Search - A Thread of Grace

Interesting story; well written however with the topic, it was not a gripping-page-turner. I did find that the story held me and I wanted to know what happened in the end to all the characters. I knew very little about the Italian Jews and the Italian Partisans. Worth the time to read.

A wonderful book of inspiring characters. I really learned a lot about Northwester Italy during the last two years of WWII. Great book!

outstanding book - a piece of history that was overlooked

Amazing read, very well told story that is both heartening and heartbreaking at the same time. I enjoyed reading this book so much that I frequently missed my stops on the subway commuting back and forth to work because I was so enthralled in the book. The only criticism is that the ending left a few things to be desired but overall, well worth the read. I've read most of the author's other books and so far, I've never been disappointed by her writing.

This is a stunning book. It is well written, presented logically and with beautiful prose.

A wonderful book. It was so engaging, I often forgot that I was reading a book and felt more like I was in the story. While I have read a lot of WWII fiction, I had not read anything about WWII Italy and the Partisan uprising against the Nazi regime, which invaded Italy after the Italian armistice. The book features a huge cast of characters (Russell was thoughtful enough to include a cast of characters at the beginning of the book so I didn't get too lost) - there are a couple of "main" characters that are all interconnected. I did really find myself caring about a few of the main characters - the disillusioned German doctor; the exuberant, drunken, self-made Jewish spy; the grieving rabbi's wife, forced to hide away in the Italian countryside.

In the end I was thrown off a bit by the enormous cast, but overall, I found it to be an absolutely beautiful story. 4.5/5.0 stars, with just that half star taken off for the daunting number of characters!