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A Thread of Grace, by Mary Doria Russell

“A Thread of Grace“, by Mary Doria Russell is an exceptional novel set in Italy during World War II. There aren’t too many novels that take place in the powerful setting of German occupied Italy during the final year of the war, that explore the humanity, humbleness, the partisans, and the willingness of the Italians to help hide both Jewish refugees and Italian Jews.

Russell infuses “A Thread of Grace” with historical fact, and much of it is based on accounts that Italians have relayed to her, memoirs, and on personal stories of both Italian Jews and Jewish refugee Survivors of World War II. The drama within the book is strong. She combines a deep sense of time and place within the pages. The three main famiiies and characters are given strong traits, including their ideals, ethics and religion, within the framework of World War II.

The characters are all named by Russell, before the book’s beginning. They range in age, and are a colorful group of individuals, from Catholics to Jews, from priests to rabbis, farmers to traders, a war hero and a German deserter, nuns, orphans, and all of them are fighting the same cause. Each one of them is trying to stay alive during the most adverse of times. And, each one of them is determined to try to save their Jewish neighbors and friends, including the Jewish refugees. Within the rubble and bombs the strength of each individual unfolds. Whether they live or die is inconsequential, as far as they are concerned. Whether they fight the fight is the primary issue for each one of them. Each individual is determined to contribute their all, no matter the outcome.

War-torn Italy has seen much horror, damage, destruction and lives lost, not only due to the German occupation, but also the allied bombings. The facists are strong, the German army is powerful and well organized. The resistance and partisans are a force to contend with, and the common thread within the villages and towns and its residents is the sameness of their humanity, the role of human kind under war time circumstances, and the shared losses both Catholics and Jews feel, as one. Each person considers themselves to be a piece of the whole, a thread in the fabric of time.

We have Italian Jews, including the rough, tough Renzo Leoni (my favorite character) along with his widowed mother, Lidia Segre. She is as tough as he is. There is Rabbi Iacopo Soncini and his wife, Mirella Casutto. Angelo is their young son, and Rosina is their daughter. Some of the Jewish refugees are Claudette Blum, a teenager, and her father Albert Blum. Duno Brossler is a partisan from Austria, and Liesl and Steffi are his younger sisters, while Rivka Ivanova Brossler is his paternal grandmother. There are several Italian Catholics, including Suora Marta, Massimo Malcovato, the major, the priest Osvaldo tomitz and the priest Don Leto, Santino Cicala is an infantryman, and so many other Catholics, who strive to help the Jews. There are some British characters, and a German character who is trying to receive absolution from a priest, as he sent 90,000 Jews to their death) woven within the pages.

I won’t go into much detail regarding the story line, but you can gather from what I have stated that it is a story whose setting is German occupied World War II Italy, and whose characters strive for the same ending, regardless of age, nationality or religion. You need to read “A Thread of Grace“, yourself, in order to appreciate the intense story, and the author’s efforts.

Mary Doria Russell has written a tapestry of time, whose threads are stretched, worn thin, and threads that often tear and wrinkle, whose weavings tell tales of courage, strength, determination, ideals, ethics, morals, and love and loss, and even redemption, under the extreme circumstances of war. Her descriptives and visuals are incredible and commanding. The strength behind her words convey paintings before our eyes. “A Thread of Grace” is a brilliant book and a masterpiece of humanity, in a world where the loss of one human being becomes the shared and common loss of the entire village or town, the collective as a whole. Mary Doria Russell brings historical fact into the realm of the novel, sensitively, with her overpowering sense of humankind and careful detail to time, place and people. I highly recommend “A Thread of Grace“.

I personally own and have read this book.

Stone, by Andy Goldsworthy

Stone, by Andy Goldsworthy

If you are a lover of nature and of man’s creative aspect within nature, then this fantastic collection of photographs is the perfect book for you. Andy Goldsworthy brings his unique perspective and relationship with nature through his photographs depicting his incredible stone sculptures.

Goldsworthy is a master at creating environments within an existing environment, blending elements of stone and form in striking patterns. He incorporates flowers, bark, leaves, steel and other formats within his stone sculptures.

His stone sculptures have been exhibited worldwide, from London to New York to Japan. To get an insight into his artistic endeavors, I highly recommend this photography book to everyone.
Stone is a book not to be missed.

© Copyright - All Rights Reserved - No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my expresss written consent/permission.

Flowery Fran

Dearest Mommy,

Happy birthday to you! I know you are looking down on me. Happy birthday, dear mommy, my beautiful Flowery Fran.

It is a lovely morning, and I strolled out in front of my house, looking over my gardens, and finally letting my eyes rest on the rose bush that I planted in your honor the day I moved in, June 25, 2005, which happened to be your birthday.

With coffee cup in hand, I stood a few minutes, speaking to the rose bush, speaking to you, for I truly believe that your spirit lies within the branches, leaves, buds and blossoms. You loved roses, pink ones, especially. And, this particular rose bush is meaningful to me in ways only you would understand. It is a symbol of our mother-daughter connection, an umbilical cord of sorts, and so much more. I can’t begin to articulate what it means to me, for words could not fully describe my thoughts and feelings.

If I should move, I would dig the rose bush up, and carefully place it in earth from where it now thrives, and put it inside a large enough container to hold it and keep it alive. I could never leave this house, without your rose bush moving with me, without you near me, wherever I may go.

You believed in an afterlife, in angels and time’s tapestry. You believed that love binds us together in ways we can’t even begin to imagine. WE spoke on that subject often. You believed that the essence and strength of love would always surround us and watch over us. Well, I believe that, also, my dearest mommy. I believe we are all one, under the global umbrella. “Our flame is but a flicker in the candle of time” (L.M.). When one of us leaves this realm, we move to another one, and are a constant in time’s continuum. Our illumination and aura is still connected to those we left behind.

Signs are everywhere, and quite often we don’t see them. But, I try to be aware, I always try to feel the unseen life and the unknown, and try to hear the echoes of silence resound with your voice, your laughter, your song of love and joy.

I know you are there, nearby, hovering and looking over us. With your angel wings spread wide you envelope all of us, all the way down to your great-grandchildren, Anthony-boy and baby Emily-Girlie-Girl.

I speak to you several times a day, talk to the rose bush, and kiss your photo dearest mommy, dearest Flowery Fran.

I remember my birthday in 2004, your vocal chords paralyzed leaving you unable to speak, and how you hummed happy birthday to me, as Howie and I stood at the foot of your bed. It took a lot of effort for you to do that, but you did it with a big smile on your face, while tears streamed down mine. Howie even shed a tear or two. It’s a precious memory to me, one I treasure. And, now, I sing it back to you.

Happy birthday, dear mommy, happy birthday to you. I give you one beautiful, multi-colored pink rose. But, when I think about it, in reality, you brought me an illumination of you, today…on your birthday, within that one beautiful, mult-colored pink rose. As always, your selflessness shines bright. My gift to you…the rose, your gift to me…the rose…Flowery Fran.

I felt you near, it brightened the beginning of my day. I hope my prose brightens yours.

I love you, dear mommy.

Garnet Hill Jewel

Garnet Hill Synagogue is the first synagogue to be built in Glasgow, Scotland. It was dedicated on a cloudy day, September 9, 1879. At the time, Glasgow had a Jewish population of 700 people.

John McLeod, of Hope Street, Glasgow, was the architect. He left nothing to imagination, on the Romanesque-looking exterior of the synagogue, from its massive columns, to the ornate turrets and Byzantine-like expressiveness, the synagogue attracted worshipers and visitors from all over.

The opening of the Garnet Hill Synagogue was a major occasion, and cause for celebration, as the Jews previously worshipped in a rented room, in 1825, and then in a flat, before deciding to build what is now Garnet Hill Synagogue.

From the lovely scrollwork on the iron gate, one walks the path towards the steps. The rich wood of the front door is welcoming, and the Star of David is present above the door, illuminating to everyone in its quietude. Garnet Hill Synagogue stands proudly, on a cobble stoned street, reflecting past and present. and it has been a strong community force for over almost 130 years.

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© Copyright 2007 - All Rights Reserved - No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my expresss written consent/permission.

National Gallery of Art Exhibition

The National Gallery of Art has a new exhibit on display: In the Forest of Fontainebleau - Painters and Photographs from Carot to Monet. It opened March 2, 2008, and runs through June 5, 2008.

There are more than 100 works by artists such as Monet, Carot, Millet, and many more. If you are in the area during this time frame, why not take the excellent opportunity to see this exhibit.
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Through May 4th, the exhibit Impressed by Light: British Photographs from Paper Negatives, 1840-1860 is on display.

Why not see two wonderful exhibits on the same day, if you are in town.