Woman in Red
The Woman in Red by Diana Giovinazzo follows the remarkable, yet little-known true story of Anita Garibaldi, a woman who fought bravely across three countries. Anita is captivating, brave, confident, and a trailblazing early feminist. I'm grateful that Giovinazzo has brought Anita’s story to light with such careful accuracy.
I picked up this book on a whim after spending 20 minutes browsing the store without finding anything that really grabbed me. My mom was ready to check out, so in a bit of a panic, I chose this one because it checked all three of my boxes: historical fiction, set during wartime, and featuring a romance.
To my surprise, I ended up really enjoying it. As I read, I couldn’t help but hope that Anita was a real person. When I discovered she did exist, I was saddened that her story isn’t more widely known. Her husband, José Garibaldi, was a vaguely familiar name, like so many other early male leaders. But Anita’s story, like those of many influential women throughout history, has been largely overlooked.
I was particularly intrigued by the depiction of the war in Italy, especially since I had just returned from a trip to Rome. Everything I learned during my visit was echoed in the book. As one character says, “We need Rome. That is for sure: without it, we can never become a unified country. Rome is the heart of Italy.”
Another aspect I enjoyed was learning about the revolutions in Brazil and Uruguay, topics I knew very little about. To be honest, I hadn’t even thought of wars and revolutions in South America before. The book provides fascinating insights, such as the quote: “Uruguay is the reluctant middle child forever pitted between Brazil and Argentina.”
Anita’s journey as an early feminist is truly inspiring: she grew up as a guancho, had children out of wedlock, lived on a ship, fought alongside her husband, and even escaped captivity while pregnant. These are just a few examples of her heroic actions. Despite everything she accomplished, it often felt like it was never enough.
Throughout the book we see the cultural differences of the three countries, Brazil, Uruguay and Italy. We especially see how differently Anita, a strong and independent woman, is treated by the people of each one.
I typically dislike time jumps in books, feeling that it can be incomplete or messy but the time jumps in this narrative didn’t. The story flowed seamlessly, especially with the dates provided at the start of each chapter. When there was a significant leap in time, such as the two-year skip after Anita’s first daughter was born, Giovinazzo handled it smoothly by incorporating it into the beginning of the chapter by using the daughter's age.
If you’re interested in historical fiction, early feminism, or the history of Brazil, Uruguay, or Italy, I highly recommend this book. It’s both enlightening and entertaining.
At the end of the book, Giovinazzo mentions how she found an old photograph of a family member that showed her of a young Italian man dressed for World War II. Her hunt for this relative is what led her to Anitas story. I am curious if there are any updates on this mysterious man in her family albums.
