A Thread of Grace

by Mary Doria Russell

book data

1,438 ratings, 3.92 average rating, 337 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		29%
4		41%
3		22%
2		5%
1		1%

edit

published

February 1st 2005 by Random House

binding

Hardcover, 430 pages

isbn

0375501843 (isbn13: 9780375501845)

description

Mary Doria Russell's extraordinary and complex historical novel, A Thread of Grace, is the kind of book that you will find yourself haunted by long af...more

[close] Mary Doria Russell's extraordinary and complex historical novel, A Thread of Grace, is the kind of book that you will find yourself haunted by long after finishing the last page. It opens with a group of Jewish refugees being escorted to safe-keeping by Italian soldiers. After making the arduous journey over a steep mountain pass, they are welcomed into a small village with warm food and clean beds. They have barely laid their heads to rest when news is received that Mussolini has just surrendered Italy to Hitler, putting them in danger yet again. This opening sequence is a grim foreshadowing of the heart-breaking journey these characters will experience in their struggle for survival.

The rich fictional narrative is woven through the factual military maneuvers and political games at the end of WW II, sharing a little-known story of a group of Italian citizens that sheltered more than 40,000 Jews from grueling work camp executions. Rather than the bleak and hopeless feeling that might be expected, the novel has the opposite effect; it reminds us that just as there will always be war, crime, and death, so too will there be good people who selflessly sacrifice themselves to ease the suffering of others. Perhaps best of all, Russell succinctly opens and closes her writing with short pieces that bookend the story with the force of a freight train. Her moving finale wraps up her narrative in the present day, with a death bed scene that's sure to rip the heart out of readers of every faith and ancestry.

On the surface, Russell's third novel may seem quite different from her earlier works. Both The Sparrow and its sequel, Children of God , were futuristic stories about Earth's first contact with alien life forms, but a closer look reveals several similarities. Fans of her earlier books will be pleased to find that Emilio Sandoz, the charismatic Jesuit priest from the first two books, finds new life in Renzo Leoni--A Thread of Grace's charming and haunted chameleon. The two have different circumstances and histories, but both characters are made of the same cloth--tormented by their consciences and plagued by unrequited love. Also similar to her earlier books, the characters in A Thread of Grace don't all enjoy a happy ending. A note in the reader's guide tells us that Russell flipped a coin to determine the fate of some of the characters. This may be upsetting for many readers, particularly those used to Hollywood endings, but it does serve as a frank reminder of the arbitrary nature of war and death. --Victoria Griffith

[close]

find at: Amazon | Half.com | Barnes & Noble | Abebooks | compare prices…

new topic
discuss this book

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Next Best Boo...: What are you reading?	13081	11057	1 hour, 32 min ago
The Next Best Boo...: Author Alphabet	2765	1549	5 hours, 51 min ago

friend reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

lists with this book

This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists. Add this book to your favorite list »

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 2,215)

sort: default (?) | date
filters: all | text-only

04/24/08

Holli rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

Read in July, 2005

I stayed up until after midnight last night finishing this. I started out listening to it on tape and got half way finished and it was on hold for someone so I had to turn it in and get the book. The narrator did a great job with the French, German, and Italian accents. Russell is so smart. She weaves the fictitious characters and places with historical fact and makes a beautiful and difficult story. This novel is very character-driven. I wondered about the characters when I wasn’t re...more I stayed up until after midnight last night finishing this. I started out listening to it on tape and got half way finished and it was on hold for someone so I had to turn it in and get the book. The narrator did a great job with the French, German, and Italian accents. Russell is so smart. She weaves the fictitious characters and places with historical fact and makes a beautiful and difficult story. This novel is very character-driven. I wondered about the characters when I wasn’t reading about them. And even though some of them are larger than life, they are believable and human all the same. I can understand how Schramm would embrace Nazism so totally. I love the way Russell uses Schramm in juxtaposition to the priest, Dom Osvaldo Tomitz. How Tomitz refuses Schramm absolution for killing 91,867 people because he feels no remorse. And then Schramm in the end gives Tomitz his last rites and has a conversion/redemption experience at his death. I also love the scene where Mirella presides over the Sabbath with Schramm at her table and he realizes for the first time that she is a Jew, this woman who has been nursing him for months. The novel points out the overall absurdity of war and what defines an enemy—the last battle the partisans engage in, killing the Republicans right and left, finding out the war is over, staying up all night to bury them because they are fellow countrymen. And, of course, there’s the death of Renzo Leoni—masterful and perfect. He risked his life again and again to save Jews, fight with the partisans, bring them supplies, etc. And he is hung as a Fascist/Nazi sympathizer because that was one of his disguises. There are no easy answers in this novel, but Russell certainly helps us live with the questions.
“There’s a saying in Hebrew,” he tells her. “’No matter how dark the tapestry God weaves for us, there’s always a thread of grace.’ After the Yom Kippur roundup in ‘43, people all over Italy helped us. Almost fifty thousand Jews were hidden. Italians, foreigners. And so many of them survived the occupation. I keep asking myself, Why was it so different here? Why did Italians help when so many others turned away?” (p. 421—conversation between Rabbi Iacopo Soncini and Suora (Sister) Corniglia).

This is one of my favorite novels of all time. Like Russell's earlier book, The Sparrow, there are a few scenes where the characters wrestle with difficult theological questions. She handles this so well, so authentically, and so truly. No easy answers, but somehow she makes it okay to live with the questions. There is one exchange between Doktor Schramm and Don Osvaldo that I would put in the top 5 literary "scenes" of all time.--HR

Amazon.com
Mary Doria Russell's extraordinary and complex historical novel, A Thread of Grace, is the kind of book that you will find yourself haunted by long after finishing the last page. It opens with a group of Jewish refugees being escorted to safe-keeping by Italian soldiers. After making the arduous journey over a steep mountain pass, they are welcomed into a small village with warm food and clean beds. They have barely laid their heads to rest when news is received that Mussolini has just surrendered Italy to Hitler, putting them in danger yet again. This opening sequence is a grim foreshadowing of the heart-breaking journey these characters will experience in their struggle for survival.
The rich fictional narrative is woven through the factual military maneuvers and political games at the end of WW II, sharing a little-known story of a group of Italian citizens that sheltered more than 40,000 Jews from grueling work camp executions. Rather than the bleak and hopeless feeling that might be expected, the novel has the opposite effect; it reminds us that just as there will always be war, crime, and death, so too will there be good people who selflessly sacrifice themselves to ease the suffering of others. Perhaps best of all, Russell succinctly opens and closes her writing with short pieces that bookend the story with the force of a freight train. Her moving finale wraps up her narrative in the present day, with a death bed scene that's sure to rip the heart out of readers of every faith and ancestry.
On the surface, Russell's third novel may seem quite different from her earlier works. Both The Sparrow and its sequel, Children of God , were futuristic stories about Earth's first contact with alien life forms, but a closer look reveals several similarities. Fans of her earlier books will be pleased to find that Emilio Sandoz, the charismatic Jesuit priest from the first two books, finds new life in Renzo Leoni--A Thread of Grace's charming and haunted chameleon. The two have different circumstances and histories, but both characters are made of the same cloth--tormented by their consciences and plagued by unrequited love. Also similar to her earlier books, the characters in A Thread of Grace don't all enjoy a happy ending. A note in the reader's guide tells us that Russell flipped a coin to determine the fate of some of the characters. This may be upsetting for many readers, particularly those used to Hollywood endings, but it does serve as a frank reminder of the arbitrary nature of war and death. --Victoria Griffith(less)

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

add a comment

11/14/08

Jen rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

bookshelves: fiction, my-favorites, truthiness

Read in December, 2008

I read this book during the holiday season but find myself thinking about various scenes at odd moments. I'll be brushing my teeth, and suddenly, I'll be on the Ligurian coast of Italy while a German deserter confesses to the local priest that he is responsible for over 91,000 deaths. I'll be on the edge of sleep, and as I close my eyes I'll see a toddler learning to walk when suddenly the bombs start to drop. I'll be driving and will be visited by one of the kind visions of an Italian soldier w...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

10/17/08

Bobby rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

bookshelves: reviewed

Read in November, 2008

A 4.5 stars effort. A rich and complex (and at times, not so easy to follow) portrayal of both historical and fictional events that take place in northwest Italy (in real and made-up locations) during WWII and the Nazi era. Though it is a little difficult to get into this book initially, those who are able to do it will enjoy a cast of memorable and well-developed characters and powerful ideas about what it is to be a human, especially in a time of crisis. Though not as nearly funny as Catch-22,...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

07/18/08

Lisa Vegan rated it:

bookshelves: bookclub, fiction, historical-fiction, novels, reviewed

Read in October, 2008

recommends it for: those who enjoy fine novels, historical fiction novels, World War II history

What I loved:

For once I was able to thoroughly enjoy a historical fiction book without wondering what was real and what was fiction.

This is a character driven story and everyone in the book seemed genuine. I especially enjoyed the poignant sensibilities of the children and adolescents.

I’m a sucker for maps and this book had a map of real places and one of fictional places that were within the real map’s area. There was also a handy characters list at th...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

3 comments

03/21/08

whichwaydidshego? rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

bookshelves: historicalfiction, modernfiction, ww2

Read in May, 2008

recommends it for: Those interested in WW2 &/or who love a good story based in truth.

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

In the Author's Note, speaking of those that provided their experiences and memories for her novel she says, "What I have written in not real, but I hope they will find it true."

Honestly, that is what grieves me. To know it is true. These people of the resistance that fought and struggled to save a handful of displaced Jews in the bloodlust of revenge in the days following the war's conclusion were killed as supposed devotees to the fascisti. These were the people that s...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

2 comments

10/01/07

Robin rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

bookshelves: all-time-faves

I will admit that this is a tough read, and thank goodness for the character list in the front to keep everyone straight.
With that said, this book is amazing. Pure and simple. Of the many books I have read about WWII in Europe, Russell’s book is set apart in subject matter and writing style. I found the setting in Northern Italy fascinating, as we seem to hear very little of this area of German Occupation. Also, the role of the Italian resistance, Catholic Church, and peasant farmer...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

05/01/07

deanne pearson rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

Read in May, 2006

SYNOPSIS: Follow the lives of several Jewish refugees, the Italian Catholics who seek to protect them, and an AWOL German doctor as they struggle to survive in the Italian mountains during the later years of World War II.

COMMENTS: I consider Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow one of the best books I have read in a long time. While I can't say the same of her most current novel, I did enjoy the time I spent with it. Russell artfully weaves together several story lines while painting an...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

04/11/08

Danika rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: Anyone

I'll admit this is not an easy read (on several levels). For one, It starts with pages of maps and character descriptions. It's also not the most uplifting topic. It covers roughly the last 18 months of WWII in Northern Italy. Follows the Italians in the region, the Jews many of them were hiding/helping and the German soldiers. Despite the content, I did not find it bleak. It certainly wasn't uplifting, but it was a fascinating look at a specific part of history I didn't know much about. Ch...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

09/16/07

Ellis rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

bookshelves: fiction, history

Read in January, 2005

recommends it for: lovers of historical fiction

Mary Doria Russell is an absolute favorite of mine. I was enthralled by "The Sparrow" and "Children of God" so you can imagine how thrilled I was to find she had a new book out. I enjoyed it and stuck with it because of her--but it was a dense read that was difficult to follow--a criticism I find ironic b/c it is the complaint many of my friends gave about "The Sparrow" and I "hated" them for it! :)

Most interesting about the book is the gl...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

08/14/08

kate rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

Read in August, 2008

I'm really enjoying this book... It's about Jewish refugees escaping to Italy through the northern border (think Alps) and the Italians who help them.

My favorite line, from chapter 1 that talks about the Italian government's indifference to the Nazi command to round up all the Jewish people in Italy:
"Artistically inefficient, they shuffle papers and announce that another permit, or a letter from Rome, or some new stamp is required before they can process such a request, an...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

07/30/07

Wealhtheow rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

bookshelves: historical, sociology

Read in December, 2006

sobbed through her earlier books, and this is no exception. Set during WWII, with many jewish main characters, Russell nevertheless avoids the obvious tragedies (although there are oblique mentions to the events in other countries) in order to concentrate on hearts, minds, and shattering illusions. She has an obvious love and understanding of her characters, and so even the most horrifying come across as realistic, almost sympathetic. Her plot is complex and interweaves many disparate elements w...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

04/10/09

Istop4books rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

bookshelves: lit-and-fiction

This was very interesting at times, but most of the time I just read in a state of confusion. Way too many characters and way too many plotlines. This book needed some careful editing, and perhaps it could have been 2 stories or the historical parts written a bit more clearly. I can't quite put my finger on what it was that didn't work, but having read many WWII books, this one just didn't cut it for me.
There is no Status entry for RIP - but that is what this fine book is now doing. It met ...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

11/18/08

'stina rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

bookshelves: 2008

Read in November, 2008

I've been on a somewhat serious reading kick lately, and if you're looking for a really amazingly well written novel, take a gander at Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell. It's a story without a main character, really, though there are a few that stand out. It focuses on a region of northern Italy from September 1943 to about 1947ish. I had no idea about the resistance. For whatever reason, my history teachers always just said Italy, Japan and Germany were the Axis, and left it at tha...more
I've been on a somewhat serious reading kick lately, and if you're looking for a really amazingly well written novel, take a gander at Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell. It's a story without a main character, really, though there are a few that stand out. It focuses on a region of northern Italy from September 1943 to about 1947ish. I had no idea about the resistance. For whatever reason, my history teachers always just said Italy, Japan and Germany were the Axis, and left it at that without talking about Italy's early departure. Italy surrendered to the Allies, in early September 1943, and Germany almost immediately took Italy over. Someone in the story at some point says "Half of Italy is protecting the other half" and that seemed to be the case. Thousands of Jews from all over Europe fled to Italy, because the Italians really could have given a shit about the German purity initiatives. This novel tells the stories of the Italians working together all over the countryside and in some of the towns to protect foreign and native born Jews. It's a remarkable tale in and of itself, but the author weaves a really elegant and beautiful novel together to make it more compelling. The detante among Italians in and of itself is rather remarkable, since the fascists and communists and everyone else in between know that as soon as the war is over, a new civil war is going over the Italian state. But the common German enemy makes them uneasy allies work very closely together. Russell's characters are rich and interesting, ranging from 8 year-old-boys to elderly ladies, and I found myself often crying over the characters she chose not to save.

I told Graham yesterday that I have to stop reading WWII novels for awhile. I am not feeling particularly warm towards Germans right now. There's an early scene in the novel where a German physician who spent ten days at Auschwitz confesses his sins to a Roman Catholic Priest. The priest is at first unable to comprehend 91,000 deaths. And then he is unable to allow that God would forgive such a sin. That particular German does what he can to atone for his...sin seems not harsh enough of a word...monstrosity?, but I could never really warm up to him as a human being because of what he had done.

This is the third Mary Doria Russell novel I've read. I read The Sparrow and Children of God, which were very different books in terms of subject matter, as they told the story of first contact with an alien race. But they're not really. Her writing style is almost too big to capture into a genre. She touches a lot on issues of morality and faith and God, but she also touches on the human experience. She just sets the novels in different places.

Go read it. It's not a happy story, but it's a very, very good one. (less)

Like this review? yes

add a comment

07/22/07

Katy rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

Read in January, 2005

I can't say that I enjoyed this book, but I found it interesting. It certainly didn't have the impact on me that her book "The Sparrow" did, but it was a different kind of book. The details about the Italian resistance to the Nazis and how they helped save some of the Jewish refugees is a story that I had never heard and am very glad to know of now. Overall, though, even though I found the book interesting, it just wasn't as compelling for me.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

04/25/09

Jenny rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

This is an amazing novel, and I highly recommend it. It’s a great read. I’ve admired Russell’s sci-fi work; she’s a pithy, clear, strong writer.

This historical novel is set in the Italian countryside in the waning years of World War 2. Italy has surrendered, and thousands of Jews cross the Alps hoping to find safety there, only to find the Germans have moved in to occupy the country. However, the social ties between Catholics and Jews are strong in Italy, and so Hit...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

01/02/09

Catriona rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

bookshelves: multnomahcountylibrary, nancy-recommendation

Read in January, 2009

I love books by Mary Doria Russell, so I am a bit biased in favor of this author. Great characters, griping narrative. Plus, you know someone is going to die. She has no problem with killing off main characters, so don't get too attached! It is actually somewhat of a relief to know that things will go very, very wrong. But still leave us with some hope for humanity. Oh, and her take on religious groups is always fascinating.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

11/26/07

Bluntforcemama rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

bookshelves: a-few-favorites, fiction

Read in March, 2007

An incredible book about Italian Jews during WWII. Not for the faint of heart. Russell jumps right in without much character introduction, and so characters may be hard to keep track of, especially since three of the characters are actually one person: a Jewish Italian spy posing as a Nazi, and as a resistance fighter. Complex and memorable. I bought the book for a couple of other readers. That's how much I loved it.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

02/05/09

Bookmarks Magazine added it

In Thread of Grace, Russell-a Roman Catholic of Italian heritage who converted to Judaism-explores Italy's response to German occupation, the fate of its Jews, and the actions of individuals. The story, which shifts to different (and sometimes unrelated) characters and subplots, alienated a few critics. Most, however, found that the depth of characterization forged a cohesive narrative and created complex layers of emotion, history, and horror that aptly represent wartime. Reviewers also forgave

...more

Like this review? yes

1 comment

01/01/09

Siria rated it:

(review of isbn 0385608667)

bookshelves: 21st-century, american-fiction, historical-fiction

Read in January, 2009

I found this something of a let-down, having read Russell's The Sparrow. That book took a handful of characters and established a rapport with them which allowed Russell to tell a fascinating and complex story about humanity; A Thread of Grace attempts something similar on a larger scale, but it fails to convince. Russell does well at establishing a sense of period—northwestern Italy in the latter part of the Second World War, when the first signs of defeat were urging the Nazis on to greater ac...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

03/20/07

janna rated it:

(review of isbn 0449004139)

bookshelves: booksivereadinthelastyearorso

Read in December, 2006

recommends it for: everyone

holy crap this is a depressing book. all books dealing w/ the holocaust are, but i was looking for the thread of grace. it's there, it's just not "a thread of grace and a few characters make it out together." that doesn't happen. don't expect a happy ending. fascinating history lesson of the italian resistance fighters during wwii, both jewish and catholic.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment