Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.
Download to your computer
Kindle Cloud Reader
Facebook Twitter Pinterest <Embed>
Qty:1
  • List Price: $16.00
  • Save: $5.07 (32%)
FREE Shipping on orders with at least $25 of books.
Only 19 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
A Thread of Grace has been added to your Cart
Want it tomorrow, March 29? Order within and choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
Ship to:
Select a shipping address:
To see addresses, please
or
Please enter a valid US zip code.
or
Used: Good | Details
Sold by Jenson Books Inc
Fulfilled by Amazon
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: Eligible for *FREE* super saver shipping. Amazon customer service with delivery tracking. A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, or very small tears. Binding has minimal wear, and some pages show signs of use. Occasionally these may be former library books. CD may NOT be included!

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and .

If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you increase your sales. We invite you to learn more about Fulfillment by Amazon .

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon
Flip to back Flip to front
Listen Playing... Paused   You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more
See all 2 images

A Thread of Grace Paperback – December 6, 2005

by
Mary Doria Russell (Author)
› Visit Amazon's Mary Doria Russell Page
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
Are you an author? Learn about Author Central
Mary Doria Russell (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 219 customer reviews
See all 14 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions
Price
New from Used from
Kindle
"Please retry"
$9.31
— —
Hardcover
"Please retry"
—
$7.37 $0.01
Paperback
"Please retry"
$10.93
$5.84 $0.01
Audible, Unabridged
"Please retry"
$0.00
Free with your Audible trial
Audio CD, Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry"
—
$79.99 $9.99
Top 20 lists in Books
Top 20 lists in Books
View the top 20 best sellers of all time, the most reviewed books of all time and some of our editors' favorite picks. Learn more
$10.93 FREE Shipping on orders with at least $25 of books. Only 19 left in stock (more on the way). Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Frequently Bought Together

  • A Thread of Grace
  • +
  • Children of God (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
  • +
  • The Sparrow: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
Total price: $33.57
Buy the selected items together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.
Back
  1. Children of God (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
    Mary Doria Russell
    4.3 out of 5 stars 264
    Paperback
    $11.76 Prime
  2. The Sparrow: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
    Mary Doria Russell
    4.0 out of 5 stars 900
    Paperback
    $10.88 Prime
  3. Doc: A Novel
    Mary Doria Russell
    4.4 out of 5 stars 516
    Paperback
    $10.00 Prime
  4. Dreamers of the Day: A Novel
    Mary Doria Russell
    4.0 out of 5 stars 149
    Paperback
    $13.32 Prime
  5. Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral
    Mary Doria Russell
    4.4 out of 5 stars 268
    Paperback
    $10.69 Prime
  6. Ordinary Grace
    William Kent Krueger
    4.6 out of 5 stars 2,165
    Paperback
    $10.26 Prime
Next
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Product Details

  • Paperback: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books (December 6, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0449004139
  • ISBN-13: 978-0449004135
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (219 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsAn absorbing, generously proportioned novel
By Amazon Customer on February 5, 2005
Format: Hardcover
I'm a Jew from a family so assimilated that I never set foot in a synagogue until I was almost 40. Yet it is part of my identity in a way that has nothing to do with religious observance, and throughout my life it has struck me with particular force when confronting the Holocaust --- reading Anne Frank's diary; seeing the movie Judgment at Nuremberg; weeping at Yad Vashem, the museum and memorial in Jerusalem. Being Jewish makes me feel proud, different, and vulnerable all at the same time.

A THREAD OF GRACE is part of that tragic narrative, but a more obscure one. Set in the ports and valleys of northwestern Italy (Aosta, Piemonte, Liguria) during the last two years of World War II, it tells the story of Jews, 43,000 of them --- both native-born Italians (of which there were many; the Jewish community in Rome is the oldest in Europe) and refugees from eastern Europe --- whose lives were saved by ordinary citizens. Russell, who calls herself "a Jew by choice and an Italian by heritage" (she is a convert, though she doesn't give details), seems the ideal writer to bring this piece of history to life, and she does it beautifully in an absorbing, generously proportioned novel.

This is the kind of book you need to read with a cheat sheet because there are so many personalities and interwoven story lines (Russell considerately provides a cast of characters; I could have used some maps, too). There are the Italian Jews, particularly the chief rabbi, Iacopo Soncini, and his wife, Mirella; and Renzo Leoni, a hardened former pilot who has as many identities as he has scars, and his mother, Lidia. There are the Italian Catholics: priests, nuns, and ordinary farmers and peasants who help shield the Jews --- and a big, innocent Calabrian infantryman who marries one.Read more ›
1 Comment 82 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsStrangely touching....
By Robert Busko VINE VOICE on February 10, 2005
Format: Hardcover
I've read Mary Doria Russells other books, The Sparrow and Children of God and enjoyed both. I was a bit skeptical when I read the jacket material on Thread of Grace. Well, I should have known better. Thread of Grace is a tremendously well written and well researched novel. You will remember reading this book far into the future.

Thread of Grace is well written but very busy with crossing storylines. You may indeed need a list to keep things straight. Ms Russell pays great attention to detail in both her description of the physical location of the story (NW Italy) and in the characters she includes in the story. It is this detail that may overwhelm the casual reader.

The premise of the story, that there is a safe haven in Italy for Jews as they try to hide from their ultimate slaughter by the Nazi's is a compelling one. And it is true. The characters, a Jewish Rabbi, a Catholic Priest, the Italians of the region, and the Germans (collectively) face the moral and ethical dilemma all humans face in war. Russell does an excellect job dealing with the whole war/morality issue without preaching one way or the other.

Truly a worthwhile book. Get it and read it. I suspect we'll hear from Russell again.
Comment 151 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsGracefully woven
By zbg97 on February 6, 2005
Format: Hardcover
Unlike Ms. Russell's previous works, "Thread of Grace" takes place in the past, not the future. Incredibly well-researched, it begins with Italy's armistice with the Allies, which is not good news for the Jewish people living in Italian-occupied territories. Accompanied by retreating Italians, they flee for Italy, only to discover, soon after, that the Germans have mostly taken control of Italy, too.

Italian Jews and foreign refugees must all go into hiding, many assisted by Italian Catholics, and a few Italian Jews who hide in plain sight. We also meet many of the German officers who control the small, fictionalized area of Italy in which the story takes place.

Just like "The Sparrow" and "Children of God", however, Ms. Russell's characters are wonderfully crafted, and the story is told in a remarkably beautiful manner. Faith, philosophy, humor, warmth, despair, and humanity are all wrapped up in one moving, poignant package.
Comment 50 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsfabulous complex historical tale
By A Customer on February 1, 2005
Format: Hardcover
By the fall of 1943, European Jews not in death camps or murdered seek sanctuaries in places like Italy's Piedmont Province though this area as a refugee haven remains questionable. The small village of Porto Sant'Andrea is home for Italian Jews led by Rabbi Soncini, Italian Catholics led by Father Tomitz, and the occupying German army represented by Doktor Schramm. Into this mix come non-Italian Jews especially from occupied France.

The three prime groups in the village have a tentative peaceful co-existence, but the influx of newcomers places that in jeopardy. The Italian Jews want to welcome their mostly religious kin with open arms. Father Tomitz sets the tone for his followers by providing shelter for the Jews. While Doktor Shramm hides with drink from his murdering almost 100,000 people of which he can account for seemingly everyone, the German leaders blindly follow orders to carry out the Final Solution. Into this volatile situation come the allies.

A THREAD OF GRACE is a fabulous complex historical tale (not sci fi as Mary Doria Russell's' two previous works are) that brings alive a dark era through seemingly real people. The story line is fast-paced with multiple subplots that add to the depth and the feel of 1943 Italy. With plenty of tidbits and multifaceted perspectives, the amazing part remains the ensemble cast regardless of national origin or religion which all seem so genuine; for instance the plight of a French Jew with his daughter struggling to cross the Alps to Italy is breathtaking. World War II readers will want to read this slice of an odious era where lights of courageous kindness existed.

Harriet Klausner
Comment 94 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse

Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars... many characters it was hard to follow but was great anyway.

So many characters it was hard to follow but was great anyway.

Published 12 days ago by Pam Junette
3.0 out of 5 starsIt didn't hold my interest

Too many threads, not much grace.

Published 15 days ago by Richard C. Reynolds
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat Read

I rarely read books written around WWII, but based on the reviews that I read and my newly found interest I decided to try it. I am glad that I did. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Trish
5.0 out of 5 starsThis novel concerns a part of world war!! ...

This novel concerns a part of world war !! that I am not familiar with and was extremely interesting and enlightening to me.

Published 1 month ago by Cathy Grass
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Good but slow.

Published 3 months ago by lostendo
4.0 out of 5 starsA Historical Novel to Savor

After reading this book, I feel almost like I lived through the end of WWII in Northern Italy. Russell had a lot to do to keep all the characters vivid and believable, while... Read more

Published 3 months ago by P. L. Dwyer
5.0 out of 5 starsA powerful but devastating book - Russell does not spare ...

A powerful but devastating book - Russell does not spare any excruciating detail about the cruelty of war in this book - It is gut wrenching yet poetic wherein lies its brilliance.

Published 3 months ago by lynne wimmer
5.0 out of 5 starsOne of the best books I have read

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... Read more

Published 4 months ago by M. Burner
4.0 out of 5 starsWar and Holocaust in Western Italy

Probably the best piece of historical fiction and chronicle of the Holocaust I have read in a long time. Read more

Published 4 months ago by fourwinn
5.0 out of 5 starsOne of the best accountings of compassion for the Jews during WWII...

Mary Doria Russell does a magnificent job of developing rich characters that you want to stay with. She writes very believable historical fiction and in Author's Notes she seals... Read more

Published 5 months ago by John H. Glover

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

A Thread of Grace
Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more
This item: A Thread of Grace
Set up a giveaway

There's a problem loading this menu right now.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.