Escape Line, a secret network that smuggled thousands of Jewish refugees and Allied soldiers out of Nazi-occupied Rome. The first novel, My Father’s House, introduces us to the work of the Escape Line who meet in the neutral Vatican under the guise of a choir to avoid the attentions of the Gestapo and focuses on one member in particular – Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, the Irish Catholic priest who is the leader of the network. The Ghosts of Rome continues the story, beginning in February 1944, six months into the Nazi occupation. Although Hugh O’Flaherty is still part of the group, we see very little of him in this book as he steps into the background to let other characters’ stories be told. The main focus this time is the widowed Contessa Giovanna Landini, known as Jo, whose palazzo is commandeered by Gestapo officer Paul Hauptmann. Hitler isn’t satisfied with Hauptmann’s performance in Rome so far and he is under pressure to produce results. If he could obtain evidence of the Choir’s activities he’s sure that would help to improve his reputation with the Führer. Hauptmann hopes that the Contessa, whose house he is living in, will lead him to her fellow Escape Line members, but Jo is a resourceful woman and decides to take advantage of Hauptmann’s interest in her to try to protect herself and the Choir. Another significant storyline revolves around a Polish airman who is shot down over Rome. Some members of the Escape Line want to help him, but others are more cautious. How can they be sure he is who he says he is? What if he betrays them? When it becomes obvious that he has life-threatening injuries and will die if not treated, they are faced with an important decision to make.

Of the two books, I think I preferred My Father’s House because it was more suspenseful, describing the countdown to a major mission on Christmas Eve, and because I found Hugh O’Flaherty such an interesting character. This is an excellent book as well, though, and I’m sure other readers will like it better than the first one. Although Jo Landini is at the forefront of the story, most of the characters we met in the previous book also reappear, including British Envoy Sir Francis D’Arcy Osborne, diplomat’s wife Delia Kiernan and escaped soldier Sam Derry. We also see a lot of Delia’s teenage daughter, Blon, who is angry when her mother leaves the Escape Line and insists on trying to take her place, which not everyone is happy about! These are all people who really existed, but O’Connor includes an author’s note to explain that the way they are portrayed in the book is just his interpretation and shouldn’t be relied on as fact. If you haven’t read the previous novel, you’re probably wondering whether it’s necessary to have read it before starting this one. I would say it’s not really essential, but it would make it easier to follow what’s happening in this book. There are a lot of characters and O’Connor constantly switches between different perspectives throughout the novel, as well as inserting passages written in other styles – such as transcripts of (fictional) BBC interviews – which means you do need to pay attention otherwise it would be easy to lose track of things. As with My Father’s House, I was particularly interested in the insights we get into the mind of Paul Hauptmann – a very human villain, which just makes him all the more unsettling to read about. It’s the brave and tireless work of the Escape Line, however, that makes these novels so compelling; in this book, I loved the way they managed to hide hundreds of people inside a derelict old theatre right under the noses of the Gestapo. This is a planned trilogy and although I can’t see any details of the third book yet, I know it will be something to look forward to!” This series is not the best I’ve ever read but it’s not bad and I am down the rabbit hole. I will probably read the third book when it comes out just to see how things end. Here’s a good review from The Times Literary Supplement - https://www.the-tls.com/literature/fiction/the-ghosts-of-rome-joseph-o-connor-book-review-caroline-moorehead

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - Jodie Foster – From a VERY young age, Jodie Foster has played some of the most iconic roles in Hollywood history, winning two Oscars along the way. I took me years to get over Silence of the Lambs and I have never been able to watch it again. But that was a life changing movie for me and many others. Her role in Taxi Driver is of course iconic as well. So Foster has nothing to prove to anyone ever. Yet her latest film – A Private Life - is getting tremendous buzz in large part because Foster is doing basically the entire film IN FRENCH…. She is truly remarkable and I look forward to seeing this film. Her conversation with Connan (as one would expect) is fun and entertaining. Here’s an excerpt from the PODCAST itself, “Actress and filmmaker Jodie Foster feels ambivalent about being Conan O’Brien’s friend. Jodie sits down with Conan to discuss her experience working as a child actor, juggling the difference between intentionality and freedom, and how speaking French in her latest film A Private Life completely changed her acting style. Later, David Melmed returns to get to the bottom of Conan’s Star Search misappropriation”: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/conan-obrien-needs-a-friend/id1438054347?i=1000744330959

Thank you for your ongoing engagement and participation.

And remember to stay safe, stay healthy and to docket daily.

Jon