About this title: During World War II, many Jews managed to find refuge in Italy, particularly in the Piedmont region, where they were sheltered from the occupying Germans by antifascist peasants and others. In this elegiac novel, a woman named Lidia Leoni and her war-veteran son head a group of sympathetic Italians who help hide the refugees--who include a German doctor disaffected with the Nazi regime. Mary Doria Russell creates a panoramic, richly populated story of heroism and cowardice, good and evil, as she brings to life a troubled historical era.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780449004135ISBN:0449004139
Description: Fair. No dust jacket as issued. cover and binding wear, front cover bent, R176. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 442 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Very good. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Fair. Purchasing this item supports Pierce County libraries. Thriftbooks and PCL have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Fair. Purchasing this book supports the King County Library System Foundation. Thriftbooks and KCLSF have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Fine. Almost in new condition. Book shows only very slight signs of use. Cover and binding are undamaged and pages show minimal use. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Very good. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Dust Cover Missing. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Purchasing this book supports the King County Library System Foundation. Thriftbooks and KCLSF have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Acceptable. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. 0385608667 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
Description: Good. 0385608667 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
"WWII, Mussolini had surrendered Italy to Hitler. Disillusioned where this war was going a small group of Italian Soldiers part of the resistance had taken it upon themselves to save the lives of Jewish refugees from the work camps and execution from Nazi soldiers by escorting them on an arduous journey through a mountain pass, selflessly sacrificing there lives to save others. Along the way Italian citizens just ordinary people all learning to survive the horrors of War and its brutality, they extended their hand of friendship. In many cases showing peoples different sides of good and evil, which at times could be heartbreaking.
This is the first book I've read written by Mary Doria Russell, it was given to me and it turned out to be a wonderful surprise. Ms Russell had spent five years researching to find the essence to this engrossing story. Based on the true story of the Italian resistance who were to have saved ten of thousands of jews during the final phases of the second world war. Although this book is fictional, the plot is strong, vivid characters and many emotional tragedies. The only drawback would be some parts could be confusing, there are a lot of characters racing through this book with many different view points to keep track of, but if you can grasp it and keep track of it, this is a beautiful read. It's a wonderful achievement.
"I know, another WW II novel - like we haven't had enough of these right? I am a bit of a WW II junky so I have read them all and I promise, this one is worth it.
The story opens with a Jewish girl on the verge of womanhood traveling through the Alps with her father escaping to Italy which had broken free from Germany. But just as they survive the mountains, Italy is once again invaded by the Germans. Despite orders to the contrary, Italian soldiers move quickly to get all the refugees safely hidden away.
Down below the mountain range a Nazi soldier has defected from his post plagued by the thoughts of what he has done and unwittingly makes friends with a Jewish member of the resistance posing as a Nazi soldier. Meanwhile, a Rabi and a priest meet to discuss the latest news.
These are just a few of the characters you will meet and become attached to in this saga that spans every generation and every possible viewpoint of WW II.
By taking us to Italy during the final throws of the war, Russell offers a slice from WW II rarely discussed. I never knew of all the efforts people in Italy went through to help their Jewish neighbors and escaping refugees alike. I was gripped and involved from page one."
"My sister gave this to me to read. Ten pages into it I felt a familiar sensation. Twenty pages into it I thought I was having deja vu and then fifty pages into it I realized I had definitely read this book before. BUT I did not remember how everything ended so I read it again and am glad I took the time to do so.
This novel is set in Northern Italy during the Nazi occupation from 1944-1946 and follows the lives of various people as they attempt to survive during this time - Jewish refugees, Italian peasants, partisan fighters, Nazi soldiers.....it is a story whose layers are woven together in a sort of life tapestry. I remember being confused a lot of the time during my first reading of this but the second time around it was easier to keep people and places straight.
The characters in this novel come to life through Russell's writing and she does not try to keep things happy or easy to read. She seems to have done her research and I apprecite the dose of reality this book has. With that said, this is not a happy read and there are individual story lines within the book that I wish had a storybook ending. I think the book as a whole has a 'happy' ending because the Nazis are conquered and sent packing....but all that is left behind in their wake....
While reading this novel I thought a lot about the various reactions different countries and cultures had to the Nazi invasions across Europe. Some were ambivalent, some welcomed them at first, some refused to become involved in the fight for many years...and a select few decided to fight. Why the different reactions? I don't know....What would the world have been like had more people reacted like many Italians and refused the Nazis admittance and then fought them once they invaded - all while doing what they could to protect Jewish people? I don't know....but I can speculate that fewer Jews, civilians, and soldiers on all sides would have been killed.
I appreciate the characters in this book because they put a face on a tragedy that can be too overwhelming to comprehend in its entirity. And I am left wondering, what would I do were I placed in a similar situation?? I hope I would have enough faith and willingness to grasp at a 'thread of grace' to fight and protect those who need it...."
"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 Hitler's persecution of the Jews doesn't carry much weight there. People from all walks of life come together to hide the emigrants from the Nazis, and to build a strong resistance to the German occupation.
The novel is a dense read, with a complex set of characters. But all of them are very real, and it's worth keeping track of them. I was gripped, and also educated, as I didn't know much about the partisans in Italy."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
