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The Thread

3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 · rating details · 2,282 ratings · 392 reviews

From the internationally acclaimed author of The Island and The Return comes a sweeping and unforgettable story of love and friendship and the choices that must be made when loyalties are challenged.

Thessaloniki, Greece, 1917: As Dimitri Komninos is born, a fire sweeps through the thriving multicultural city where Christians, Jews, and Muslims live side by side. It is the...more

Paperback, 400 pages

Published July 10th 2012 by Harper Paperbacks (first published 2011)

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Mar 25, 2013 Nanie Dias rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

[Review in Portuguese]

O Fio, de Victoria Hislop
Intrínseca - 365 páginas
Duas vidas entrelaçadas à história de uma cidade.

Título: O Fio
Título Original: The Thread
Autor: Victoria Hislop
Tradutor: Adalgisa Campos da Silva
Editora: Intrínseca
ISBN: 978-85-8057-298-8
Ano da Edição: 2013
Ano Original de Lançamento: 2011
Nº de Páginas: 365
Comprar Online: Saraiva / Submarino

Sinopse:
Era uma vez uma cidade litorânea próspera e de povo feliz. Viviam juntos cristãos, judeus e muçulmanos em perfeita harmonia.

Era u...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Juliet Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

This is a wonderful love story set against the sweep of Greek history through the 20th century.

Katerina the main character is a very likeable character, and I really felt for her from her separation from her mother, her arrival in Thessalonika where she was taken in by a kindly family to her work as a seamstress and her love for Dimitri. All set against the tide of history taking in the Second World War, civil war, fires and earthquakes.

Dimitri and Katerina are separated for many years as he f...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Michael Moseley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club

Victoria Hislop’s eagerly-awaited third novel, “The Thread”, was published by Headline Books in October, 2011. In it she returns to Greece, taking as her backdrop the troubled history of the city of Thessaloniki in a story that spans almost a century, beginning with the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 which almost destroyed the city, burning for almost two days and razing 9,500 houses. The city that rose from the ashes would be very different both architecturally – since the government commissio...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Deborah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is an amazing well written book, describing the friction and war between Greece and Turkey and how they swop their populations in the early 1900. As a second generation Holocaust survivor, most of the survivors talked very little about the events. So few of them came back from the camps, yet they did not share this part of history with their children. Yes most of the jewish women from Saloniki that survived were seamstresses, and we the girls of the second generation while poor were always we...more

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Aug 19, 2012 VaultOfBooks rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

By Victoria Hislop. Grade: A+
After her highly successful first novel, The Island, which is set in the Crete island of Greece, Hislop treats us with another excellently woven and an absorbing tale of Greece’s second largest city of Thessaloniki. A heart touching love story with an insight into the lives of people varying over a large time span, accurate research work to depict the war conditions of the early 20th century, and a controversial political stance, Victoria knows how to get it right ev...more By Victoria Hislop. Grade: A+
After her highly successful first novel, The Island, which is set in the Crete island of Greece, Hislop treats us with another excellently woven and an absorbing tale of Greece’s second largest city of Thessaloniki. A heart touching love story with an insight into the lives of people varying over a large time span, accurate research work to depict the war conditions of the early 20th century, and a controversial political stance, Victoria knows how to get it right every time.
Thessaloniki, 1917
As Dimitri komninos is born, fire devastates the thriving Greek city where Christians, Jews and Muslims live side by side. Five years later, Katerina Sarafoglou’s home in Asia Minor is destroyed by the Turkish army. Losing her mother in the chaos, she flees across the sea to an unknown destination in Greece. Soon her life will become entwined with Dimitri’s, and with the story of city itself, as war, fear and persecution begin to divide its people.
Thessaloniki, 2007
A young Anglo-Greek hears his grandparents’ life story for the first time and realizes he has a decision to make. For many decades, they have looked after the memories and treasures of the people who were forced to leave. Should he become their next custodian and make this city his home?
The book opens in the modern era in the year 2007 in Thessaloniki – and ends there – when a young man, Mitsos, is being told a story of his grandparents and why they do not want to leave the city. From the very beginning, we know the outcome of the relationship for the two main characters, Katerina and Dimitri, before we are taken back to the beginning of their lives. But still, that never hinders the desire to continue and unravel the events which lead to the marriage of Dimitri and Katerina.
In 1917, as Dimitri Komninos is born, fire cripples the lively city of Thessaloniki. Meanwhile, in Asia Minor, war continues between Greece and Turkey. In 1922, in the aftermath of war, population exchange takes place in both the countries. Greek Muslims leave for Turkey, and the Christians in Asia Minor leave for Greece. Katerina Sarafoglou’s home in Smyrna is destroyed by the Turkish army. She flees to an unknown destination in Greece after losing her mother in the chaos of the migration. In an year or so, she finds herself in Thessaloniki. And from there begins the road which leads to some enthralling events which would totally change the lives of the people of Thessaloniki.
The Thread would please the readers with a fervent display of rapidly changing times by depicting the multicultural society of Thessaloniki before and after the population exchange took place, the occupation of Greece by the Nazis and the destruction which followed, and with striking details of the events during the second world war.
The characters of Dimitri and Katerina are so strong that you will be able to see everything through their eyes. In fact, Thessaloniki itself is the main character of the story. Konstantinos Komninos, Dimitri’s father, is more like a villain which reminds you of the times when women went through domestic violence and enjoyed no right in decision making and their only job was to stay at home and prove themselves as good wives.
Katerina is the best modistra (yes, there are a good number of Greek words used throughout, although there is no difficulty in understanding) in the city and most of the characters’ lives revolve around the tailoring business.
In the later part, much of the story is about the Anti-Semitic feelings against Jews. It makes you picture the scenes from the movie, The Schindler’s List, when Jews had to flee to Poland from most parts of the Europe, made to do forced labor, and then shot dead in ghettos or gassed in concentration camps. Victoria took a controversial political stance by siding with Communists (or the resistance army) which tried to protect Greece during the German invasion. She seems perfectly fine with that as she justifies her stance inarguably and gets all the sympathy.
With a real Thread running throughout the script, Hislop keeps the grip tight with a seamless flow of words. The best part was the depiction of young Katerina when she lost her mother. With all the childlike words used there and deep emotional drama, it almost brought me to tears.
At last, I would like to add that this novel would do a great job in increasing tourism in Thessaloniki. I feel the urge to visit the place and live the life of the characters. The story couldn’t have been any better, it is already the best. Victoria’s sheer brilliance in bringing up the period drama mixed with lessons of history makes her stand apart from the pack.
Is it the rise of another star novelist? Read The Thread to find the answer. Which is exactly what I’ll be doing – for the third time.

Originally reviewed at http://the-vault.co.cc (less)

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Aug 09, 2012 Roy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was reluctant to ready this book. Why ? Well, I have read a lot of books about this era of Greek history, but other than Louis de Bernieres, never one written by a British author.
My wife had bought me a copy for Christmas, and I had put it under the bed, dismissing it as a middle class British woman's attempt to imagine a subject she can't possibly know that well. But I picked it up again when people started talking to me about it. I was wrong and I am glad I persevered. Hislop knows Greece we...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Tia Bach rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rating: 4.5 stars

Like each thread in a gorgeous gown, this story weaves several elements into a beautiful tale. Fate, as seamstress, plays an important role in bringing together Katerina and Dimitri against all odds.

At a young age, Katerina relies on the kindness of strangers when she is separated from her mother. Dimitri is born into wealth and privilege, but he follows his heart and what he knows is right... even when his own father denies him.

Their love story is a winding, long road. One tha...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Ksenia Grekova rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The world will never seize to amaze us with the past, however alluring the future is. In fact the past is so vivid, different, and yes, unknown and controversial that we more often than not choose to "rather bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of". And that's when the author's talent, skills and love step in to make the reader hungry to know more.

Yet another summer I travel to Greece and yet another year I pick up one of the Hislop's books. And yet another time I am abso...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Mιss •kαthєяίиє• Τhε Emεrαℓd Pяίиcεss® rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: greek, nice-cover, translated-in-greek-greek-books

Λοιπόν, από πού να ξεκινήσω... Χμμμ, πρωτα-πρωτα το βιβλίο το "δανείστικα" από μια φίλη (ευτυχώς!) η οποία λεγόταν επίσης Κατερίνα και το αγόρασε επειδή είχε Κατερίνα ως πρωταγωνίστρια και τη Θεσσαλονίκη ως τόπο διεξαγωγής της ιστορίας (πήγαμε σχολική εκδρομή εκεί --> αναμνήσεις...). Τελωσπάντων, το ομολογώ, το απλό εξώφυλλο και η περιληψη του οπισθόφυλλου μου κίνησαν την προσοχή. (Όχι ότι θα άφηνα ευκαιρο βιβλίο να φύγει μέσα από τα χέρια μου!!) Νόμιζα ότι η ιστορία θα ήταν το λιγότερο πάρα...more Λοιπόν, από πού να ξεκινήσω... Χμμμ, πρωτα-πρωτα το βιβλίο το "δανείστικα" από μια φίλη (ευτυχώς!) η οποία λεγόταν επίσης Κατερίνα και το αγόρασε επειδή είχε Κατερίνα ως πρωταγωνίστρια και τη Θεσσαλονίκη ως τόπο διεξαγωγής της ιστορίας (πήγαμε σχολική εκδρομή εκεί --> αναμνήσεις...). Τελωσπάντων, το ομολογώ, το απλό εξώφυλλο και η περιληψη του οπισθόφυλλου μου κίνησαν την προσοχή. (Όχι ότι θα άφηνα ευκαιρο βιβλίο να φύγει μέσα από τα χέρια μου!!) Νόμιζα ότι η ιστορία θα ήταν το λιγότερο πάρα πολύ καλή (τόσος ντόρος είχε γίνει πριν από καιρό για το Νησί). Αλλά απογοητεύτηκα. Αυτό πυ ανακάλυψα στο τέλος του βιβλίου ήταν μια χλιαρή ρομαντική ιστορία, με πολλές λεπτομέρειες για τους πρόσφυγες από Σμύρνη (πάντως ήταν κατατοπιστικό όσον αφορά την Ιστορία Κατεύθυνσής μου), πώς εγκαταστάθηκαν τα πρώτα χρόνια του ξεριζωμού, οι συνθήκες ζωής, κτλ. , την ιστορία της Θεσσαλονίκης εκείνα τα χρόνια μέχρι την Αντίσταση και άλλα πολλά. Το υπόβαρθο ήταν ωραίο: ένα κοριτσάκι, η Κατερίνα, μέσα στο χαμό που γινόταν στη Σμύρνη έχασε τη μαμά και την αδερφή της και ένας στρατιώτης που τη βοήθησε την έβαλε σε ένα πλοίο με διαφορετικό προορισμό από την Αθήνα, όπου κατευθύνοταν η υπόλοιπη οικογένειά της. Αυτό έδωσε το έναυσμα για να πάει στη Θεσσαλονίκη και να βρει τον έρωτα της ζωής της και μπλα μπλα. Η ιστορία έπασχε παντού. Στην αρχή δεν κατάλαβα καν οτι οι δύο πρωταγωνιστές ήταν ερωτευμένοι. Το ότι η ηρωίδα παντρεύτηκε κάποιον άλλο λίγο μετά την Κατοχή μου προκάλεσε άσχημα συναισθήματα. Γιατί έπρεπε να φτάσει σχεδόν το τέλος του βιβλίου για να υπάρξει μία καλή στιγμή ανάμεσα στους δύο ήρωες η οποία δεν μου μετέδωσε κανένα συναίσθημα ρομαντικού έρωτα; Δεν ξέρω, εμένα μου φάνηκε τελείως παγωμένο. Ίσως οι πιο hardcore ρομαντικοί και φαν της συγγραφέως να έχουν άλλη γνώμη. Την γνώμη μου πάντως θα την πω. Τα τρία αστέρια μπήκαν με μεγάλη δυσκολία...(less)

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Sep 20, 2011 Trish rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Thread - Victoria Hislop

Katerina Sarafoglou, a young seamstress with exceptional talent, creates beautiful gowns for the rich ladies of Thessaloniki in Greece, the passion for her work shining through as her needle threads its way through the fine silks and wools.

Victoria Hislop's new novel, The Thread, weaves a story of love, family feuds, resilience and loss against a backdrop of the turbulent history of Greece, and, in particular, the northern city of Thessaloniki, throughout the 20th Cen...more The Thread - Victoria Hislop

Katerina Sarafoglou, a young seamstress with exceptional talent, creates beautiful gowns for the rich ladies of Thessaloniki in Greece, the passion for her work shining through as her needle threads its way through the fine silks and wools.

Victoria Hislop's new novel, The Thread, weaves a story of love, family feuds, resilience and loss against a backdrop of the turbulent history of Greece, and, in particular, the northern city of Thessaloniki, throughout the 20th Century.

After her highly successful first novel, The Island, which was set in Crete and the leper island of Spinalonga, Victoria set her second novel, The Return, in 1930s Spain. In this, her third, widely-anticipated, novel, she returns to Greece and readers are once again treated to a tale which not only ticks the boxes for providing a heart-warming love story, but enlightens and educates with an accurate, fascinating insight into the history of this region.

This is how I like my history; a social interpretation of how political, religious and environmental forces affect people in their day to day lives. In 1917 we learn that Thessaloniki is devastated by a fire which has a huge impact on the future of this multi-cultural city, where Christians, Muslims and Jews were living together in a fairly successful symbiotic way. Add two world wars, civil war, communism versus nationalism and it's clear that the city is never going to be the same again for its inhabitants.

The book begins in 2007 so we know the outcome of the relationship for the two main characters, Katerina and Dimitri, before we are taken back to the beginning of their lives. Having knowledge of the ending doesn't, in fact, detract from the enjoyment of the narrative: there are enough questions, surprises and anxious moments to keep the reader entranced from beginning to end.

I suspect comparisons will be made with Louis de Bernieres' Captain Corelli's Mandolin and it's true this book will excite imagination and encourage travel to Thessaloniki to experience the spirit of a city nestling in the arms of the ever-present Mount Olympus. But for me this book has the same emotional appeal as Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. In that novel I was able to appreciate how political changes and religious extremes impact on normal, diligent families and their neighbours in Afghanistan: in The Thread similar trials are thrust upon a group of hard-working, tolerant, loving individuals in war-torn Greece. Their specific stories may be fictional but their voices are real and resonant.

(less)

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Oct 07, 2012 Adri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hesitated taking this book from the library - yet another book about the devastation of the two wars. The fact that it is situated in Greece interested me. It is a beautifully written book, but it made me cry (still does) to read again of the persecution of the Jews. Not only that: the knowledge that father and son, brother and brother, will fight against one another, betray each other, for the sake of perceived power. We are supposed to be an intelligent and civilized species, yet day after d...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Charlotte rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book so much, I didn't want it to end.

I'm not sure what the opinion of this book might be from the perspective of a Greek reader and/ or someone who knows Greece/ Thessaloniki well, and I'm not sure if Hislop has actually written a realistic story here that accurately describes the nuances of the city and its people.

However, as I said, I absolutely adored it. It was a bit slow to get going but after a little while I was completely hooked and couldn't put it down.

It was just beautifu...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Juanitah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"A Arca" passa-se na Grécia, no maravilhoso país mediterrânico, começando no presente, mas depressa nos remontando ao passado, mais propriamente, a 1917, ano em que nasce Dimitri Komninos, um dos protagonistas do livro.
A par de Dimitri temos Katerina, uma casal que me encantou, e que protagoniza a estória.
Num período de guerra em Tessalonica, cidade onde se centra a acção, Katerina e Dimitri crescem juntos, assim como a sua relação, que evoluí de forma graciosa e bonita.
Victoria Hislop conta-nos...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Marg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A few months ago I read this author's debut novel, The Island, and really loved it! Like that first book, this one is set in Greece, this time in the coastal city of Thessaloniki. It is a city that I knew very little about. Probably the only thing that came to mind was that there were a couple of letters to the Thessalonians in the New Testament of the Bible. What that tells us is that there is a long and rich history of the city, so it was probably wise of the author to concentrate pretty much...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Susan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012books

Thessaloniki, 1917. As Dimitri Komninos is born, a fire sweeps through the thriving multicultural city, where Christians, Jews and Moslems live side by side. It is the first of many catastrophic events that will change for ever this city, as war, fear and persecution begin to divide its people. Five years later, young Katerina escapes to Greece when her home in Asia Minor is destroyed by the Turkish army. Losing her mother in the chaos, she finds herself on a boat to an unknown destination. From...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

The sweeping historical detail of this book carried me through the first third before something started to niggle. I just couldn't engage with the characters and their reactions to things constantly surprised me, as a reader I ofen find myself seeing and feeling through the eyes of a character, but with this book I stayed an outside observer. When I started to analyse what the probelm was, I realised that although the author is very good at the history part, when it comes to people she writes in...more

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May 22, 2012 Hannah Webster rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really enjoyed The Island, despite its flaws and I was hoping for a similarly good plot with The Thread, but I was pretty disappointed.

The history of the novel was interesting, but it really dragged on and on in the last quarter of the book as there was no climactic scene like in The Island. On the face of it, the novel was fine but there were just too many problems with it for me to give it more than two stars. For a start all the characters were either good or bad, selfish or selfless. The p...more I really enjoyed The Island, despite its flaws and I was hoping for a similarly good plot with The Thread, but I was pretty disappointed.

The history of the novel was interesting, but it really dragged on and on in the last quarter of the book as there was no climactic scene like in The Island. On the face of it, the novel was fine but there were just too many problems with it for me to give it more than two stars. For a start all the characters were either good or bad, selfish or selfless. The poor were wonderful people with tonnes of friends and the rich only cared about money and were ultimately miserable and alone. I realise the Moreno family was an exception to this, but they still chose to live in the poorest part of the city and were therefore wonderful.

I also had issues with inconsistencies in characters, like the fact that Hislop makes a point of saying the twins have "little in common" besides their looks, before going on to say they both want to be tobacco graders, they both dislike school and have no interest in their mother's weaving, and later on they are practically finishing each other's sentences.

It bugged me that there was very little reason given for why Eugenia takes in the five-year-old Katerina and raises her, and no real gratitude or reflection on this from Katerina's point of view. Later on Katerina says the fact that a soldier picked her up and threw her on a boat out of dangerous Smyrna as "the greatest kindness that's ever been shown to me". Err, what about a woman taking you in, feeding you, clothing you, and making you part of her family without anyone even asking her to?! There were moments and inconsistencies like that throughout the novel which just wound me up.

There was simply too much stuff happening and too many characters to make anything in particularly meaningful in my view. I wanted Hislop to stop, take a breath and really explore what was going on in a scene or era - it seemed rushed and not nearly enough attention was given to the narrative, which seemed confused in places.

I enjoyed learning about the history of the city, which I wouldn't have discovered otherwise, but the actual story and how it was told left a lot to be desired.(less)

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Oct 30, 2011 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Thread is set in Greece's second city Thessaloniki with a prologue set in the present day. A young Anglo-Greek hears for the first time the story of his Grandparents and this story starts in 1917. A fire rages out of control and most of the citizens are left homeless. A baby boy is born that night and The Thread follows the story of that child - Dimitri Komninos. As a small boy Dimitri plays on the street with Katerina who is a refugee from Asia Minor, she fled when the Turks invaded her hom...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Philip Lane rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh dear - what a disappointment. This felt to me like a cheap docu-drama with rather poor computer generated backdrops. As a past resident of Thessaloniki I couldn't really fault the historical bits, and obviously Hislop has trawled through old newspapers but the use of language I found hugely irritating. The book appears not to have been vetted by a Greek speaker and the most peculiar transliterations have crept in as well as some lack of knowledge in terms of names and forms of address, not to...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Gillie Lewis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very interesting book. Learnt a lot about the history of Greece during the war. Stories about the influx of Turks, Muslims,Jews and the horrific stories of their departures . There was a realisation that we have an optimistic view of human nature and we are always surprised by how awful our species can be. I loved reading about the seamstress's talent and how she loved her work. How whatever happened here would always the rich who would need her expertise and she would always work. The plight of...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Emma Macey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Victoria Hislop's novels and I'd been looking forward to this coming out for months. Her previous books rank among my all time favourites so I had high expectations for The Thread - and it didn't disappoint.

Before reading this book I didn't really know anything about twentieth century Greek political history and I found this aspect of the novel almost as gripping as the story of the central characters, Katerina and Dimitri. The plot was well thought out and easy to follow and I really eng...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Paula pccst rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Victoria Hislop escolheu novamente Grécia como país para a acção desta narrativa, desta feita em Tessalonica.
Começando nos tempos de hoje, somos rapidamente transportados para o início do Séc. XX quando nasce Dimitri, em 1917. Este dia dica marcado não só pelo nascimento do filho tão aguardado pela família Komninos, mas também por um acontecimento devastador, um enorme incêndio que destrói toda esta cidade grega.
É a partir daqui que começa a história negra deste livro, começando pelo fraco rel...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Beth rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: bookcrossing, fiction-general

I really loved 'The Island', but hated 'The Return'. This one, sadly, goes in the 'hate' pile. I really wanted to like it. I love stories set in Greece, and some Greek history interests me. But this story was sooooo boring. I almost gave up on it so many times, but wanted to keep reading to find out what the big twist was going to be (turns out there wasn't one, really. The 'big deal' was all of the icons from the synagogues. Are you kidding? How boring.) The author does a good job of telling th...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Louisa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 11, 2013 Briansmom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is an amazing book which covers the recent history (starting in 1917) of Greece, Asia Minor, and the city of Thessaloniki, Greece in particular. I really had no idea of the upheaval experienced by this part of the world during this time frame, and I enjoyed learning of a time and place that was unknown to me. The story takes us from World War I to the present day, but the majority of the it focuses on the time frame just before and after World War II. Greece was especially vulnerable to the...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Paula Sealey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Set in Thessaloniki, Greece, this moving story seamlessly weaves (pardon the pun!) its way from 1917 through to the present day, telling the story of Katerina and Dimitri.

Now grandparents, they begin to tell their life tale to their beloved grandson. This is a story of long-lasting, enduring love, not only for each other, but also for Thessaloniki itself.

Through a devastating fire, war, invasion, dictatorship and an earthquake, we journey through the years, with a raft of strong characters disc...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Ivona Poyntz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A sprawling epic spanning both world wars, the Thread works better as historical reference than fiction: the characters are still born, rendered lifeless and unengaging, with the true centre piece being Thessaloniki, a vibrant city full of colour and pizzaz which subtly evolves throughout the 20 century.

The plethora of characters: Dimitri, Olga, Eugenia, Leonides and Katerina seem to share equal air time and thus we have no 'mains' here. Regretably, this serves to reduce the whole ensemble to se...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Furny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow, I know we are only in March but I think this is going to be one of my favourite books of 2012!.
This book is a mixture of childhood, adulthood, love, friendship, war, poverty, affluence, regret, morals, hate, work, politics and just surviving!.I could not put this book down and kept thinking about it in between reading too!.
I have to admit to not having read Hislop's previous two books even though I have them but I will be hunting them out now!.
If I was to make any slight criticism it would...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Kathy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would love to be a world traveler, soaking up other cultures during summers spent masquerading as a local, so this is perhaps why I've lately been drawn to books set in countries I can only dream of visiting. The Thread tells the story of generations of a Greek family through turns of family fortune, changing of political regimes, the passage of time, and the changing values of each generation - and of members of the same generation. It's a story of division as political outlooks change, and i...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Bowerbird rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book covers a very wide canvas in 20th century Greek history, maybe too much, so I really only rate it as two and a half.
There has obviously been tremendous turmoil in Greece over the last century and so many refugees moving in and out of the country. I was not very aware of this before reading The Thread so I have learned about some of the difficulties that a young girl growing up in Thessaloniki might have lived through. Greece is no longer just a holiday destination, it is a nation which...more

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About Victoria Hislop

Victoria Hislop read English at Oxford, and worked in publishing, PR and as a journalist before becoming a novelist. She is married with two children.

Her first novel, The Island, held the number one slot in the Sunday Times paperback charts for eight consecutive weeks and has sold over two million copies worldwide. Victoria was the Newcomer of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards 2007 and wo...more

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“De siste ti årene hadde Hellas opplevd minst et dusin statskupp og nesten dobbelt så mange regjeringer, og pendelen hadde fortsat å svinge mellom tilhengere og motstandere av monarkiet. Monarkiets være eller ikke være var et evig tema for stridigheter og debatt i Hellas. I 1920, da kong Alexander døde av et apebitt, vendte faren hans hjem fra eksil, bare for å bli kastet ut av landet igjen to år senere. Han ble erstattet av sin eldste sønn, Georg, som i sin tur måtte tre av mot slutten av det neste året. Kong Georg hadde levd i eksil i nesten tolv år da han kunne vende tilbake til tronen etter en manipulert folkeavstemning.” — 1 person liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12945361-the-thread?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339707854l/12945361.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12945361-the-thread?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Thread by Victoria Hislop[/url]

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