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A Thread of Grace: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.01) - 5,837 listener ratings
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A powerfully imagined novel . . . [a] profoundly moving book that engages the heights and depths of human experience.”—Los Angeles Times It is September 8, 1943, and fourteen-year-old Claudette Blum and her father are among the thousands of Jewish refugees scrambling over the Alps toward Italy, where they hope to find safety now that the Italians have broken from Germany and made a separate peace with the Allies. The Blums will soon discover that Italy is anything but peaceful, as it quickly becomes an open battleground for the Nazis, the Allies, Resistance fighters, Jews in hiding, and ordinary Italian civilians trying to survive. Tracing the lives of a handful of fascinating characters—a charismatic Italian Resistance leader, a priest, an Italian rabbi’s family, a disillusioned German doctor—Mary Doria Russell tells the little-known story of the vast underground effort by Italian citizens who saved the lives of 43,000 Jews during the final phase of World War II. A Thread of Grace puts a human face on history. Praise for A Thread of Grace “An addictive page-turner . . . [Mary Doria] Russell has an astonishing story to tell—full of action, paced like a rapid-fire thriller, in tense, vivid scenes that move with cinematic verve.”—The Washington Post Book World “Hauntingly beautiful, utterly unforgettable.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Rich . . . Based on the heroism of ordinary people, [A Thread of Grace] packs an emotional punch.”—People “[A] deeply felt and compellingly written book . . . The progress of each character’s life is marked or measured by acts of grace. . . . Russell is a smart, passionate and imaginative writer.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer “A feat of storytelling . . . an important book [that] needs to be widely read.”—Portland Oregonian “Mary Doria Russell’s fans (and aren’t we all?) will rejoice to see her new novel on the shelves. A Thread of Grace is as ambitious, beautiful, tense, and transforming as any of us could have hoped.”—Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club “A story of love and war, A Thread of Grace speaks to the resilience and beauty of the human spirit in the midst of unimaginable horror. It is, unquestionably, a literary triumph.”—David Morrell, author of The Brotherhood of the Rose and First Blood
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"fascinating historical fiction about WW2 Italians hiding Italian and Austrian Jews in the mountains. There were multiple times were I had to gasp and reread a certain turn of phrase -- she has such an evocative way with words. I loved her 2 first-contact sci-fi books and Doc as well, but this is my new favorite."
— Amie (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Busy, noisy and heartfelt…The intensity and intimacy of Russell’s storytelling, her sharp character writing and fierce sense of humor bring fresh immediacy to this riveting WWII saga.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
A Thread of Grace Listener Reviews
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" Interesting time in history and a compelling story but not her best "
— Edward, 2/20/2014 -
" So informative. Heartbreaking and heroric at the same time. "
— Gina, 2/17/2014 -
" I loved this book. The characters are complicated and real, the setting is interesting, and the issues raised are pertinent today. This is my favorite of Russell's books. "
— Katherine, 2/9/2014 -
" Northwest Italy during WWII & its Jewish population "
— Gabriel, 2/4/2014 -
" Historical fiction about a little known event in WWII - the saving of over 50,000 Jews by Italians in Northwest villages. Great characterizations. "
— Colleen, 1/31/2014 -
" Excellent book on unknown latter part of WW II in northern Italy and how local farmers and townspeople dealt with German and later Allied occupation... how the locals and Jews survived the chaotic last years of the war. "
— Sandy, 1/7/2014 -
" Wonderful historical fiction, WWII in France and Italy. Beautifully written, some humor. "
— Vicki, 12/22/2013 -
" Elegance and brutality in an era of genocide. "
— Janet, 12/17/2013 -
" Beautifully written, but could not get into yet another WWII novel. "
— Erinn, 10/14/2013 -
" I thought it was a really good book, until I read the end. I really disliked the end. "
— Suzy, 9/25/2013 -
" An inciteful depiction of the end of WWII. What life was like for millions of Italian Jews and many people across the countryside. How the war affected and dramtically changed many lives. "
— Andrea, 5/9/2013 -
" This was a wonderful book to listen to (and presumably to read). It gives an interesting view of life in Italy late in WWII and I found the characters people I would like to have met. Well worth reading. "
— Ruth, 2/4/2013 -
" This was a very good Holocaust book set in Italy. "
— Hillary, 11/3/2012 -
" I really loved this book. The characters were well drawn and how the war in that part of the world played out an unknown. "
— Donna, 10/16/2012 -
" One of my top three favorite books! The writing, the character development was amazing. The characters stayed with me for days after finishing the book. "
— Sissel, 9/3/2012 -
" Set in 1943-1945 in German occupied Italy, this book was amazingly well written. The author really has a knack for making you feel like you are there. Very powerful. Definitely not light reading. "
— Anndee, 7/23/2012 -
" I loved this book! Beautiful story. "
— Anita, 6/19/2011 -
" Sci-Fi which I never read, but this was a book club pick and it was a GREAT book! "
— Mary, 5/18/2011 -
" This book made me want to visit Italy--and made me love the Italian people. "
— Shereekjohnson, 5/14/2011 -
" Russell is a very good writer. As the flyer says, it will rip your heart out, but it is a great read. I like her other books as well. "
— Scott, 4/27/2011 -
" So well written, suspenseful, interesting. Surprised to learn that the Italians ran an underground railroad system which saved over 43,000 Jews during WWII. "
— Therese, 4/17/2011 -
" Beautifully written, incredible characters, page-turner of a plot. Ought to be a movie. "
— Betty, 4/7/2011 -
" It is a very complex story line but even when I could not read the book every day I could pick up the story and keep going. I do hope this is made into a good film, though I know that often does not happen. "
— Gloria, 4/4/2011 -
" Loved this one too. It is fascinating about Italian resistance to the Nazi regime during WW2. Great characters, great story, great heroes and a little romance. "
— Tasha, 3/29/2011 -
" This book will both break your heart and make you fall in love with more than one character "
— Jane, 3/20/2011 -
" Excellent book - could not put it down and stayed up too late because of that. Interesting to read about how much the Italian peasants assisted and harbored Jews during World War II and the sacrifices that were made. Fictional but based on interviews the author did in Italy. "
— Erinbarbour, 2/24/2011
About Mary Doria Russell
Mary Doria Russell is the author of several books, including The Sparrow, Children of God, A Thread of Grace, and Dreamers of the Day. Her novels have won national and international literary awards, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the James Tiptree Award, and the American Library Association Readers Choice Award. The Sparrow was selected as one of Entertainment Weekly’s ten best books of the year, and A Thread of Grace was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
About Cassandra Campbell
Cassandra Campbell has won multiple Audie Awards, Earphones Awards, and the prestigious Odyssey Award for narration. She was been named a “Best Voice” by AudioFile magazine and in 2018 was inducted in Audible’s inaugural Narrator Hall of Fame.