I just finished The Jukebox Queen of Malta by Nicholas Rinaldi, and I’d say it was a nice read, though not a great one. The ending left me wondering what happened next, as if the story stopped before it was really finished.
About the book
The Jukebox Queen of Malta is an exquisite and enchanting novel of love and war set on an island perilously balanced between what is real and what is not.
It’s 1942 and Rocco Raven, an intrepid auto mechanic turned corporal from Brooklyn, has arrived in Malta, a Mediterranean island of Neolithic caves, Copper Age temples, and fortresses. The island is under siege, full of smoke and rubble, caught in the magnesium glare of German and Italian bombs.
But nothing is as it seems on Malta. Rocco’s living quarters are a brothel; his commanding officer has a genius for turning the war’s misfortunes into personal profit; and the Maltese people, astonishingly, testify to the resiliency of the human spirit. When Rocco meets the beautiful and ethereal Melita, who delivers the jukeboxes her cousin builds out of shattered debris, they are drawn to each other by an immediate passion. And, it is their full-blown affair that at once liberates and imprisons Rocco on the island.
In this mesmerizing novel, music and bombs, war and romance, the jukebox and the gun exist in arresting counterpoint in a story that is a profound and deeply moving exploration of the redemptive powers of love.
My honest review
The story takes place during the war, when Malta was being bombed day and night. It follows Rocco, an American radio man who ends up stationed here, and Melita, a young woman who delivers jukeboxes to bars and cafés. The idea of jukeboxes playing music while bombs fall all around sounded strange at first, but it works in the story. It shows how life somehow goes on, even in terrible times.
I liked how Rinaldi described the island — the narrow streets, the dust, the sea always close by. You can tell he did his homework. I could picture it all quite clearly, though sometimes it felt like he lingered a bit too long on the scenery. I found myself wanting the story to move along faster.
Rocco and Melita’s relationship is touching in parts, but I didn’t always feel very connected to them. Maybe it’s because we don’t really get to know them deeply — they seem to fall in love more because the story needs them to than because we see it happen naturally. Some of the other characters are funny or strange, but not always believable.
The book reminded me a bit of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, which also mixes war and love on a Mediterranean island. But The Jukebox Queen of Malta doesn’t quite have the same warmth or emotion. It’s quieter, and sometimes a bit slow. The ending left me wondering what happened next, as if the story stopped before it was really finished.
Still, I enjoyed it enough. It’s not a bad book — just one that didn’t completely pull me in. I liked the mix of war and ordinary life, and the idea that music can survive even when everything else is falling apart. If you like gentle war stories with a bit of romance and don’t mind a slower pace, this one is worth a try.
So yes, three stars from me — good, but not unforgettable.
Book details
- ISBN: 978-1476766485
- Print length: 368 pages
- Other info: see tags below (author, location language & year of publication)
