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224 ratings, 3.65 average rating, 63 reviews
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published
January 7th 2003
by Riverhead Trade
binding
Paperback, 320 pages
isbn
1573229717
(isbn13: 9781573229715)
description
In Miracle at St. Anna, James McBride, author of the bestselling memoir The Color of Water, tells a war story that, like all great tales...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 420)
In Miracle at St. Anna, James McBride, author of the bestselling memoir The Color of Water, tells a war story that, like all great tales...more [close:] In Miracle at St. Anna, James McBride, author of the bestselling memoir The Color of Water, tells a war story that, like all great tales of conflict, connects the enormous tragedy of war with the intimate stories of individual soldiers. Miracle at St. Anna vividly follows four of the U.S. Army's 92nd Division of all-black buffalo soldiers as the...more
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Read in November, 2008
recommends it for:
everyone
Overall, I found this book very rewarding. There were times in the middle, after the main plot had been solidified, that the author's tangents into Italian history and personal histories of characters intoduced midaway, were a bit mystifying. But, as I read those sections, I was wrapped up in them as a microcosm of the greater story.
McBride richly draws his characters in their own right, as the story progresses, which leads to a meeting of peoples with different histories, cultures, attitud...more
McBride richly draws his characters in their own right, as the story progresses, which leads to a meeting of peoples with different histories, cultures, attitud...more
The story was real. The themes cut deeply. This is a no-nonsense narrative about finding humanity amid the backdrop of WWII, racism, greed and depravity. And yes, the battle scenes are gruesome.
The most wonderful aspect of this book is what I'll call it's narrative weave. The main story, while linear, is occasionally interrupted to illuminate the deeper inner workings of the characters. At times, the author breaks to flashbacks, cut-scenes and folk lore in a way that feels both seamless...more
The most wonderful aspect of this book is what I'll call it's narrative weave. The main story, while linear, is occasionally interrupted to illuminate the deeper inner workings of the characters. At times, the author breaks to flashbacks, cut-scenes and folk lore in a way that feels both seamless...more
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Read in November, 2008
Miracle at St Anna was a really really great read!! I could not put it down because the story flowed so effortlessly from the very first sentence. James McBride did an amazing job moving ahead the plot, but still providing the backup information on important features of the story without impairing its movement. I loved the characters so much, the purity of Train, the innocence of the boy, the different sides to Bishop, and the strength of Stamp. Obviously, Hector cannot be forgotten because ...more
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Read in September, 2008
Very imaginative & great hearted. I loved "The Color of Water" so when I saw this book by James McBride at a garage sale I snapped it up. I read it in two days and want to read again especially because the haunting wartime descriptions reminded me of "All Quiet on the Western Front." The details about Italy and the African American experience (Buffalo Soldiers)during WWII was an added bonus.
Interesting and very wierd karma note: I finished the book last night and fe...more
Interesting and very wierd karma note: I finished the book last night and fe...more
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Read in October, 2007
I'm not usually a big fan of war books, but this one was so refreshingly different. McBride uses a small Italian town for the setting, and gives just as much emphasis to the characters of the town as to the American soldiers. There is a very interesting folklore element to several stories weaving throughout the novel that enhanced rather than detracted from the main storyline. I also enjoyed reading about the racial conflict between the Black and white American soldiers, as well as the Italia...more
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Read in November, 2008
A great book! I found out that Annie's Aunt Ta knows the author. Apparently, they went to the same college and met each other at an alumni function. Also, apparently, the author is a big fan of Wisconsin Lutheran College's choir - he owns a few CDs.
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This took me a long time to get through, because it's a heavy plot. Four black American soldiers are lost in the mountains of Italy after a terrible battle, trying to figure out who among the Italian peasants and freedom fighters they can trust, and not trusting each other or their white commanders. They've also picked up a young Italian boy who's half crazy from the atrocities he's witnessed, and who becomes the center of their world. This is beautifully written, and although the male charac...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
soldiers, WWII enthusiasts, African-Americans
A book about a small group of Buffalo Soldiers in Italy during WWII and the miracles they encountered. It's a very good story and the book paints a brilliant picture of what Italy was like during the war. It also is probably one of the best fictional accounts of what African-American soldiers had to endure during the war. If you were from the south especially, why fight for a country that hates you? These soldiers, some not until the very end, were able to see that there is good in the world...more
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Read in August, 2008
The beginning really gripped me, but then it turned into battle scene after battle scene after battle scene. I have a really hard time following battle scenes. They're just not things that I can envision in my head (nor can I envision sports scenes well in my head either, making Quidditch kind of worthless to me in the Potter books), so I really lost interest. I would skim them, but I worried that in skimming the battle scenes I was losing important information.
I put it down and decided t...more
I put it down and decided t...more
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I remember I first recieved this book from my friend in 8th grade that he had given me for my birthday, I didn't even read it, I just placed it aside until now in the 9th grade, I have finally read it. I should have read it sooner! This book was visually amazing, this is the type of book where I would not mind making a screenplay or adapting off of it. It seems such like a movie when reading it. This book was about four african american soldiers that were lost from there unit and are stuck...more
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Read in January, 2002
A group of black American soldiers who are separated from their unit are protected from the Germans by Italian villagers. Despite the differences in their cultures and language, love triumphs over bigotry and hate.
McBride is best known for the biography The Color of Water, A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother. Lyrically written, fictionalized account of a battle in Tuscany during WWII, which shows the triumph of love over bigotry and hate. Good choice for book discussion groups. Highl...more
McBride is best known for the biography The Color of Water, A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother. Lyrically written, fictionalized account of a battle in Tuscany during WWII, which shows the triumph of love over bigotry and hate. Good choice for book discussion groups. Highl...more
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I actually saw the movie, and then read the book thinking I would get a few more interesting details. In this rare case I really liked the movie better. You really don't get much more from the book, and the movie closely follows the book. I actually think the imagery in the movie helps the story. If it were me, I'd tell everyone to go see the movie. It is FABULOUS, and a must see movie. I can't say enough good things about how Spike Lee made this movie. But skip the book, unless of course...more
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Read in April, 2008
This is what I would have loved my review to say:
It was a truly fantastic book, about courage and friendship and essentially the concept of humanity.
Except it wasn't. I finished it a month ago and I still had to refresh my memory as to what the book was actually about (and not from old age either).
The characters just didn't come to life, the famous 'red thread' was was in use elsewhere.
So, it gets two stars for a story that needs to be told and maybe a star for how it was t...more
It was a truly fantastic book, about courage and friendship and essentially the concept of humanity.
Except it wasn't. I finished it a month ago and I still had to refresh my memory as to what the book was actually about (and not from old age either).
The characters just didn't come to life, the famous 'red thread' was was in use elsewhere.
So, it gets two stars for a story that needs to be told and maybe a star for how it was t...more
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Read in July, 2008
I'm about to read this book for the third time. I first fell in love with James McBride as a writer when I read this book in 2003. McBride is an excellent rider and a wonderful storyteller. His characters are well developed, his descriptions are vivid and concise. I'm so excited to see Spike Lee's film version of this story. I finally got my book club to read it, and I'll be moderating the discussion. I'm excited to hear the perspectives and insight of the other members of my group.
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Read in January, 2006
I grabbed this novel as a whim, and I'm betting it will be one of my favorite from the year. It starts out with a bang; a postal worker shoots a man dead. Flashback to World War II in Italy. Black US soldiers are in terrible battles, on and off the field. This is one of those stories about getting to know the individual soldiers, the good and the bad, and also getting to know the various Italian villiagers. Why was the man in the post office murdered? Read and discover.
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Read in October, 2008
recommends it for:
everyone who enjoys reading good literature.
A evocative novel, very well-written. Told from several view points, Miracle of St. Anna is the story of war and its effect on the participants - four African American soldiers who take refuge in an Italian village, an Italian boy, the villagers, and the partisans. It is the story of love, heroism, cruelty, betrayal,above all,a miracle that transform them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book based on a true historical incident that took place in St. Anna di Strazzema in Tuscany.
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Read in November, 2008
Liked it, but it was my least favorite of McBride's novels. Felt like some of the historical aspect was lost in the literary liberties McBride took. Could have been even more powerful if the book didn't drift into the far fetched. I did really like the ending and how it pulled the story together neatly.
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Read in October, 2007
I never would have picked this up if the book club hadn't put it on its list. It's a war story about the Buffalo soldiers (African-Americans) who fought in Italy during the Second World War. The story is compelling -- a real page turner. The war is more background than anything else, adding some suspense to the story, but the characters are wonderful, and it is a story of love. Not romantic love. Just all-encompassing, unconditional love. Beautiful!
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