The Vatican Pimpernel: The World War II Exploits of the Monsignor Who Saved Over 6,500 Lives

One of the best book I have ever read

Loved reading this book and learned a lot about how courageous all involved were.As our history is being torn down this book reminded me just had brave they were and won the war.

I purchased this eBook after it was listed for a very low cost with the intention of “getting around to reading it later”. Luckily, it did not collect that much cyber dust. Once I started reading, I could not put it down and was finished in less than 24 hours. It is not a quick book, and at some points, I had to go back and re-read some of the paragraphs because I wanted to fully comprehend what was laid out before me. It was the book I had subconsciously searched for in answer to the rumors of what members of the Vatican did to help save lives of those threatened by the reach of the Third Reich.Before the story is told, the author introduces you to the “Cast of Characters”, which helps tremendously. Unlike many other non-fiction books, there was not one time that I found this book to be dry or boring. It is almost like reading a gripping news article that continues on for over 225 pages. At the end of each chapter, foot notes and bibliographies are added for further reference.I would highly recommend this book for all ages. If you are old enough to study World War II, you are old enough to read this book. As a Catholic, history buff, and a rather prolific reader, I am grateful to Brian Fleming for bringing this history to life for me. More people should know about the efforts of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty.

This is a fantastic story, and the writing is in the genre of good/excellent college level thesis paper or good newspaper journalism.Read this for the story, do be looking for exceptional literary gymnastics - this is a non-fiction account of a remarkable set of circumstances. It you have interest in the actions of unconditional love, the settings and themes of WWII, the core of Catholicism in doing God's work on earth, etc. this is a good - no great - book for you.If you just want a story about WWII and a priest who helps people escape those who oppress them, there are other better and more "exciting" mysteries.The fact that this is a true story, and the heroes of the story remained so humble (think of just about every USA veteran you have tried to talk with - "no, nothing special, I just did my job." This priest "just did his job" - a noble and superhuman job, but in his view he was doing his job.Note that Msgr. F. did not only help those who fled from the Nazi's, he helped Nazi's flee from those who intended to kill them - he help humans, with little concern for the color of their uniform so to speak.

Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty was actively involved in saving many people, escaped Allied POWs, Jews, and anti-Fascists, from the German troops occupying Rome during WWII. This book gives a clear picture of what things were like during the war years, and how O'Flaherty selflessly risked his own life many times to find hiding places and protect those who needed help. The writing style is a bit dry, but the book is based on a great deal of documented research.

This man was amazing. This shows how under dire circumstances you can bring together a ragtag group of people and do extraordinary things. This is a MUST read!

This book shows what the efforts of many good people including Pope Pius XII did to save Escaped POWs, Jews and opponents of Fascism from death while maintaining the official neutrality of the Vatican so as to preserve the sanctuaries for those threatened by the Nazis.

As a child I heard first hand the stories of terror and heroism from the people who lived through WWII in Europe. They were my teachers, my role models, my inspiration. I lived in France and St. Louis, Missouri. There are many thrilling stories that have come out of that war, and this one tells of a good-hearted, unlikely hero who I feel privileged to have read about. A very interesting and inspirational record.

A thrilling and exciting book that goes into a lot of background detail. He embodies the more positive side of Catholicism during WW2. His account exonerates the Pope who had otherwise got a bad press for not doing enough to stand up to Hitler. Regrettably he was never honored by his own country, the Republic of Ireland, probably because of his dealings with the "dastardly British". Significantly at the end of his book the author is not afraid to criticize the Irish government for its (antisemitism) and toleration of German war criminals. The book omits to mention that the Vatican Pimpernel was made a "righteous among the Gentiles" by the Israeli government for saving so many Jewish lives. He was truly a great man.

A fascinating account of Father O'Flattery's fearless adventures -in war-time Rome. A great advertisement for the Catholic Church and the Irish! Bought as background research to my book -currently in editing stage.

I liked this book because it shined the light on the real story of the Vatican during WW2. It hid about 4000 Jewish people and Fr Hugh O'flaherty hid and helped about 6500 POWs and Jewish peoples over course of the war. This is outlier info because of the fake news that the Pope was idle during the war. He also was negotiating to make Rome a open city and was prepared to be a neutral peace ambassador.

This is great story, which is practically unknown. It's interesting because the priest who organized the rescue organization was Irish, and worked for the Vatican, so he benefited from Irish neutrality and the reluctance of the Germans to invade the Vatican. This enabled the priest and his associates to save a number of Jews and POWs from death or the camps. The style can be a bit plodding in places, and the first few chapters, where he sets up the characters and story, a bit slow, but it is worth it for a truly worthwhile story.

Well researched. You have to read between the lines to feel the impact of the risks during that period. Additional research by the reader will aid in the understanding of this horrific period.