A Thread of Grace: A Novel

This book is highly praiseworthy, as with MDR's first book "The Sparrow." I had a minor issue with shipping (which was entirely my fault) and the seller worked it out with me, no problem. It shipped in a timely manner, even with that hiccup. I definitely recommend the book and the seller. Great purchase and buying experience. The book itself is a masterpiece. It is absolutely mandatory to read "The Sparrow" first, as this book is the sequel. MDR's background in the sciences is apparent, as she fleshes out her details vividly (e.g. the social hierarchy of the species she has invented; the complexity and syntax of their corresponding languages; the ecology and agriculture of the planet she has created). She has the rare gift of being equally talented in writing didactic, scientific discourses as well as intelligently poetic, fictional prose. The violence and sexual content in the book are entirely plot-driven -- they are not sensationalized bits of story used to increase the drama or carnality of the book. The plot may be troubling to some, as it probes the very essence of religion and the human psyche, but MDR does so in a way that doesn't "feel" like reading a socio-religious study. It picks up where "The Sparrow" left off, works through the ragged cliffhangers that were left, resolves the turmoil in each character's spirit, and comes full-circle at the end to leave the reader somewhat stunned and gutted. It is a book that will definitely require time to digest ... But it is thoroughly worth the time and effort, and it will leave you a better person for it.

I liked this book, A Thread of Grace. Mary Doria Russell is an excellent writer. I have also read her book, Doc, which was much less complicated. It is a very well-told story of the jews in italy during the Nazi Occupation, both italian Jews, and jews from other parts of Europe. Apparently the Italian people were much more helpful at hiding and saving Jews from the Nazis than the people of other countries in Europe. i found the book very hard going in some parts, because there is a huge list of characters, which, thank goodness, is all printed in the front of the book. The author lists so many characters, including deceased ones and aliases of others, that I found myself constantly turning back to the front of the book to review them. Other than that, which I found to be a big fault, the book was rewarding.

The characters in this complicated and powerful story will remain in my memory for a long time. Set in the northern countryside in Italy during WWII, this is the story of the "common and everyday" Italians who hid many Jews and the story of the resistance movement which changed these ordinary people into heroes, saints, or sinners. I admit I had some difficulty with the first several chapters of the book due to the complexity of the names and places. I'm not a WWII history buff so have little background); however, it wasn't long until these complicated names became familiar faces in my mind. The author does a beautiful job of making characters come alive; it's easy to envision the drunken German doctor, the overworked and overwhelmed rabbi's wife, the young Jewish daughter attempting to take care of her father while never quite understanding why they are leaving. The evolution of that young woman into a partisan herself is only one thread of the story. The scenes of brutality are hard to read, but the scenes of tenderness set in the midst of that brutality bring tears. This juxtaposition seems to be one of Russell's best strengths. Two examples come to mind. Young Claudette gives birth too soon, her husband of only a few days already killed. Duno, once a rash, immature neighbor filled with bravado, tenderly tells her the baby is "beautiful" and stays at her bedside. Later in the novel when Father Osvaldo Tomiz is horribly tortured and near death, it is Werner Schramm, a Nazi doctor who has deserted, who bluffs his way into the prison to give the final rites and perform one more killing. The ending of this book is just like the war; there are no nice clean tight solutions. Rather there is a memory of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances who lived through or died either fighting for what they believed in or died as the result of others not even sure why they are fighting. This book is not an easy read. My one complaint is the abundance of German and Italian words and phrases that I was usually able to figure out, but not always (sometimes the author assumes the reader is smart), but reading "Thread of Grace" is certainly well worth the effort and immensely satisfying.

A Thread of Grace is set during WWII and follows a group of Jewish refugees who have fled to southern France and relative protection of the Italian occupied area. Now the Italians have surrendered to the Allies the German army is coming and they must flea over the Alps into Northern Italy following the path that Hannibal and his elephants took centuries before. However Italy is now occupied by the German Army and the Allies are only slowly fighting their way north. If refugees like young Claudette Blum and her father want to survive they must find friends and hide until the allies come. This is the little known story of the partisans of northern Italy and of the people who hid Jewish refugees from the Germans. Having read Mary Doria Russell's two other books Sparrow and Children of God and loved them I was disappointed to find that her next book wasn't sci-fi. However my opinion changed upon reading A Thread of Grace. Like her other books it is incredibly well written, the characters come alive and you become invested in their fate as if you are walking with them. My only issue with the book was the Italian names that mean I often didn't know which group of people and where they were until into the chapter. One character also has several names and personas, which was hard for me to keep up with but in another way added to the enjoyment of the book. A Thread of Grace was incredibly moving and sad but most of all I enjoyed reading about the role of the church and the citizens of northern Italy who risked all to save the Jewish refugees. I was delighted to find reading the notes at the end of the book that the story set in a real background where deeds like those in the book really happened. Meredith Brocklebank Author of In The Realm of the Golden Queen

I had been putting off reading this book for sometime but finally decided to try it. I knew this wasn't going to be an easy read given the author and subject and I was right. It wasn't so much as a difficult read as it was a disappointing read. The book centers around the many Jewish people who sought help to escape the Nazis by traveling to Italy. By the time some of them arrive there though, Italy has surrendered and the Germans are about to march into Italy. Ironically, this spring we traveled through Umbria and Tuscany and one day found ourselves in a small village where the Jews were of the town were hidden throughout the war by the Italians of this town. Today only one Jewish women lives in this town with her son and nephew but they are still very proud of the face that they survived the war and love their village for saving them among many others. Although I expected to really love this book and gain some more knowledge about a group that saved Jews which I didn't know before there were some major drawbacks to this book. To begin with this book never really drew me in. I found that I was confused by the many characters and had to often refer to the list of names and where they were from at the beginning of the book. And if that wasn't enough the thrust of the story which revolved around Jewish families, Christian people who helped the Jews, members of the Catholic Church and the Germans occupied many different areas in Italy and I found this also confusing. I don't regret that I read this book but that I really didn't enjoy it all that much. The three stars rather than less was for the research that the author put into this book. For a better take on a book set during WWII, I recommend the incomparable Stones from the River or The Invisible Bridge.

The story is wonderful, although I am only half way through the book. My Italian family is from the particular region(s) in Italy where the story is set. The historical research and nuances in the book are quite accurate and authentic; Ms Russell has the Northern Italian culture down pat in her heart it seems. i actually come from roots where the surname is both Catholic and Jewish; I also have predecessors who were victims of the mass murders. They were killed either for being Jewish, or hiding them. The author could have helped her story in the following ways: + provided illustrated maps of the villages and regions featured in the story, showing the map of migration + provided a war time pictorial section + provided a very brief historical prologue explaining how all the different political factions came into being. As much as I consider myself a history buff, I found myself doing research elsewhere in the middle of the story To keep myself on track. The author (or quite possibly circumstances) makes it quite difficult to keep names and places straight at times. I'm not sure if this is a function of writing style, but the story can be hard to follow. To make matters a bit more difficult, one character has several name changes out of sheer necessity. I still have half the book before I finish; I'm curling up to read today.

Great locale and interesting era to write about. I really enjoyed reading about the humanity of the mountain people raised Catholic but inherently knowing that the Jews fleeing Nazi territories deserved food and shelter. Equally gratifying was the story of how the city cultured Jews pitched in and worked every bit as much and as hard as the mountain folks. The alpine people represented the universal goodness of man exemplifying the sense of humanity and justice inherent in all humans regardless of belief systems or external pressures. Great characters showing the eternal possibilities of redemption and the internal desire to make a better person of oneself even after failing by chance or by weakness. A great novel and clearly very true to history.

'A Thread of Grace' is a joyous and a sad novel at the same time. It is set in northern Italy between late 1943 and the end of the war in 1945. As the Allies land in southern Italy, Mussolini is overthrown and a new republic proclaimed. Italians believe the war is over. Events soon prove this optimism false as Hitler restores Mussolini to power in the North and floods northern Italy with German troops-and-with hoardes of SS to round up Italian Jews. The story centers on a group of jewish emigrees and the Italians who shield them. As 1943 drags into 1944 and the allies slug their way up the coast of Italy, the Italians begin to form partisan bands to fight for their homeland. Death, when it comes, is swift and sudden. But there are life affirming moments as well as the hidden jews and the partisan italians bond into community- even as the Germans destroy as much as they can before they are forced to retreat before the allied advance. The stories of individaul heroism and cowardice, of love and death fill the pages of this novel. It is a sad and a beautiful read. I would recommend 'A Thread of Grace' to anyone who understands the human condition and enjoys reading about the best and the worst of it.