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drey72's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed Victoria Hislop’s The Return, a novel set in Granada, and decided to check out her next offering, The Thread.
The Thread is set in Thessaloniki, Greece and contains a lot of history – it spans from 1917 to the late 1970s and covers everything from the war with the Turks to World War II and the German occupation and through the difficult path to its current political climate.
Told through the eyes of a little girl separated from her mother and sister in the chaos surrounding their escape from Smyrna, this is a story of survival if not triumph, love, and loss. It’s a story of familial ties, multi-cultural communities, and how sometimes, man always finds a way to tear down something good, all in the name of fear and greed.
I liked that Hislop tells some of this story with Katerina’s voice. It is quiet and melodic, and quite haunting. It provides a welcome relief from the darkness contained within its pages – from the wars and civil unrest, the expulsion of the Jews to Poland, the ravages and consequences of resisting the status quo, and the stark unhappiness of two of the main characters. Life has not kind to Olga Komninos or Katerina Sarafoglou, though they each get more out of their friendship than they’d expected.
The Thread is a lovely read, though it’s a bit slow at times. I also wished there were more of the “good guys,” because all the suffering at the hands of self-absorbed, selfish really got my ire and indignation going. But life is what it is, and eventually Katerina and Olga both find some happiness. Add this to your reading pile for the lovely writing and lyrical depiction of life in this Greek island that I’ve always wanted to visit.
drey’s rating: Pick it up!
The Thread is set in Thessaloniki, Greece and contains a lot of history – it spans from 1917 to the late 1970s and covers everything from the war with the Turks to World War II and the German occupation and through the difficult path to its current political climate.
Told through the eyes of a little girl separated from her mother and sister in the chaos surrounding their escape from Smyrna, this is a story of survival if not triumph, love, and loss. It’s a story of familial ties, multi-cultural communities, and how sometimes, man always finds a way to tear down something good, all in the name of fear and greed.
I liked that Hislop tells some of this story with Katerina’s voice. It is quiet and melodic, and quite haunting. It provides a welcome relief from the darkness contained within its pages – from the wars and civil unrest, the expulsion of the Jews to Poland, the ravages and consequences of resisting the status quo, and the stark unhappiness of two of the main characters. Life has not kind to Olga Komninos or Katerina Sarafoglou, though they each get more out of their friendship than they’d expected.
The Thread is a lovely read, though it’s a bit slow at times. I also wished there were more of the “good guys,” because all the suffering at the hands of self-absorbed, selfish
drey’s rating: Pick it up!
lexiscott1's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
morwenna's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
megh4's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
awellreadlady's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
unabridgedchick's review against another edition
4.0
I love reading novels for the armchair escape and the free history lesson. In this case, the Greek city of Thessaloniki is the setting of The Thread, and one couple's lifelong relationship the columns for holding up this saga-ish look at love, family, national identity, belonging, loss, and war.
Starting in 2007, a beloved grandson finally learns just how his grandparents met and what their lives were like. Normally I hate this frame -- why not just start with the meat of the story? -- but in this case, it worked for me. Hislop is skilled at conveying a foreign world in a way that resonates and feels ... not familiar so much as seen -- as if in a film or photo series. I've never been to Thessaloniki (hadn't heard of it, actually!) but in her story, this was a city I fell in love with, broke my heart over, and dreamed of visiting. Once a vibrant multi-religious setting of culture and commerce, a fire in 1917 razes much of the city, and the armies of World War I and II finish the job. The story doesn't end there, though; through our couple, we follow Greece through another forty years or so of change and their own responses to that.
There's romance, obviously, but as we know from the start of the novel that the couple stays together, the meat of the story for me wasn't the will-they-won't-they but how would they weather such violence and striking change. Their love of place influenced me and I loved Thessaloniki, and had my own complicated feelings about how the city evolved over the nearly one hundred years the novel covers.
If you're a fan of WWI or WWII fic, grab this one -- the Greek setting was interesting for me -- and anyone who likes a good family saga should give this one a try. I immediately thought of book clubs for this one -- at 400 pages it is a bit chunky but I raced through the story (although I made myself slow down to savor) and there's a wealth of themes for discussion.
Starting in 2007, a beloved grandson finally learns just how his grandparents met and what their lives were like. Normally I hate this frame -- why not just start with the meat of the story? -- but in this case, it worked for me. Hislop is skilled at conveying a foreign world in a way that resonates and feels ... not familiar so much as seen -- as if in a film or photo series. I've never been to Thessaloniki (hadn't heard of it, actually!) but in her story, this was a city I fell in love with, broke my heart over, and dreamed of visiting. Once a vibrant multi-religious setting of culture and commerce, a fire in 1917 razes much of the city, and the armies of World War I and II finish the job. The story doesn't end there, though; through our couple, we follow Greece through another forty years or so of change and their own responses to that.
There's romance, obviously, but as we know from the start of the novel that the couple stays together, the meat of the story for me wasn't the will-they-won't-they but how would they weather such violence and striking change. Their love of place influenced me and I loved Thessaloniki, and had my own complicated feelings about how the city evolved over the nearly one hundred years the novel covers.
If you're a fan of WWI or WWII fic, grab this one -- the Greek setting was interesting for me -- and anyone who likes a good family saga should give this one a try. I immediately thought of book clubs for this one -- at 400 pages it is a bit chunky but I raced through the story (although I made myself slow down to savor) and there's a wealth of themes for discussion.
mrsmilkybarkid's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ditte's review
emotional
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookshelfsessions's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0