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City of Thieves
During the Nazis’ brutal siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel to use in his daughter’s wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and behind enemy lines to find the impossible.
By turns insightful and funny, thrilling and terrifying, City of Thieves is a gripping, cinematic World War II adventure and an intimate coming-of-age story with an utterly contemporary feel for how boys become men.
By turns insightful and funny, thrilling and terrifying, City of Thieves is a gripping, cinematic World War II adventure and an intimate coming-of-age story with an utterly contemporary feel for how boys become men.
258 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2008
About the author
David Benioff
19 books1,934 followersDavid Benioff worked as a nightclub bouncer in San Francisco, a radio DJ in Wyoming and an English teacher/wrestling coach in Brooklyn before selling his first novel, The 25th Hour, in 2000.
He later wrote the screenplay for Spike Lee’s adaptation of 25th Hour starring Edward Norton and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. In 2005, Viking Press published Benioff’s collection of short stories, When the Nines Roll Over.
Benioff’s screenwriting credits include Troy (2004), directed by Wolfgang Petersen, and Stay (2005), directed by Marc Forster, The Kite Runner (2007). Jim Sheridan produced Benioff’s screenplay Brothers, and Hugh Jackman reprised his role as the clawed mutant in Benioff’s Wolverine. He is also screenwriter and executive producer of Game of Thrones, HBO's adaptation of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels.
Viking published his most recent novel, City of Thieves, in May 2008.
Benioff is married to actress Amanda Peet; the couple has three children.
He later wrote the screenplay for Spike Lee’s adaptation of 25th Hour starring Edward Norton and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. In 2005, Viking Press published Benioff’s collection of short stories, When the Nines Roll Over.
Benioff’s screenwriting credits include Troy (2004), directed by Wolfgang Petersen, and Stay (2005), directed by Marc Forster, The Kite Runner (2007). Jim Sheridan produced Benioff’s screenplay Brothers, and Hugh Jackman reprised his role as the clawed mutant in Benioff’s Wolverine. He is also screenwriter and executive producer of Game of Thrones, HBO's adaptation of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels.
Viking published his most recent novel, City of Thieves, in May 2008.
Benioff is married to actress Amanda Peet; the couple has three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 14,187 reviews
June 23, 2008
I have read some good fiction lately, but this one is special like "Catcher in the Rye" or "The Curious Incident" or maybe "The Kite Runner". Instead of telling the story, I will make observations as to why I loved it:
1. Many historical fiction novels are written from the perspective of the thinking of the time. Although it is interesting to observe how people think people thought in the past, it can be a little too un-modern and sometimes boring, like reading "Moby Dick" or some other great, but somewhat over the top book. Here, we are set back in time by the grandson who is just like us, telling the story his grandfather tells him, but with language and interpretations that are how we think about things today. Instead of finding this tool to be unrealistic and too Hollywood modern, I found just the opposite. I felt like I really was back in time and I related to the characters like they were my best friends and buddies. I loved this approach to history telling.
2. The primary relationship in the book is between a shy, 17 year old Jewish boy who is intelligent, clever, educated and a great story teller. There is a running dialogue in his head describing his sometimes ridiculous and unimportant thoughts and observations as life threatening things are occurring. His older buddy is a young "man of the world" a college boy who is experienced with women, a writer and philosopher, a handsome and sometimes arrogant guy. He puts his arm around his younger shy friend's shoulder and starts to teach him about wine women and song. It is a touching and fun relationship that works as well as any friendship relationship I've ever read. The observations of the younger as to the older's sometimes graphic and raunchy statements and experiences are absolutely brilliant and spot on. This is how life and relationships really work and the author has been able to convey these experiences in a way that makes us relive similar things in our lives as older kids taught us about what really goes on in the adult world and we're half thinking it's a lie and half believing it, yet shaking our heads. I can't think of a book I've read that does this kind of coming of age relationship as well.
3. Because the story moves fast and is more about relationships and internal observations, you would think that the history of the time is secondary. However, the story gives us a very realistic feeling of how it must have been to be suffering through the invasion of the Germans into Leningrad in the horrible cold of the winter without much good food or shelter or equipment. There is a lot of good information about the cold and calculated way of the Nazis and the underfunded and yet heroic attempts of the Russian people to fend them off. And yet, as important as the historical setting of the book is, the thing that makes it work well is the commentary and thoughts of our two friends and eventually heroes.
4. There are many other great characters in the book from the brilliant and interesting Nazi leader, an intense and talented young female sniper, and the spoiled and wealthy man who sends them on their ridiculously trivial mission in the first place.
This book is the reason you read fiction.
1. Many historical fiction novels are written from the perspective of the thinking of the time. Although it is interesting to observe how people think people thought in the past, it can be a little too un-modern and sometimes boring, like reading "Moby Dick" or some other great, but somewhat over the top book. Here, we are set back in time by the grandson who is just like us, telling the story his grandfather tells him, but with language and interpretations that are how we think about things today. Instead of finding this tool to be unrealistic and too Hollywood modern, I found just the opposite. I felt like I really was back in time and I related to the characters like they were my best friends and buddies. I loved this approach to history telling.
2. The primary relationship in the book is between a shy, 17 year old Jewish boy who is intelligent, clever, educated and a great story teller. There is a running dialogue in his head describing his sometimes ridiculous and unimportant thoughts and observations as life threatening things are occurring. His older buddy is a young "man of the world" a college boy who is experienced with women, a writer and philosopher, a handsome and sometimes arrogant guy. He puts his arm around his younger shy friend's shoulder and starts to teach him about wine women and song. It is a touching and fun relationship that works as well as any friendship relationship I've ever read. The observations of the younger as to the older's sometimes graphic and raunchy statements and experiences are absolutely brilliant and spot on. This is how life and relationships really work and the author has been able to convey these experiences in a way that makes us relive similar things in our lives as older kids taught us about what really goes on in the adult world and we're half thinking it's a lie and half believing it, yet shaking our heads. I can't think of a book I've read that does this kind of coming of age relationship as well.
3. Because the story moves fast and is more about relationships and internal observations, you would think that the history of the time is secondary. However, the story gives us a very realistic feeling of how it must have been to be suffering through the invasion of the Germans into Leningrad in the horrible cold of the winter without much good food or shelter or equipment. There is a lot of good information about the cold and calculated way of the Nazis and the underfunded and yet heroic attempts of the Russian people to fend them off. And yet, as important as the historical setting of the book is, the thing that makes it work well is the commentary and thoughts of our two friends and eventually heroes.
4. There are many other great characters in the book from the brilliant and interesting Nazi leader, an intense and talented young female sniper, and the spoiled and wealthy man who sends them on their ridiculously trivial mission in the first place.
This book is the reason you read fiction.
August 18, 2019
”How could you fear anything more than death?
Everything else offered moments of escape: a paralyzed man could still read Dickens; a man in the grips of dementia might have flashes of the most absurd beauty.”
Lev Beniov wants to live. He may not be clear about anything else, but he knows that to be true. Life becomes more precious when being anywhere, not just in the wrong place, but just existing in space, can turn into a death trap at any moment. When his mother and sister fled the city he decided to stay. Now he is caught up in one of the worst sieges in the history of the world, he is in Leningrad or as I always think of it St. Petersburg.
Lev is seventeen years old.
Because it is mostly a city of islands, Leningrad was isolated from the rest of the Soviet Union by the Nazis’ control or destruction of its bridges.
When I went to Google the siege of Leningrad to brush up on the events that provided the background for this novel I was slightly taken aback when all I had to do was put in SIEGE and BAM there was Leningrad. The Germans made the decision, instead of going street by street and house by house, to just starve the citizens and remaining soldiers out of the city. They put a ring of soldiers around the perimeter of the city so that no one can come in and no one can come out. The staggering results are the deaths of two million Russian soldiers and civilians.
”I was built for deprivation.”
We’ve all maybe been a bit hungry, but many of us cocooned in a civilized world where food is plentiful and relatively cheap may not remember the last time we had a hunger pain. Lev and the remaining people of Leningrad have went beyond hungry to near starvation. People are dying daily because now there is no cushion of calories between them and dying. One day without some type of food intake will be...the final day.
It is almost like a gift from God, if Lev believed in such a person, to see the German paratrooper, frozen to death, drift down from the sky. Lev and his friends pounce on the body ransacking pockets finding food, a nice Damascus blade, and a flask of cognac or maybe schnapps how could they know the difference? But it spreads a warmth through their bodies like a hot meal or a roaring fire.
They take too long, a crucial loss of focus. Maybe it is the bonanza of food and booze that makes them forget for a moment that they are vulnerable out in the open. The soldiers are on them quickly and there is a mad scramble for safety.
Lev is caught. He is shocked they didn’t execute him for looting immediately. He has seen it happen before. He is thrown into a cell and there he meets Kolya who is also in dire trouble. He is charged with desertion and they didn’t execute him either. This isn’t a time for trials or due process. Shooting someone is just one less mouth to feed. The rules are maddeningly unpredictable. It is always best to assume the worst.
Now Kolya didn’t desert because he was afraid or because he was homesick. He deserted because he was horny. He is a tall, good looking guy who is used to having a steady diet of sexual encounters. With most of the city too calorie deprived to even think about anything as strenuous as sex, it is still his number one concern. His number two concern is; in fact, number two. He hasn’t taken a crap in eleven days.
”The loneliest sound in the world is other people making love.”
As Lev soon finds out.
The reason they are still alive is there is a Colonel who needs a dozen eggs. He is throwing a wedding feast for his daughter and they need eggs to bake her wedding cake. Kolya and Lev seem like improbable candidates to pull off such an impossible mission. They are dead men walking though and the Colonel has offered a pardon if they can bring him back the eggs he needs. Need, such an interesting concept when for most of the city twelve eggs represent twelve days with a meal.
The boys get to see the Colonel’s daughter ice skating on the river.
”It took me a few seconds to realize why she looked so strange, and then it was obvious--even at a distance you could tell that the girl was well fed. There was nothing pinched and desperate about her face. She had an athlete’s casual grace, her pirouettes were tight and fast; she never got winded. Her thighs must have been magnificent--long, pale, and strong--and I could feel my prick hardening for the first time in days.”
Rain down on me ladies! Peter Paul van Rubens, detail from 'The Disembarkation at Marseille' .
Lev hasn’t seen a woman in a long time that he didn’t have to mentally add weight to her figure and her face to determine if she used to be pretty.
”I finally fell asleep and dreamed of a sky raining fat girls.”
Their task takes them behind enemy lines where they meet pretty Russian girls kept for the amusement of the Germans, cannibals who have learned that the buttocks make the best steaks, and a female sniper named Vika who Lev falls head over heels in lust with.
”I was raised to be clean and it bothered me when others were not… But Vika’s wet dog smell did not offend me. All of us were slathered in grime by that point, of course--I must have stunk like week-old fish myself--but this wasn’t about being inured to foul odors. The tang off her body made me want to lick her clean.”
It is such a burden to be virginal. *sigh*
I’ve lost track of how many days it has been since Kolya took a crap. It is somewhere around twenty days. He has decided that his bowels are waiting for the end of the siege (the siege ended up lasting 872 days). He is looking forward to feeling the relief of a VICTORY CRAP.
Despite the stark circumstances that provide the backdrop for this novel there are many moments of unexpected humor that lend brevity to the growing frustrations and dangers in trying to achieve their mission. Watching the evolution of the friendship between two very different young men, a Cossack and a Jew, is not only heartwarming, but memorable. Lev’s father, a relatively famous poet, who was disappeared by the NKVD looms over the story as ghostly as Hamlet’s father. Lev has the soul of a poet, but lacks the gift to express it. Kolya is working steadily each evening, when he hasn’t found some woman willing to help him with his continually heated loins, on his novel title The Courtyard Hound. I have feeling his writing is spicy.
It all comes down to a game of chess, but then isn’t all of life a game of chess? We make sacrifices, pawns, rooks, and bishops, and hope the results prove worthy of what we have given up. The longer these two young men are together we can see their minds expanding exponentially just because one is with the other.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
Everything else offered moments of escape: a paralyzed man could still read Dickens; a man in the grips of dementia might have flashes of the most absurd beauty.”
Lev Beniov wants to live. He may not be clear about anything else, but he knows that to be true. Life becomes more precious when being anywhere, not just in the wrong place, but just existing in space, can turn into a death trap at any moment. When his mother and sister fled the city he decided to stay. Now he is caught up in one of the worst sieges in the history of the world, he is in Leningrad or as I always think of it St. Petersburg.
Lev is seventeen years old.
Because it is mostly a city of islands, Leningrad was isolated from the rest of the Soviet Union by the Nazis’ control or destruction of its bridges.
When I went to Google the siege of Leningrad to brush up on the events that provided the background for this novel I was slightly taken aback when all I had to do was put in SIEGE and BAM there was Leningrad. The Germans made the decision, instead of going street by street and house by house, to just starve the citizens and remaining soldiers out of the city. They put a ring of soldiers around the perimeter of the city so that no one can come in and no one can come out. The staggering results are the deaths of two million Russian soldiers and civilians.
”I was built for deprivation.”
We’ve all maybe been a bit hungry, but many of us cocooned in a civilized world where food is plentiful and relatively cheap may not remember the last time we had a hunger pain. Lev and the remaining people of Leningrad have went beyond hungry to near starvation. People are dying daily because now there is no cushion of calories between them and dying. One day without some type of food intake will be...the final day.
It is almost like a gift from God, if Lev believed in such a person, to see the German paratrooper, frozen to death, drift down from the sky. Lev and his friends pounce on the body ransacking pockets finding food, a nice Damascus blade, and a flask of cognac or maybe schnapps how could they know the difference? But it spreads a warmth through their bodies like a hot meal or a roaring fire.
They take too long, a crucial loss of focus. Maybe it is the bonanza of food and booze that makes them forget for a moment that they are vulnerable out in the open. The soldiers are on them quickly and there is a mad scramble for safety.
Lev is caught. He is shocked they didn’t execute him for looting immediately. He has seen it happen before. He is thrown into a cell and there he meets Kolya who is also in dire trouble. He is charged with desertion and they didn’t execute him either. This isn’t a time for trials or due process. Shooting someone is just one less mouth to feed. The rules are maddeningly unpredictable. It is always best to assume the worst.
Now Kolya didn’t desert because he was afraid or because he was homesick. He deserted because he was horny. He is a tall, good looking guy who is used to having a steady diet of sexual encounters. With most of the city too calorie deprived to even think about anything as strenuous as sex, it is still his number one concern. His number two concern is; in fact, number two. He hasn’t taken a crap in eleven days.
”The loneliest sound in the world is other people making love.”
As Lev soon finds out.
The reason they are still alive is there is a Colonel who needs a dozen eggs. He is throwing a wedding feast for his daughter and they need eggs to bake her wedding cake. Kolya and Lev seem like improbable candidates to pull off such an impossible mission. They are dead men walking though and the Colonel has offered a pardon if they can bring him back the eggs he needs. Need, such an interesting concept when for most of the city twelve eggs represent twelve days with a meal.
The boys get to see the Colonel’s daughter ice skating on the river.
”It took me a few seconds to realize why she looked so strange, and then it was obvious--even at a distance you could tell that the girl was well fed. There was nothing pinched and desperate about her face. She had an athlete’s casual grace, her pirouettes were tight and fast; she never got winded. Her thighs must have been magnificent--long, pale, and strong--and I could feel my prick hardening for the first time in days.”
Rain down on me ladies! Peter Paul van Rubens, detail from 'The Disembarkation at Marseille' .
Lev hasn’t seen a woman in a long time that he didn’t have to mentally add weight to her figure and her face to determine if she used to be pretty.
”I finally fell asleep and dreamed of a sky raining fat girls.”
Their task takes them behind enemy lines where they meet pretty Russian girls kept for the amusement of the Germans, cannibals who have learned that the buttocks make the best steaks, and a female sniper named Vika who Lev falls head over heels in lust with.
”I was raised to be clean and it bothered me when others were not… But Vika’s wet dog smell did not offend me. All of us were slathered in grime by that point, of course--I must have stunk like week-old fish myself--but this wasn’t about being inured to foul odors. The tang off her body made me want to lick her clean.”
It is such a burden to be virginal. *sigh*
I’ve lost track of how many days it has been since Kolya took a crap. It is somewhere around twenty days. He has decided that his bowels are waiting for the end of the siege (the siege ended up lasting 872 days). He is looking forward to feeling the relief of a VICTORY CRAP.
Despite the stark circumstances that provide the backdrop for this novel there are many moments of unexpected humor that lend brevity to the growing frustrations and dangers in trying to achieve their mission. Watching the evolution of the friendship between two very different young men, a Cossack and a Jew, is not only heartwarming, but memorable. Lev’s father, a relatively famous poet, who was disappeared by the NKVD looms over the story as ghostly as Hamlet’s father. Lev has the soul of a poet, but lacks the gift to express it. Kolya is working steadily each evening, when he hasn’t found some woman willing to help him with his continually heated loins, on his novel title The Courtyard Hound. I have feeling his writing is spicy.
It all comes down to a game of chess, but then isn’t all of life a game of chess? We make sacrifices, pawns, rooks, and bishops, and hope the results prove worthy of what we have given up. The longer these two young men are together we can see their minds expanding exponentially just because one is with the other.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
March 9, 2012
in the aftermath of my tryst with this beautiful, intelligent novel, I was hobbled by lancinating pain stemming from a burning, itching question repeatedly sounding off in my head…why didn’t I love this book MORE?
Why?
I love historical fiction, especially tales set in WW the Sequel, and Benioff’s crisp, effortless prose is smart and pleasurable without ever become overly clever or self-indulgent. The plot device of surreal "forced" shopping expedition to track down a dozen eggs against the backdrop of the horrific Siege of St. Petersburg was a wonderful vehicle to spotlight the everyday struggles of life during the longest and most destructive siege in the history of modern warfare.
All signs point to a love connection.
So…again…why wasn't I smitten?
The only diagnosis I arrived at to explain my muted affection for this novel was that it was too detached an experience. The story, while giftedly told, never truly pulled me within its sphere of influence. The events encountered by the plot’s main characters, Lev and Kolya, despite being well-described and at times harrowing, never completely captured me. This lack of involuntary engagement in the story left my enjoyment dulled and pretty much doomed me. I think being actively vested in the characters and being held captive by the sense of place created by Benioff is vital to a genuine enjoyment of this story.
For me, sadly, it more like seeing photos and video of someone else’s exciting vacation rather than experiencing it myself.
Still, there were flashes of engagement for me that left me breathless and cemented the fact that I would at least "like" this story:
** The scene with the cannibals had me duct-taped to my seat. Benioff’s talent during this portion was writ large on the marquee as he handled this potentially cartoonish scene so deftly that you just knew he was writing truth.
I haven’t personally researched the level of cannibalism that occurred during the 900 day Siege, but Benioff’s depiction of it felt absolutely authentic.
** The mine-strapped anti-tank dogs lying dead in the snow and the sole survivor found bleeding by the characters was very powerful and I felt ache. To be able to evoke such emotion for an animal in the midst of the almost unimaginable suffering taking place all around them was a further display of superb craftsmanship on the author’s part.
** The description of the casual, sadistic atrocity perpetrated by the German einsatzkommandos against a Russian peasant girl for trying to escape forced prostitution is seared on my memory. Most noteworthy is that Benioff handled it without any melodrama and this understated, “just the facts ma’am,” recounting made it all the more chilling.
** The Chess game. I loved it. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I thought this scene was handled wonderfully when it could have derailed easily into Hollywoodness. It didn't and so more another cap tip to the author.
In addition to the above, I enjoyed the way Benioff blurred the lines between reality and fiction by using the story-within-a-story framing device. The novel is told as the embellished memoir of Benioff’s own grandfather detailing his experience during the siege. This adds a real sense of authenticity…however it was also part and parcel of its downfall for me as it added another layer between me and the events of the story. This further heightened my lack of connection to it.
In the end, I think this is a skilled work by an excellent story-teller with real talent for writing. The story just never quite clicked for me and I found myself hopelessly undevoted to it. I wish that wasn’t the case, but it was.
Thus, the best I can do is 3.0 stars and to point to all the kudos above so that you will understand why I am still recommending that you give it a shot. There is much to like here and hopefully you have a more engrossing experience.
Why?
I love historical fiction, especially tales set in WW the Sequel, and Benioff’s crisp, effortless prose is smart and pleasurable without ever become overly clever or self-indulgent. The plot device of surreal "forced" shopping expedition to track down a dozen eggs against the backdrop of the horrific Siege of St. Petersburg was a wonderful vehicle to spotlight the everyday struggles of life during the longest and most destructive siege in the history of modern warfare.
All signs point to a love connection.
So…again…why wasn't I smitten?
The only diagnosis I arrived at to explain my muted affection for this novel was that it was too detached an experience. The story, while giftedly told, never truly pulled me within its sphere of influence. The events encountered by the plot’s main characters, Lev and Kolya, despite being well-described and at times harrowing, never completely captured me. This lack of involuntary engagement in the story left my enjoyment dulled and pretty much doomed me. I think being actively vested in the characters and being held captive by the sense of place created by Benioff is vital to a genuine enjoyment of this story.
For me, sadly, it more like seeing photos and video of someone else’s exciting vacation rather than experiencing it myself.
Still, there were flashes of engagement for me that left me breathless and cemented the fact that I would at least "like" this story:
** The scene with the cannibals had me duct-taped to my seat. Benioff’s talent during this portion was writ large on the marquee as he handled this potentially cartoonish scene so deftly that you just knew he was writing truth.
I haven’t personally researched the level of cannibalism that occurred during the 900 day Siege, but Benioff’s depiction of it felt absolutely authentic.
** The mine-strapped anti-tank dogs lying dead in the snow and the sole survivor found bleeding by the characters was very powerful and I felt ache. To be able to evoke such emotion for an animal in the midst of the almost unimaginable suffering taking place all around them was a further display of superb craftsmanship on the author’s part.
** The description of the casual, sadistic atrocity perpetrated by the German einsatzkommandos against a Russian peasant girl for trying to escape forced prostitution is seared on my memory. Most noteworthy is that Benioff handled it without any melodrama and this understated, “just the facts ma’am,” recounting made it all the more chilling.
** The Chess game. I loved it. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I thought this scene was handled wonderfully when it could have derailed easily into Hollywoodness. It didn't and so more another cap tip to the author.
In addition to the above, I enjoyed the way Benioff blurred the lines between reality and fiction by using the story-within-a-story framing device. The novel is told as the embellished memoir of Benioff’s own grandfather detailing his experience during the siege. This adds a real sense of authenticity…however it was also part and parcel of its downfall for me as it added another layer between me and the events of the story. This further heightened my lack of connection to it.
In the end, I think this is a skilled work by an excellent story-teller with real talent for writing. The story just never quite clicked for me and I found myself hopelessly undevoted to it. I wish that wasn’t the case, but it was.
Thus, the best I can do is 3.0 stars and to point to all the kudos above so that you will understand why I am still recommending that you give it a shot. There is much to like here and hopefully you have a more engrossing experience.
July 7, 2021
one of my favourite WWII stories.
DB has somehow combined the harsh winters of russia and the cruel nature of war with brotherly humour and friendly banter. kolya and lev have honestly one of the best bromances i have ever read. their comedic relief, as well as the absurd mission they are sent on, really help to show the humanity necessary for such a setting. the over-the-top dramatics often reminded me of catch-22, but also didnt take away from the serious nature of the story.
this is a great book for someone wanting to read a WWII story but doesnt feel like crying. lol.
↠ 5 stars
DB has somehow combined the harsh winters of russia and the cruel nature of war with brotherly humour and friendly banter. kolya and lev have honestly one of the best bromances i have ever read. their comedic relief, as well as the absurd mission they are sent on, really help to show the humanity necessary for such a setting. the over-the-top dramatics often reminded me of catch-22, but also didnt take away from the serious nature of the story.
this is a great book for someone wanting to read a WWII story but doesnt feel like crying. lol.
↠ 5 stars
May 20, 2021
In my opinion this book deserves five stars for all the emotional charge it carries and for the author's unique ability to include all main aspects of the siege of Leningrad and the war in the Soviet Union. The story of two young men Lev and Kolya, tasked with finding eggs for an NKVD officer in exchange for life sounds simple, but the story offers much more. You read about the brutal reality under the Soviet regime, about the cruelty and massacres by the German einsatzgruppen following Wermaht, about the starvation in the city under the siege and the struggle to survive.
The story is raw, tragic and the end is the depiction of how much a human's life mattered then.
Lev sets on the quest innocent, what he witnesses changes him forever. Kolya is an seasoned soldier despite his young age and full of wisdom from which Lev benefits. They constitute an seemingly unlikey team but the bond between them grows strong.
Not an unlifting read but rewarding in many ways.
The story is raw, tragic and the end is the depiction of how much a human's life mattered then.
Lev sets on the quest innocent, what he witnesses changes him forever. Kolya is an seasoned soldier despite his young age and full of wisdom from which Lev benefits. They constitute an seemingly unlikey team but the bond between them grows strong.
Not an unlifting read but rewarding in many ways.
January 11, 2020
Loved this book. This is one of very few that when I see it in a thrift store, or a Friends of the Library store, (I haunt these stores on a regular bases, my wife says I have a genuine problem) I buy them. I give the book to friends and fellow lovers of books. Not one has said they didn't love it.
During the battle of Stalingrad in WWII two young adults are captured by their own side and sentenced to death. A Col. in the military, stays the order if the two find some chicken eggs for a cake. It's a great premise and wonderfully executed.
Highly recommend.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series.
During the battle of Stalingrad in WWII two young adults are captured by their own side and sentenced to death. A Col. in the military, stays the order if the two find some chicken eggs for a cake. It's a great premise and wonderfully executed.
Highly recommend.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series.
March 7, 2016
This is what happens during war: people will do anything to survive -from murder to stealing, to going on exhaustive food hunts. Absurdly as it sounds, this becomes the cultural norm.
It's the Soviet Union 1942. Tension is thick with famine and war. The Germans are beginning their invasion. Two soviet thieves, Lev and Kolya are captured and thrown into the same cell. However, instead of death, they are given a 4 day reprieve with a mission to find a dozen eggs for a wedding cake for a colonel's daughter. This is their mission and the wild egg hunt they go on. Trudging through a landscape of death, evading nazis and cannibals, fighting their own fatigue and exhaustion, an unusual friendship begins. Well drawn out human characters: Lev, Jewish -shy and withdrawn; paralleling that of Kolya, a mild mannered fellow providing humour on this bleak trek.
From calculated neglect to constipation -this a story rich in all elements of character development. Writing so palatable and simplistic yet rich in texture, it was a pleasure to read. 5★
Thank you to my GR friends who pointed this one out as a must read.
It's the Soviet Union 1942. Tension is thick with famine and war. The Germans are beginning their invasion. Two soviet thieves, Lev and Kolya are captured and thrown into the same cell. However, instead of death, they are given a 4 day reprieve with a mission to find a dozen eggs for a wedding cake for a colonel's daughter. This is their mission and the wild egg hunt they go on. Trudging through a landscape of death, evading nazis and cannibals, fighting their own fatigue and exhaustion, an unusual friendship begins. Well drawn out human characters: Lev, Jewish -shy and withdrawn; paralleling that of Kolya, a mild mannered fellow providing humour on this bleak trek.
From calculated neglect to constipation -this a story rich in all elements of character development. Writing so palatable and simplistic yet rich in texture, it was a pleasure to read. 5★
Thank you to my GR friends who pointed this one out as a must read.
August 10, 2015
Growing up in Poland you couldn't escape but be exposed to Polish war movies and dramas. The war defined this country and its people, with the country being completely destroyed and around 5,6 million people dead; because the Western powers trusted Stalin the country borders also changed, with parts of eastern Poland being ceded to contemporary Ukraine and Lithuania. But the rotten top of the cake came when the country fell under the influence of the USSR, and disappeared behind the Iron Curtain for over half a century. However, Polish people are stubborn: the 1980 Solidarity led to the creation of the Soviet's block first trade union, and the subsequent protests formed a wave of reactions throughout Europe, which eventually led to countries breaking away from the Soviet sphere of influence and gaining independence.
So what did the Polish people do during all these grim years? And they were grim all right: imagine walking into a store and seeing nothing, literally nothing on its shelves - and then going into another one and seeing empty shelves again, and in another one, and another. Food stamps were not welfare - number of goods one could purchase was limited, with most not being available at all. The black market flourished for those who could afford it, but mostly people stood in long queues to buy whatever was available at the moment. Everything was scarce.
This is not Black Friday but a normal Polish week in the 70's and 80's.
You'd be surprised to hear that culturally the country wasn't doing so bad. It was during this time that it produced classic motion pictures and dramas, most of which are highly regarded to this day for their witty social humor and relentless mocking and parodying of the opressive regime, in particular its absurd bureaucracy. It was the time when science fiction could be used as political commentary in thin disguise, and so was music. With severe limits imposed on them, people sought to express themselves and to great effect - even in sports. In 1974 FIFA World Cup Poland got the third place (which is practically unbelieveable when you look at the contemporary face of Polish football) after losing 0:1 to West Germany in a dramatic match - the game was goalless for 76 minutes as both teams struggled on the rain soaked field.
The war also made an impact on Polish entertainment. Two of the most popular and enduring Polish TV series have both been about it: The first, More Than Life At Stake was a suspenseful espionage drama about a Polish double agent in the Abwehr in occupied Poland, which cleared the streets when it aired as people were rushing to those who had a television set to not miss an episode; the second, Four tank-men and a dog was a whimsical series about the adventures of a T-34 tank crew and their dog in the Polish army. It was largely a pro-Soviet propaganda piece, made to whitewash the Soviets but people loved it - and still do. How I Unleashed World War II is a series of three comic films about a Polish soldier who is convinced that by an incredible strain of coincidences he has started the second World War and wants to undo it, constantly getting himself into trouble on different theaters of war. The movies poke fun at the German soldiers relentlessly and brought some joy to people of the country which suffered so much at their hands. And it is these whimsical films that I was reminded of when I read City of Thieves. David Benioff is an estabilished American screenwriter who wrote screenplays for the HBO adaptation of Game of Thrones and movies such as Troy and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. City of Thieves is purpotedly based on true experiences of his grandfather during the siege of Leningrad.
Leningrand is now named Saint Petersburg, and is located near the Gulf of Finland in northwestern Russia. It is the second largest city in the country with over five million inhabitans, and has formerly served as the capital of the Russian Empire. All great Russian revolutions of the early 20th century took place there - the Revolution of 1905, the February Revolution and the pivotal Russian Revolution of 1917 which abolished Nicholas II and ended the Russian Empire and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. After Lenin's death the city was renamed "Leningrad" to honor him; the name was changed to Saint Petersburg in 1991. Today it is an important Baltic port and a cultural center - the place of birth of Dmitri Shostakovich, Vladmir Nabokov and Ayn Rand, the setting of Crime and Punishment. Through its middle flows the river Neva, and in its center sits the Winter Palace - the former residence of the Russian Monarchs, described to me by my mother as the grandest building she ever saw.
The city is also the site of the deadliest siege in the history of warfare. From September 1941 to January 1944 the German army severed the last land connection. Over a million of Red Army soldiers and hundreds of thousands of civilians lost their lives due to the bombings, famine and terrible cold. In 1945 it received the Soviet honorary title of "Hero City" - an award it shares with Moscow, Odessa, Kiev and Stalingrad among others.
[image error]
Benioff's novel is presented as fiction, although it's more than implied that the material is at least partially biographical - with creative edits here and there - the novel's unnamed narrator lives in Los Angeles and writes "screenplays for movies with mutant superheroes", and visits his retired grandparents in Florida. He intends to write about his grandfather's experiences in Leningrad and publish them. The elder obliges: when he cannot remember certain details, he instructs his grandson to make it up - since he is a writer. What follows is a quite engrossing novel which kept me turning the page with intensity way larger that i have anticipated.
You have never been so hungry; you have never been so cold. these words open the narration of Lev Beniow, who lives alone in an apartment in Leningrad. His mother and sister fled the city when it was still possible, but he refused; his father - a poet - has been captured by the NKVD, and Lev feels the obligation to defend his home from the invaders. Lev lives in severe conditions, and together with a group of friends they almost make do; one day a dead Luftwaffe pilot falls from the sky, killed not by another plane but by the extreme cold. At attempt to loot the body is spotted by the Soviet officials, and despite the fact that the punishment for looting is death Lev helps his friend (and a secret sweetheart) escape, being caught in her place. He is taken to prison where he is to await his execution, and there he meets Kolya Vlasow, a deserter from the Red Army. Kolya is everything Lev is not - cultured, witty, charming and socially refined, and quite given to bragadaccio, particularly when it comes to relations with the opposite sex.
Expecting the worst, Kolya and Lev are brought before NKVD colonel Grechko, who offers them an offer they can't refuse: he will let them live if they can find a dozen eggs. Grechko needs the eggs for his daughter's wedding cake - they're the only missing ingredient. Although he and the boys both know that in Leningrad there are no eggs in Leningrad, he also knows that when put against a wall man can sometimes do what can only be described as miraculous. He has nothing to lose, while the boys have everything. While the colonel might be perceived as kind of a bastard, he is a weird sort of way a likable person: he gives the boy a waiver which will give them immunity from the Soviet soldiers, a hundred rubbles and five days to return with a dozen eggs. There is no use running away: the environment will kill them, and if it doesn't the colonel's men will hunt them down and kill them, and if they are crazy enough to try to leave the city they will be killed by the Germans.
And so begins this fine yarn, which despite its relatively short length holds more than a few surprises up its sleeve. Its lenght is not a detriment - Benioff does not aim to write a historical epic about war. His screenwriting expertise will make sure that the narrative is taut and compelling, with new developments occuring quickly one after the other. Although the novel moves very swiftly, the issues it touches upon are never toned down or simplified for the sake of trying to appeal to the audience. The harshness of life in Leningrad is shown well, and the brutalities and absurdities of war (where else would two boys be sent on such a quest?) are on full display, with several brilliant set pieces which are bound to affect any reader - although the novel might at first glance seem to be adressed to young adults, the author does not shy away from the violence, of which there is a fair amount - some of it quite graphic and really effective. None of it is graphic for its own sake, and the novel never descends to a simplistic bloodbath.
The main joy comes from seeing the interaction between the two main characters. Lev is a great narrator: an intelligent and opinionated young Russian, who is shy around girls and irritated and frustrated about his situation, his country and his father; Lev is very sympathetic and a great storyteller. Kolya, On the other hand, is a great jester with irresistible charms, one who never stops bragging about his abilities and accomplishments (especially when it comes to women). While Lev is a bit subdued and quiet, Kolya is often arrogant and full of himself, claiming to be an erudite expert on almost anything - from philosophy and literature to warfare and women. As they embark on their quest to find the eggs their friendship progresses, and it's a delight to see it grow. Since the novel is written by Lev's grandson, the wording does not aim to accurately reflect the way people spoke and wrote around the time: the author writes the story as a contemporary man, not one in the 1940's, but it does not take anything from the novel - I would argue that it allows the readers to immerse themselves in it better. Along their way on the quest for a dozen eggs Lev and Kolya meet many colorful characters, all of which are well developed - the author never uses pure stereotypes and cardboard cutouts, and gives weight not only to the main players but to the supporting cast as well. The sense of war and everpresent danger, is strong in this one, but so is the sense of adventure and fun, despite all the horrors and grimness. Benioff knows how to use dark humor and not sound completely cheesy or over the top, never going into the maudling and overly sentimental territory where many other writers would jump right in to squeeze the emotions out of the reader like you squeeze juice out of a lemon. The novel charms its reader, quickly weaving its spell, and suddenly we are completely captivated and unable to put the damn thing down.
I had so much fun with reading this novel, which was a very pleasant surpriseWhile it is definitely not a straight account of the siege of Leningrad, I can see it as a great gateway for readers to fuel their interest about that particular place and time (and it is fascinating stuff). City of Thieves is suspenseful and engaging, with great characters and an engaging storyline. I had a marvelous time with this novel, which in its compact size managed to contain an engaging story about coming of age during the war, and all that comes with it - the harshness, cold and hunger, but also friendship, adventure and love. Great stuff!
So what did the Polish people do during all these grim years? And they were grim all right: imagine walking into a store and seeing nothing, literally nothing on its shelves - and then going into another one and seeing empty shelves again, and in another one, and another. Food stamps were not welfare - number of goods one could purchase was limited, with most not being available at all. The black market flourished for those who could afford it, but mostly people stood in long queues to buy whatever was available at the moment. Everything was scarce.
This is not Black Friday but a normal Polish week in the 70's and 80's.
You'd be surprised to hear that culturally the country wasn't doing so bad. It was during this time that it produced classic motion pictures and dramas, most of which are highly regarded to this day for their witty social humor and relentless mocking and parodying of the opressive regime, in particular its absurd bureaucracy. It was the time when science fiction could be used as political commentary in thin disguise, and so was music. With severe limits imposed on them, people sought to express themselves and to great effect - even in sports. In 1974 FIFA World Cup Poland got the third place (which is practically unbelieveable when you look at the contemporary face of Polish football) after losing 0:1 to West Germany in a dramatic match - the game was goalless for 76 minutes as both teams struggled on the rain soaked field.
The war also made an impact on Polish entertainment. Two of the most popular and enduring Polish TV series have both been about it: The first, More Than Life At Stake was a suspenseful espionage drama about a Polish double agent in the Abwehr in occupied Poland, which cleared the streets when it aired as people were rushing to those who had a television set to not miss an episode; the second, Four tank-men and a dog was a whimsical series about the adventures of a T-34 tank crew and their dog in the Polish army. It was largely a pro-Soviet propaganda piece, made to whitewash the Soviets but people loved it - and still do. How I Unleashed World War II is a series of three comic films about a Polish soldier who is convinced that by an incredible strain of coincidences he has started the second World War and wants to undo it, constantly getting himself into trouble on different theaters of war. The movies poke fun at the German soldiers relentlessly and brought some joy to people of the country which suffered so much at their hands. And it is these whimsical films that I was reminded of when I read City of Thieves. David Benioff is an estabilished American screenwriter who wrote screenplays for the HBO adaptation of Game of Thrones and movies such as Troy and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. City of Thieves is purpotedly based on true experiences of his grandfather during the siege of Leningrad.
Leningrand is now named Saint Petersburg, and is located near the Gulf of Finland in northwestern Russia. It is the second largest city in the country with over five million inhabitans, and has formerly served as the capital of the Russian Empire. All great Russian revolutions of the early 20th century took place there - the Revolution of 1905, the February Revolution and the pivotal Russian Revolution of 1917 which abolished Nicholas II and ended the Russian Empire and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. After Lenin's death the city was renamed "Leningrad" to honor him; the name was changed to Saint Petersburg in 1991. Today it is an important Baltic port and a cultural center - the place of birth of Dmitri Shostakovich, Vladmir Nabokov and Ayn Rand, the setting of Crime and Punishment. Through its middle flows the river Neva, and in its center sits the Winter Palace - the former residence of the Russian Monarchs, described to me by my mother as the grandest building she ever saw.
The city is also the site of the deadliest siege in the history of warfare. From September 1941 to January 1944 the German army severed the last land connection. Over a million of Red Army soldiers and hundreds of thousands of civilians lost their lives due to the bombings, famine and terrible cold. In 1945 it received the Soviet honorary title of "Hero City" - an award it shares with Moscow, Odessa, Kiev and Stalingrad among others.
[image error]
Benioff's novel is presented as fiction, although it's more than implied that the material is at least partially biographical - with creative edits here and there - the novel's unnamed narrator lives in Los Angeles and writes "screenplays for movies with mutant superheroes", and visits his retired grandparents in Florida. He intends to write about his grandfather's experiences in Leningrad and publish them. The elder obliges: when he cannot remember certain details, he instructs his grandson to make it up - since he is a writer. What follows is a quite engrossing novel which kept me turning the page with intensity way larger that i have anticipated.
You have never been so hungry; you have never been so cold. these words open the narration of Lev Beniow, who lives alone in an apartment in Leningrad. His mother and sister fled the city when it was still possible, but he refused; his father - a poet - has been captured by the NKVD, and Lev feels the obligation to defend his home from the invaders. Lev lives in severe conditions, and together with a group of friends they almost make do; one day a dead Luftwaffe pilot falls from the sky, killed not by another plane but by the extreme cold. At attempt to loot the body is spotted by the Soviet officials, and despite the fact that the punishment for looting is death Lev helps his friend (and a secret sweetheart) escape, being caught in her place. He is taken to prison where he is to await his execution, and there he meets Kolya Vlasow, a deserter from the Red Army. Kolya is everything Lev is not - cultured, witty, charming and socially refined, and quite given to bragadaccio, particularly when it comes to relations with the opposite sex.
Expecting the worst, Kolya and Lev are brought before NKVD colonel Grechko, who offers them an offer they can't refuse: he will let them live if they can find a dozen eggs. Grechko needs the eggs for his daughter's wedding cake - they're the only missing ingredient. Although he and the boys both know that in Leningrad there are no eggs in Leningrad, he also knows that when put against a wall man can sometimes do what can only be described as miraculous. He has nothing to lose, while the boys have everything. While the colonel might be perceived as kind of a bastard, he is a weird sort of way a likable person: he gives the boy a waiver which will give them immunity from the Soviet soldiers, a hundred rubbles and five days to return with a dozen eggs. There is no use running away: the environment will kill them, and if it doesn't the colonel's men will hunt them down and kill them, and if they are crazy enough to try to leave the city they will be killed by the Germans.
And so begins this fine yarn, which despite its relatively short length holds more than a few surprises up its sleeve. Its lenght is not a detriment - Benioff does not aim to write a historical epic about war. His screenwriting expertise will make sure that the narrative is taut and compelling, with new developments occuring quickly one after the other. Although the novel moves very swiftly, the issues it touches upon are never toned down or simplified for the sake of trying to appeal to the audience. The harshness of life in Leningrad is shown well, and the brutalities and absurdities of war (where else would two boys be sent on such a quest?) are on full display, with several brilliant set pieces which are bound to affect any reader - although the novel might at first glance seem to be adressed to young adults, the author does not shy away from the violence, of which there is a fair amount - some of it quite graphic and really effective. None of it is graphic for its own sake, and the novel never descends to a simplistic bloodbath.
The main joy comes from seeing the interaction between the two main characters. Lev is a great narrator: an intelligent and opinionated young Russian, who is shy around girls and irritated and frustrated about his situation, his country and his father; Lev is very sympathetic and a great storyteller. Kolya, On the other hand, is a great jester with irresistible charms, one who never stops bragging about his abilities and accomplishments (especially when it comes to women). While Lev is a bit subdued and quiet, Kolya is often arrogant and full of himself, claiming to be an erudite expert on almost anything - from philosophy and literature to warfare and women. As they embark on their quest to find the eggs their friendship progresses, and it's a delight to see it grow. Since the novel is written by Lev's grandson, the wording does not aim to accurately reflect the way people spoke and wrote around the time: the author writes the story as a contemporary man, not one in the 1940's, but it does not take anything from the novel - I would argue that it allows the readers to immerse themselves in it better. Along their way on the quest for a dozen eggs Lev and Kolya meet many colorful characters, all of which are well developed - the author never uses pure stereotypes and cardboard cutouts, and gives weight not only to the main players but to the supporting cast as well. The sense of war and everpresent danger, is strong in this one, but so is the sense of adventure and fun, despite all the horrors and grimness. Benioff knows how to use dark humor and not sound completely cheesy or over the top, never going into the maudling and overly sentimental territory where many other writers would jump right in to squeeze the emotions out of the reader like you squeeze juice out of a lemon. The novel charms its reader, quickly weaving its spell, and suddenly we are completely captivated and unable to put the damn thing down.
I had so much fun with reading this novel, which was a very pleasant surpriseWhile it is definitely not a straight account of the siege of Leningrad, I can see it as a great gateway for readers to fuel their interest about that particular place and time (and it is fascinating stuff). City of Thieves is suspenseful and engaging, with great characters and an engaging storyline. I had a marvelous time with this novel, which in its compact size managed to contain an engaging story about coming of age during the war, and all that comes with it - the harshness, cold and hunger, but also friendship, adventure and love. Great stuff!
April 15, 2021
This adventure story, which focuses on the relationship between two young men thrust together in search of a dozen eggs over a five-day period in war-torn Leningrad, is filled with tension and black humor - definitely my kind of story! I especially loved the multi-faceted character, Kolya, because I was always eager to hear what he would say/do next! Narrated by Ron Perlman, this audiobook was difficult to put aside when life called to me.
Although the setting is during WWII, this is not your typical war story. Heartwarming and heartbreaking - highly recommend!
Although the setting is during WWII, this is not your typical war story. Heartwarming and heartbreaking - highly recommend!
May 28, 2009
A terrific book that proves you don't have to write 700 or 800 pages to have real depth. I'm fascinated by how Benioff managed to describe the characters enduring terrible hardship and the worst of one of the most brutal battles in history, but the book doesn't read as grim or overly depressing. That's not to say that there isn't real drama, horror and sadness, but the natural humor of characters keep it from being just another book about the horrors of war.
June 21, 2023
You know how annoying it is when a book’s ending is so unrealistic that you say to yourself in disgust, “This would never play out like this in real life!”? It’s happened more than once, right? But a funny thing sometimes happens on the way to the forum. Sometimes your peevishness gets assassinated. Sometimes you’re so damned entertained by a book that you act like a sailor on leave and say, “Ah, what the hell!” Sometimes you’re so amused by the characters that you see that suspension bridge of disbelief and you cross it -- cheerfully, yet.
This is the case with David Benioff’s oddly mesmerizing historical foray, CITY OF THIEVES. The quixotic quest book offers a little something for everyone. Russophiles and history buffs will love it because it’s set in Leningrad during the siege, and the author has done his homework, making the setting and background events accurate. Coming-of-age fans will like it because the protagonist, a tough but runty Russian Jew who is only 17, will work his way into the apple core of your heart. Humor enthusiasts will take to it because it is rich with witty badinage, much of it thanks to Kolya, the Red Army sidekick whose libido leads him AWOL and into deep doo-doo with the Russian military.
Together, Lev and Kolya are spared death (one for breaking curfew, the other for looking for love when he should have been on guard with his unit) if they can bring back a certain colonel one dozen eggs. Why? The colonel’s daughter is getting married at the end of the week and needs a huge wedding cake in a city that is about as eggless as a grunting rooster. Ridiculous? Sure. Fun? Indubitably. But the sights our heroes come across during their journey are anything but laughable and, at times, downright gruesome.
War is hell, yes, but it also offers ironies in spades. Ante up, then, because Benioff is dealing. You might consider Kolya a tad over-the-top, and you might agree with me that the showdown with the Germans toward the end “stretches things a bit,” but what the hell – if you’re charmed, you’re in a good mood; and if you’re in a good mood, you tend to let certain things go. Thus, the suspension of disbelief. Thus, the four stars. Thus, the hearty recommendation, reservations notwithstanding. This one’s a page-turner. This one I think you'll like.
This is the case with David Benioff’s oddly mesmerizing historical foray, CITY OF THIEVES. The quixotic quest book offers a little something for everyone. Russophiles and history buffs will love it because it’s set in Leningrad during the siege, and the author has done his homework, making the setting and background events accurate. Coming-of-age fans will like it because the protagonist, a tough but runty Russian Jew who is only 17, will work his way into the apple core of your heart. Humor enthusiasts will take to it because it is rich with witty badinage, much of it thanks to Kolya, the Red Army sidekick whose libido leads him AWOL and into deep doo-doo with the Russian military.
Together, Lev and Kolya are spared death (one for breaking curfew, the other for looking for love when he should have been on guard with his unit) if they can bring back a certain colonel one dozen eggs. Why? The colonel’s daughter is getting married at the end of the week and needs a huge wedding cake in a city that is about as eggless as a grunting rooster. Ridiculous? Sure. Fun? Indubitably. But the sights our heroes come across during their journey are anything but laughable and, at times, downright gruesome.
War is hell, yes, but it also offers ironies in spades. Ante up, then, because Benioff is dealing. You might consider Kolya a tad over-the-top, and you might agree with me that the showdown with the Germans toward the end “stretches things a bit,” but what the hell – if you’re charmed, you’re in a good mood; and if you’re in a good mood, you tend to let certain things go. Thus, the suspension of disbelief. Thus, the four stars. Thus, the hearty recommendation, reservations notwithstanding. This one’s a page-turner. This one I think you'll like.
November 3, 2017
What a wonderful book and why have I not read it before? It reminded me of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas both for its remarkable story and the quality of the writing.
The book is written as a retelling by the author of his Grandfather's early life, more specifically "one week in 1942, the first week of the year, the week he met my grandmother, made his best friend and killed two Germans." During that week the Grandfather, Lev, was just 17 years old and living in Leningrad which was enduring the Nazi siege of 1942. Various events cause him to meet up with Kolya, a Russian deserter who is only a few years older in years but much more in experience. Together they set out on a ridiculous quest and witness many of the awful atrocities that occurred during that war.
The characters of Lev and Kolya are what makes this book. Kolya is by turns funny and infuriating but is always lovable. Their dialogue is frequently hilarious which prevents the story from becoming overwhelmingly sad and horrifying. The history was amazing - how those poor people survived starvation during the siege! I had not come across "library candy" before. The will to live brings about some incredible invention.
A sad, sad ending with a sweet epilogue. I have another favourite book:)
The book is written as a retelling by the author of his Grandfather's early life, more specifically "one week in 1942, the first week of the year, the week he met my grandmother, made his best friend and killed two Germans." During that week the Grandfather, Lev, was just 17 years old and living in Leningrad which was enduring the Nazi siege of 1942. Various events cause him to meet up with Kolya, a Russian deserter who is only a few years older in years but much more in experience. Together they set out on a ridiculous quest and witness many of the awful atrocities that occurred during that war.
The characters of Lev and Kolya are what makes this book. Kolya is by turns funny and infuriating but is always lovable. Their dialogue is frequently hilarious which prevents the story from becoming overwhelmingly sad and horrifying. The history was amazing - how those poor people survived starvation during the siege! I had not come across "library candy" before. The will to live brings about some incredible invention.
A sad, sad ending with a sweet epilogue. I have another favourite book:)
April 24, 2015
It’s all about the quest.
When I read books, I like to do a little research about the author, time period, the book itself, etc. I was interested to learn that the creator of the video game, The Last of Us, drew inspiration, in part, from this book.
The Last of Us is a game my son keeps begging me to play. It takes place in the near future, has nothing to do with World War II era Leningrad, and from what I’ve watched bears no resemblance to the book.
It’s all about the quest.
In the book, the quest is to obtain a dozen eggs for a NKVD Colonel, so his daughter can have a wedding cake. Leningrad is under siege by the Nazis and people are eating the paste from library books, so finding eggs will take some doing. In the games, you generally have an end point too, but you can get sidetracked by doing multiple side quests. Examples:
“Mister, can you rescue my puppy. He’s in a den of necromancers.”
“I lost my sword in a cave about 50 years ago. It would bring a tear to this old soldier, if you could recover it for me. Oh, and it’s guarded by 100 zombies. They’re fast. And they wield weapons. And they use magic. Did I mention there is really powerful zombie when you get to the final room? I’d do it myself but …I’m old. Thanks again. Zeus, bless you!”
“There’s a den of mutant drug fiends about a mile outside of town. If you kill them all, I’ll give you a bottle of water, five bottle caps and the whole town will “like” you.”
You do have options. You could say no, punch the asker in the face, or simply walk away with their pathetic pleas ringing in your ears.
There’s no straight line from point A to point B in the book either. It’s never that simple. Fortunately, Lev, our intrepid hero, doesn’t have to find the eggs by himself. Kolya, one of the more interesting characters, I’ve come across in a while, is in on this errand with him. Kolya is the guy that’s handsome, funny, charming, and good with his fists and can talk his way into and out of any situation. More or less the perfect companion.
In most of the better games you have companions that you can choose from, usually one at a time. Companions range from drunks, mages, guys who can transform into werewolves, 7 foot-300 pound mutants who are off their meds, smoking hot vampire warriors, automated trolls and talking dogs. The latter is not as cool as it sounds, he won’t stop talking/barking if you’re trying to sneak up on enemies.
The book doesn’t lack for humor, pathos, adventure and excellent characterization. It’s a timeless tale of summoning one’s inner resources and facing down doubt and fear in the most trying of situations.
But in the end, it’s all about the quest.
When I read books, I like to do a little research about the author, time period, the book itself, etc. I was interested to learn that the creator of the video game, The Last of Us, drew inspiration, in part, from this book.
The Last of Us is a game my son keeps begging me to play. It takes place in the near future, has nothing to do with World War II era Leningrad, and from what I’ve watched bears no resemblance to the book.
It’s all about the quest.
In the book, the quest is to obtain a dozen eggs for a NKVD Colonel, so his daughter can have a wedding cake. Leningrad is under siege by the Nazis and people are eating the paste from library books, so finding eggs will take some doing. In the games, you generally have an end point too, but you can get sidetracked by doing multiple side quests. Examples:
“Mister, can you rescue my puppy. He’s in a den of necromancers.”
“I lost my sword in a cave about 50 years ago. It would bring a tear to this old soldier, if you could recover it for me. Oh, and it’s guarded by 100 zombies. They’re fast. And they wield weapons. And they use magic. Did I mention there is really powerful zombie when you get to the final room? I’d do it myself but …I’m old. Thanks again. Zeus, bless you!”
“There’s a den of mutant drug fiends about a mile outside of town. If you kill them all, I’ll give you a bottle of water, five bottle caps and the whole town will “like” you.”
You do have options. You could say no, punch the asker in the face, or simply walk away with their pathetic pleas ringing in your ears.
There’s no straight line from point A to point B in the book either. It’s never that simple. Fortunately, Lev, our intrepid hero, doesn’t have to find the eggs by himself. Kolya, one of the more interesting characters, I’ve come across in a while, is in on this errand with him. Kolya is the guy that’s handsome, funny, charming, and good with his fists and can talk his way into and out of any situation. More or less the perfect companion.
In most of the better games you have companions that you can choose from, usually one at a time. Companions range from drunks, mages, guys who can transform into werewolves, 7 foot-300 pound mutants who are off their meds, smoking hot vampire warriors, automated trolls and talking dogs. The latter is not as cool as it sounds, he won’t stop talking/barking if you’re trying to sneak up on enemies.
The book doesn’t lack for humor, pathos, adventure and excellent characterization. It’s a timeless tale of summoning one’s inner resources and facing down doubt and fear in the most trying of situations.
But in the end, it’s all about the quest.
April 19, 2024
پرکشش و جذاب. بسیار مناسب برای اقتباس سینمایی
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برخلاف باور عمومی، تجربهی وحشت تو را شجاعتر نمیکند. فقط شاید اگر تمام وقت در وحشت باشی، راحتتر بتوانی ترست را مخفی کنی. صفحه ۳۴ کتاب
هیچ وقت کسانی را که میگویند بزرگترین ترسشان صحبت کردن جلوی جمع، عنکبوت یا هر کدام از این قبیل ترسهای جزئیست، درک نکردهام. چطور میشود از چیزی بیشتر از مرگ ترسید؟ صفحه ۱۹۶ کتاب
بعد خم شد و پیشانیام را بوسید. لبهایش سرد و از باد زمستانی زمخت بود و اگر اعتقادم به تناسخ درست باشد و ما آدمها محکوم باشیم این زندگی کثیفمان را تا ابد روی یک چرخه ادامه دهیم، دستکم همیشه میدانم روزی به آن بوسه میرسم. صفحه ۳۳۲ کتاب
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رمان لحظات تاریکی را از سر میگذراند، اما در همان لحظات پر است از طنز و امید. چطور و چرا مصادیق مرگ و نیستی را با شوخی تلفیق میکنید؟
زمانی شنیدم آلن گرگانس میگوید که نویسندگان باید بکوشند تا خواننده را در هر صفحه بخندانند و بگریانند. کار شاقی است اما من قطعاً با این استدلال موافقم. رمان به نتهایی زیر و بم نیاز دارد تا مصداق واقعیت عاطفی زندگی باشد. به چچن که سفر کردم، مکرراً از لطیفههایی که از زبان مردم میشنیدم شگفتزده میشدم. طنزی سیاه و تقدیرگرا که مهر پوچی بر آن خورده در طی دو دهه گذشته در آنجا عادی شده است. کتابی که موقع نگارش «منظومهای از پدیدههای حیاتی» به آن فکر میکردم «شهر دزدها» اثر «دیوید بنیوف» است. رمان بنیوف رنج عظیمی را گرامی میدارد که محاصره لنینگراد مسبب آن است، اما پر است از زندگی و عشق و طنز و حتی شادی که تماماً فقط در خدمت جذابیت بیشتر و واقعیتر شدن فاجعه نهفته تاریخی قرار میگیرند. امیدوارم که «منظومهای از پدیدههای حیاتی» نیز همین تأثیر را داشته باشد. "گفت و گویی با آنتونی مارا". کتاب «منظومهای از پدیدههای حیاتی: آنتونی مارا: فرزانه قوجلو-محمدرضا جعفری». صفحات ۴۶۲-۴۶۳ کتاب
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برخلاف باور عمومی، تجربهی وحشت تو را شجاعتر نمیکند. فقط شاید اگر تمام وقت در وحشت باشی، راحتتر بتوانی ترست را مخفی کنی. صفحه ۳۴ کتاب
هیچ وقت کسانی را که میگویند بزرگترین ترسشان صحبت کردن جلوی جمع، عنکبوت یا هر کدام از این قبیل ترسهای جزئیست، درک نکردهام. چطور میشود از چیزی بیشتر از مرگ ترسید؟ صفحه ۱۹۶ کتاب
بعد خم شد و پیشانیام را بوسید. لبهایش سرد و از باد زمستانی زمخت بود و اگر اعتقادم به تناسخ درست باشد و ما آدمها محکوم باشیم این زندگی کثیفمان را تا ابد روی یک چرخه ادامه دهیم، دستکم همیشه میدانم روزی به آن بوسه میرسم. صفحه ۳۳۲ کتاب
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رمان لحظات تاریکی را از سر میگذراند، اما در همان لحظات پر است از طنز و امید. چطور و چرا مصادیق مرگ و نیستی را با شوخی تلفیق میکنید؟
زمانی شنیدم آلن گرگانس میگوید که نویسندگان باید بکوشند تا خواننده را در هر صفحه بخندانند و بگریانند. کار شاقی است اما من قطعاً با این استدلال موافقم. رمان به نتهایی زیر و بم نیاز دارد تا مصداق واقعیت عاطفی زندگی باشد. به چچن که سفر کردم، مکرراً از لطیفههایی که از زبان مردم میشنیدم شگفتزده میشدم. طنزی سیاه و تقدیرگرا که مهر پوچی بر آن خورده در طی دو دهه گذشته در آنجا عادی شده است. کتابی که موقع نگارش «منظومهای از پدیدههای حیاتی» به آن فکر میکردم «شهر دزدها» اثر «دیوید بنیوف» است. رمان بنیوف رنج عظیمی را گرامی میدارد که محاصره لنینگراد مسبب آن است، اما پر است از زندگی و عشق و طنز و حتی شادی که تماماً فقط در خدمت جذابیت بیشتر و واقعیتر شدن فاجعه نهفته تاریخی قرار میگیرند. امیدوارم که «منظومهای از پدیدههای حیاتی» نیز همین تأثیر را داشته باشد. "گفت و گویی با آنتونی مارا". کتاب «منظومهای از پدیدههای حیاتی: آنتونی مارا: فرزانه قوجلو-محمدرضا جعفری». صفحات ۴۶۲-۴۶۳ کتاب
May 25, 2021
Endeavour
City of Thieves is a really entertaining book that not only takes into account a period in the Second World War, that has its own defining history, but it concentrates on the relationship that develops between two men under unique circumstances of threat and war. It is an exhilarating but fearful story where the main protagonists, Lev and Koyla, have been tasked to undertake a mission in war-torn Leningrad which is almost absurd. It is Russia, winter, people are starving, freezing, the city is war-torn, and life is precarious. In the midst of these horrendous conditions, Lev and Koyla are both held in jail pending execution. They are offered a pardon if they find a dozen eggs for the colonel's daughter's wedding cake, during the relentless German assault on the city.
The story takes the two men on a shocking mission where they will need to negotiate many challenges that test their resolve. The men build a friendship that deepens as they navigate the obstacles and dangers at every turn with striking humour even in the darkest situations. As the relationship builds we see a shift in the respect towards each other and the younger man, Lev, becomes much more assured. Benioff develops this relationship and interaction through adversity and adventure with such observational mastery.
I bought this book with a ribbon on it that said if you don’t like this book you can have your money back. Needless to say, I still own the book and it’s going nowhere. Highly recommended.
City of Thieves is a really entertaining book that not only takes into account a period in the Second World War, that has its own defining history, but it concentrates on the relationship that develops between two men under unique circumstances of threat and war. It is an exhilarating but fearful story where the main protagonists, Lev and Koyla, have been tasked to undertake a mission in war-torn Leningrad which is almost absurd. It is Russia, winter, people are starving, freezing, the city is war-torn, and life is precarious. In the midst of these horrendous conditions, Lev and Koyla are both held in jail pending execution. They are offered a pardon if they find a dozen eggs for the colonel's daughter's wedding cake, during the relentless German assault on the city.
The story takes the two men on a shocking mission where they will need to negotiate many challenges that test their resolve. The men build a friendship that deepens as they navigate the obstacles and dangers at every turn with striking humour even in the darkest situations. As the relationship builds we see a shift in the respect towards each other and the younger man, Lev, becomes much more assured. Benioff develops this relationship and interaction through adversity and adventure with such observational mastery.
I bought this book with a ribbon on it that said if you don’t like this book you can have your money back. Needless to say, I still own the book and it’s going nowhere. Highly recommended.
December 19, 2017
Bring back some eggs he said. My daughter needs them for her wedding cake he says....
Sounds simple, right? Except this is wartime and eggs are nowhere to be found. The Nazis have invaded Leningrad and Lev Beniov has been arrested and thrown in a cell with a slightly older and more experienced deserter named Kolya. The men are tasked with finding eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel instead of facing the firing squad.
Thus, begins Lev and Kolya's journey through the rough and extremely dangerous streets of Leningrad. There they find starving people willing to do the unimaginable to survive. They find danger, friendship, lust, fear, pain and hope.
This book is raw and powerful in that it does not hold any punches when showing the hardships of war. People are willing to go to extremes to survive and prove that they are stronger than they look and braver than they think.
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
Sounds simple, right? Except this is wartime and eggs are nowhere to be found. The Nazis have invaded Leningrad and Lev Beniov has been arrested and thrown in a cell with a slightly older and more experienced deserter named Kolya. The men are tasked with finding eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel instead of facing the firing squad.
Thus, begins Lev and Kolya's journey through the rough and extremely dangerous streets of Leningrad. There they find starving people willing to do the unimaginable to survive. They find danger, friendship, lust, fear, pain and hope.
This book is raw and powerful in that it does not hold any punches when showing the hardships of war. People are willing to go to extremes to survive and prove that they are stronger than they look and braver than they think.
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
June 3, 2016
“If you want to talk about Leningrad, we talk about Leningrad.”
So begins the story of Lev and Kolya in what I will say is the best book I have read this year. I’ve read a number of books that are in some way related to WWII over the past 12 months. This happened without planning. It’s just that some of the very best books are in this category, so I wanted to read them: Vonnegut, Philip K Dick, Wiesel & Kristin Hannah. Vonnegut wrote a satire based on reality. Dick wrote a science-fiction piece about what could have happened. In City of Thieves, Benioff (who I now wish would write more and more books, but hey, I know he has a few irons in the fire) creates a story of fiction set within the true siege of Leningrad (St. Petersburg), fondly known as Piter to the Russians who lived there. The then Leningrad is a world and a lifetime away from me (probably you too). It didn’t feel very far while reading. I was with Lev and Kolya the whole way, these two mismatched cohorts that I grew to love.
Lev and Kolya are just boys really, forced by situation to be men. They don’t even know one another in the beginning of this story, one caught for looting, the other labeled a deserter. Neither is really guilty, but war creates labels. To save their own lives, they are given a chance: find a dozen eggs for the colonel so that his daughter may have a cake for her wedding (there is little to no food in the city – people are starving). Send two young men to find eggs: sounds like a preposterous premise. Well, it’s the sort of thing, along with some great humor, that keeps City of Thieves from being overly oppressive. It straddles a line with levity, and by doing so, it is better.
What made this book special was its characters. Who they were is why I cared about them. Lev is a 17-year-old, skinny, big-nosed, Russian Jew who’s consistently mistaken for being 15. Insecure, but severely loyal. By appearance, Kolya is all that Lev is not: tall, blonde and blue-eyed and happens to look like a German. He is confident, and out-spoken to a fault, but underneath that there is no vanity and no judgment. Even in the middle of danger, Lev can’t help but see potential love in every girl he meets, and Kolya can’t help but instigate every possible situation. To me that seemed so human.
Finally, I thought the story got better as it went along. As the plot developed the tension deepened, and there were three big scenes towards the end, each staggering to me in a different way. I’ll be thinking about this one for quite awhile.
So begins the story of Lev and Kolya in what I will say is the best book I have read this year. I’ve read a number of books that are in some way related to WWII over the past 12 months. This happened without planning. It’s just that some of the very best books are in this category, so I wanted to read them: Vonnegut, Philip K Dick, Wiesel & Kristin Hannah. Vonnegut wrote a satire based on reality. Dick wrote a science-fiction piece about what could have happened. In City of Thieves, Benioff (who I now wish would write more and more books, but hey, I know he has a few irons in the fire) creates a story of fiction set within the true siege of Leningrad (St. Petersburg), fondly known as Piter to the Russians who lived there. The then Leningrad is a world and a lifetime away from me (probably you too). It didn’t feel very far while reading. I was with Lev and Kolya the whole way, these two mismatched cohorts that I grew to love.
Lev and Kolya are just boys really, forced by situation to be men. They don’t even know one another in the beginning of this story, one caught for looting, the other labeled a deserter. Neither is really guilty, but war creates labels. To save their own lives, they are given a chance: find a dozen eggs for the colonel so that his daughter may have a cake for her wedding (there is little to no food in the city – people are starving). Send two young men to find eggs: sounds like a preposterous premise. Well, it’s the sort of thing, along with some great humor, that keeps City of Thieves from being overly oppressive. It straddles a line with levity, and by doing so, it is better.
What made this book special was its characters. Who they were is why I cared about them. Lev is a 17-year-old, skinny, big-nosed, Russian Jew who’s consistently mistaken for being 15. Insecure, but severely loyal. By appearance, Kolya is all that Lev is not: tall, blonde and blue-eyed and happens to look like a German. He is confident, and out-spoken to a fault, but underneath that there is no vanity and no judgment. Even in the middle of danger, Lev can’t help but see potential love in every girl he meets, and Kolya can’t help but instigate every possible situation. To me that seemed so human.
Finally, I thought the story got better as it went along. As the plot developed the tension deepened, and there were three big scenes towards the end, each staggering to me in a different way. I’ll be thinking about this one for quite awhile.
February 16, 2017
'City Of Thieves' is a rare book, one that fires on all cylinders and almost never missteps. It's a modern textbook example of how to write a great story.
Stories often have their strengths and their weaknesses when all is said and done. They can rely more on character than plot, or vice versa. A story might be strong, but pacing is a problem. Dialogue might come off unrealistic, although narrative hits the mark. In short, most books are a balancing act. There are things done right, and things that could have been better.
Benioff's third offering is balanced well beyond the average book. There are no pros and cons, no strengths to rely on. The entire work is solid from beginning to end. This is a damn-near perfect novel and Benioff is a damn-near perfect storyteller. That’s pretty much all you need to know. Set in Leningrad during WWII, 'City Of Thieves' is a hard look at the best and worst of humanity, often hilarious and harrowing at the same time. To say any more would be to give it away, but City Of Thieves should be required reading for every fan of fiction. Darkness and light entwine in these pages, opening your eyes and affecting your heart. And although it's fiction, it is based on historical fact. Just knowing this type of tale occurred in the real world is enough wind you. You'll laugh, you'll gasp, you might even cry. This is one book that will play on your mind long after you've put it down. I couldn’t recommend it enough.
*This book was one of my '10 Books That Stuck With Me' piece. See what other books stuck with me... http://jkentmessum.com/2014/03/19/10-...
Stories often have their strengths and their weaknesses when all is said and done. They can rely more on character than plot, or vice versa. A story might be strong, but pacing is a problem. Dialogue might come off unrealistic, although narrative hits the mark. In short, most books are a balancing act. There are things done right, and things that could have been better.
Benioff's third offering is balanced well beyond the average book. There are no pros and cons, no strengths to rely on. The entire work is solid from beginning to end. This is a damn-near perfect novel and Benioff is a damn-near perfect storyteller. That’s pretty much all you need to know. Set in Leningrad during WWII, 'City Of Thieves' is a hard look at the best and worst of humanity, often hilarious and harrowing at the same time. To say any more would be to give it away, but City Of Thieves should be required reading for every fan of fiction. Darkness and light entwine in these pages, opening your eyes and affecting your heart. And although it's fiction, it is based on historical fact. Just knowing this type of tale occurred in the real world is enough wind you. You'll laugh, you'll gasp, you might even cry. This is one book that will play on your mind long after you've put it down. I couldn’t recommend it enough.
*This book was one of my '10 Books That Stuck With Me' piece. See what other books stuck with me... http://jkentmessum.com/2014/03/19/10-...
May 19, 2024
Review on English, followed by the Bulgarian one. Ревюто на английски е първо, следва това на български.
A great book for a single week from the WWII in the former USSR.
A book that Russian could hardly write - too much propaganda has long blurred the whole truth, the archives are classified at least until 2040, and they will probably again prolong the ban on exploration. Because the story that lies beneath is beyond the possibilities of the human imagination of the XXIst century.
No one wants to know much about the so-called "blockade" - about how people are left to starve to death without need, hostages of their crazy and bloodthirsty ruler (Joe Stalin), while importing without issues raw materials for the military industry as well as to export the weapons that were produced in Leningrad, so much needed by the Red Army at that moment. No one wants to know about the flourishing balck market and cannibalism, but at the same time, party members and their families have shed even delicacies. For the relentless guerrilla war, in which the lives of the civilians were of little value to both sides.
Benioff has a live feather, his characters are excellently created and not for a moment you will have the desire to leave the adventures of Lev, Kolya and Vika. And hope for the best for them, despite their unrealistic chances in this frenzy.
Though it has been told lightly, it is a story that can give the reader a lot!
P.S. Today, instead of benting heads in memory of those who died in Leningrad during the war, they celebrate and hold a parade. Crazy! I will not put photos from the "blockade" , there are enough of them to be finded in the net.
I did changed my mind, will publish one photo, just one:
https://bessmertnybarak.ru/article/bl...
Ето я "блокадата" на Ленинград, в дневника на чекиста Бобров (96 страници), плюскал до насита през цялото време и тази на Таня Савичева - 9 страници, на шест от които е описана гладната смърт на цялото ѝ семейство...
Живели са едва на няколко крачки един от друг.
Чудесна книга за една седмица от ВСВ в СССР.
Такава, каквато руснак трудно би могъл да напише - твърде многото пропаганда отдавна е размила почти цялата истина, архивите са засекретени поне до 2040, че и сигурно след това пак ще удължат забраната да се проучват. Защото историята, която лежи там е извън възможностите на човешките представи на XXI век.
Никой не иска да знае толкова за така наречената "блокада" - за това, как хората са оставени да измрат от глад без да има нужда, заложници на мракобесното си управление, а е могло същевременно да се внасят суровини и материали за военната индустрия, както и да се изнасят свободно произведените в Ленинград оръжия, толкова нужни на болшевишката армия в този момент.
Никой не иска да знае за спекулата и човекоядството, а в същото време партийните номенклатурчици и семействата им са плюскали до насита дори и деликатеси.
За безмилостната партизанска война, в която животът на цивилните е бил с нищожна цена и за двете страни в конфликта.
Бениоф има живо перо, героите му са отлично създадени и нито за момент не те напуска желанието да оставиш приключенията на Лев, Коля и Вика. И да се надяваш на най-доброто за тях, въпреки нереалните им шансове в тази бясна обстановка.
Макар наглед лековато разказана, това е история, която може много да даде на читателя!
P.S. Днес, вместо да сведат глави в памет на загиналите в Ленинград по време на войната, рашистите празнуват и провеждат парад. Ненормалници!
Снимки от "блокадата" също няма ��а сложа, има достатъчно от тях в мрежата.
P.S. Промених си мнението и качих една снимка по горе, само една...
Корицата на българското издание естествено е ужасно дебилна...
A great book for a single week from the WWII in the former USSR.
A book that Russian could hardly write - too much propaganda has long blurred the whole truth, the archives are classified at least until 2040, and they will probably again prolong the ban on exploration. Because the story that lies beneath is beyond the possibilities of the human imagination of the XXIst century.
No one wants to know much about the so-called "blockade" - about how people are left to starve to death without need, hostages of their crazy and bloodthirsty ruler (Joe Stalin), while importing without issues raw materials for the military industry as well as to export the weapons that were produced in Leningrad, so much needed by the Red Army at that moment. No one wants to know about the flourishing balck market and cannibalism, but at the same time, party members and their families have shed even delicacies. For the relentless guerrilla war, in which the lives of the civilians were of little value to both sides.
Benioff has a live feather, his characters are excellently created and not for a moment you will have the desire to leave the adventures of Lev, Kolya and Vika. And hope for the best for them, despite their unrealistic chances in this frenzy.
Though it has been told lightly, it is a story that can give the reader a lot!
P.S. Today, instead of benting heads in memory of those who died in Leningrad during the war, they celebrate and hold a parade. Crazy! I will not put photos from the "blockade" , there are enough of them to be finded in the net.
I did changed my mind, will publish one photo, just one:
https://bessmertnybarak.ru/article/bl...
Ето я "блокадата" на Ленинград, в дневника на чекиста Бобров (96 страници), плюскал до насита през цялото време и тази на Таня Савичева - 9 страници, на шест от които е описана гладната смърт на цялото ѝ семейство...
Живели са едва на няколко крачки един от друг.
Чудесна книга за една седмица от ВСВ в СССР.
Такава, каквато руснак трудно би могъл да напише - твърде многото пропаганда отдавна е размила почти цялата истина, архивите са засекретени поне до 2040, че и сигурно след това пак ще удължат забраната да се проучват. Защото историята, която лежи там е извън възможностите на човешките представи на XXI век.
Никой не иска да знае толкова за така наречената "блокада" - за това, как хората са оставени да измрат от глад без да има нужда, заложници на мракобесното си управление, а е могло същевременно да се внасят суровини и материали за военната индустрия, както и да се изнасят свободно произведените в Ленинград оръжия, толкова нужни на болшевишката армия в този момент.
Никой не иска да знае за спекулата и човекоядството, а в същото време партийните номенклатурчици и семействата им са плюскали до насита дори и деликатеси.
За безмилостната партизанска война, в която животът на цивилните е бил с нищожна цена и за двете страни в конфликта.
Бениоф има живо перо, героите му са отлично създадени и нито за момент не те напуска желанието да оставиш приключенията на Лев, Коля и Вика. И да се надяваш на най-доброто за тях, въпреки нереалните им шансове в тази бясна обстановка.
Макар наглед лековато разказана, това е история, която може много да даде на читателя!
P.S. Днес, вместо да сведат глави в памет на загиналите в Ленинград по време на войната, рашистите празнуват и провеждат парад. Ненормалници!
Снимки от "блокадата" също няма ��а сложа, има достатъчно от тях в мрежата.
P.S. Промених си мнението и качих една снимка по горе, само една...
Корицата на българското издание естествено е ужасно дебилна...
May 15, 2019
I regret not reading David Benioff's superb City of Thieves at an earlier date. I'm hot and cold with WWII stories, which accounts for some of my reluctance in getting this one started. Luckily, my steadfast, book-recommending friend, Josh Bragg, prompted me to pick it off my shelf and give it a read. It is both the most entertaining WWII story I've read in recent years, and the most emotionally hard-hitting. Benioff is able to bring to life his grandfather's story with enough playful fudging of the facts (as per his grandfather's request) that it blurs the line between fiction and nonfiction, but reads most like a stunning novel.
City of Thieves introduces the reader to 17 year-old narrator Lev Beniov, a jewish man living in Leningrad during the Nazi siege. Lev is timid, golden-hearted, and on a quest to find his first sexual experience amidst freezing temps and famine. When Lev is arrested for looting the corpse of a Nazi paratrooper, he is sent on a mission with 20 year-old Kolya to retrieve a dozen eggs for the wedding cake of a colonel's daughter. The seemingly silly premise encapsulates the charm of the novel: it mixes the life and death stakes of the war with the absurd and hilarious.
The novel's beating heart is its two leads and their relationship. Kolya's boisterous, crude, and relentlessly upbeat attitude provides the perfect foil to Lev's hesitant, unsure teenage lead. I was often put in stitches by Kolya's off-colour remarks and quips, and Benioff is able to turn a scene from despair to delight with remarkable skill. This ability to go from the harsh realities of war to pure black comedy kept me hooked on this book page after page, and dealt with many of my complaints about WWII stories without every losing their edge. The book also deftly manages to contrast the friends' locker-room talk with a strong, emotionally resonant, male relationship.
Benioff's writing also surprised me. This book sat on my shelf and I referred to it as "the one by the guy who's the show-runner for Game of Thrones." Unfortunately, this generalization does Benioff a great disservice as he realizes his vision and characters with readable, strong prose, and superb dialogue. There are many books in which characters are hungry, cold, happy, or sad, but it is rare the book in which those emotions are felt by the reader. Benioff had me feeling to bone-chill of Russia in winter, the elation of the leads, the hunger of its protagonists, and the tragedy of of war. I love Game of Thrones, but Benioff would do well to return to the publishing world for a few more books!
This book snuck up on me. It's a charming, enthralling, hilarious, and heartfelt read. I tried to space out my readings to savour Benioff's prose or to spend a bit more time with the characters. The ending manages to be both heart wrenching and uplifting, and stuck the landing far better than I had imagined it would. Again, thanks to Josh Bragg for this recommendation and I hope it soon finds its way into many of your hands!
City of Thieves introduces the reader to 17 year-old narrator Lev Beniov, a jewish man living in Leningrad during the Nazi siege. Lev is timid, golden-hearted, and on a quest to find his first sexual experience amidst freezing temps and famine. When Lev is arrested for looting the corpse of a Nazi paratrooper, he is sent on a mission with 20 year-old Kolya to retrieve a dozen eggs for the wedding cake of a colonel's daughter. The seemingly silly premise encapsulates the charm of the novel: it mixes the life and death stakes of the war with the absurd and hilarious.
The novel's beating heart is its two leads and their relationship. Kolya's boisterous, crude, and relentlessly upbeat attitude provides the perfect foil to Lev's hesitant, unsure teenage lead. I was often put in stitches by Kolya's off-colour remarks and quips, and Benioff is able to turn a scene from despair to delight with remarkable skill. This ability to go from the harsh realities of war to pure black comedy kept me hooked on this book page after page, and dealt with many of my complaints about WWII stories without every losing their edge. The book also deftly manages to contrast the friends' locker-room talk with a strong, emotionally resonant, male relationship.
Benioff's writing also surprised me. This book sat on my shelf and I referred to it as "the one by the guy who's the show-runner for Game of Thrones." Unfortunately, this generalization does Benioff a great disservice as he realizes his vision and characters with readable, strong prose, and superb dialogue. There are many books in which characters are hungry, cold, happy, or sad, but it is rare the book in which those emotions are felt by the reader. Benioff had me feeling to bone-chill of Russia in winter, the elation of the leads, the hunger of its protagonists, and the tragedy of of war. I love Game of Thrones, but Benioff would do well to return to the publishing world for a few more books!
This book snuck up on me. It's a charming, enthralling, hilarious, and heartfelt read. I tried to space out my readings to savour Benioff's prose or to spend a bit more time with the characters. The ending manages to be both heart wrenching and uplifting, and stuck the landing far better than I had imagined it would. Again, thanks to Josh Bragg for this recommendation and I hope it soon finds its way into many of your hands!
December 27, 2014
It's a World War II caper, everybody!
I highly enjoyed this novel set during the Siege of Leningrad, even though I had just been complaining to my book club friends that I was sick of reading books set during WWII. I thought I had hit my limit of Nazi-related stories, but I was happy to be proven wrong.
Many of my GR friends have already read this book, but for those who haven't, I will keep this review free from spoilers. The short summary is we meet a young man named Lev, who is starving in Leningrad but wants to help defend the city against the Germans. One night, Lev gets arrested (long story) and is thrown in prison, where he meets Kolya, a Russian soldier who was arrested for desertion (another long story). Lev and Kolya are given an unusual task by a Soviet colonel: They will be released if they can find a dozen eggs. The colonel's wife wants the eggs to make a cake.
How hard can it be to find eggs, you ask? Well, if you're trying to find them when your city has been blockaded and under siege for months, when people are starving and eating bread made of sawdust and "candy" made from the glue of books, it can be damn near impossible.
This quest for eggs sets the story in motion, and it is fantastic. I couldn't put this novel down! There are just so many things I liked about this book. I liked that the writer, David Benioff, wrote an introduction that made it seem as if the story had really happened to his grandfather. I liked that Lev and Kolya slowly learn to trust each other and become friends. I liked that Kolya was obsessed with Russian literature, and loved to quote from a novel that Lev had never heard of (another long story). I liked how Lev grew up during the story, and how his love of chess helped them in their journey. I liked how rich the writing was, and how reading this book made me feel the coldness and the hunger and the fear of the siege.
It's just an incredible story. I highly recommend this novel.
Favorite Quotes:
"As siege-hardened as I believed I was before my arrest, the truth was that I had no more courage in January than I had in June — contrary to popular belief, the experience of terror does not make you braver. Perhaps, though, it is easier to hide your fear when you're afraid all the time."
"I've always envied people who sleep easily. Their brains must be cleaner, the floorboards of the skull well swept, all the little monsters closed up in a steamer trunk at the foot of the bed. I was born an insomniac and that's the way I'll die, wasting thousands of hours along the way longing for unconsciousness, longing for a rubber mallet to crack me in the head, not so hard, not hard enough to do any damage, just a good whack to put me down for the night."
I highly enjoyed this novel set during the Siege of Leningrad, even though I had just been complaining to my book club friends that I was sick of reading books set during WWII. I thought I had hit my limit of Nazi-related stories, but I was happy to be proven wrong.
Many of my GR friends have already read this book, but for those who haven't, I will keep this review free from spoilers. The short summary is we meet a young man named Lev, who is starving in Leningrad but wants to help defend the city against the Germans. One night, Lev gets arrested (long story) and is thrown in prison, where he meets Kolya, a Russian soldier who was arrested for desertion (another long story). Lev and Kolya are given an unusual task by a Soviet colonel: They will be released if they can find a dozen eggs. The colonel's wife wants the eggs to make a cake.
How hard can it be to find eggs, you ask? Well, if you're trying to find them when your city has been blockaded and under siege for months, when people are starving and eating bread made of sawdust and "candy" made from the glue of books, it can be damn near impossible.
This quest for eggs sets the story in motion, and it is fantastic. I couldn't put this novel down! There are just so many things I liked about this book. I liked that the writer, David Benioff, wrote an introduction that made it seem as if the story had really happened to his grandfather. I liked that Lev and Kolya slowly learn to trust each other and become friends. I liked that Kolya was obsessed with Russian literature, and loved to quote from a novel that Lev had never heard of (another long story). I liked how Lev grew up during the story, and how his love of chess helped them in their journey. I liked how rich the writing was, and how reading this book made me feel the coldness and the hunger and the fear of the siege.
It's just an incredible story. I highly recommend this novel.
Favorite Quotes:
"As siege-hardened as I believed I was before my arrest, the truth was that I had no more courage in January than I had in June — contrary to popular belief, the experience of terror does not make you braver. Perhaps, though, it is easier to hide your fear when you're afraid all the time."
"I've always envied people who sleep easily. Their brains must be cleaner, the floorboards of the skull well swept, all the little monsters closed up in a steamer trunk at the foot of the bed. I was born an insomniac and that's the way I'll die, wasting thousands of hours along the way longing for unconsciousness, longing for a rubber mallet to crack me in the head, not so hard, not hard enough to do any damage, just a good whack to put me down for the night."
September 11, 2016
"There is a place beyond hunger, beyond fatigue, where time no longer seems to move and the body’s misery no longer seems fully your own."
City of Thieves was an amazing book! If I wasn't juggling so many other books, I would have easily finished it in a day or two. The World Wars are definite areas of interest for me, but I am always fascinated by the differing perspectives and experiences of individuals depending what country they lived in. This book explores the 900-day Siege of Leningrad from the eyes of Lev, a seventeen-year-old Jewish boy living on his own soon after his family flees the city.
Like all great journeys, Lev is sent on a strange, if not comical, mission that throws him into the company of Kolya, a young private in the Red Army. As they head past the German line on their quest, they encounter many of the horrors associated with war: death, suffering, hunger, depravity. Chock full of suspense, adventure, comedy, sadness, and irony, I loved Benioff's style of writing. He contrasted the seriousness of Lev's personality, and the cocky humorous one of Kolya's, to capture the "Russian experience"–a history of tragedy and sadness told with sardonic wit. Easily one of my favorite reads this year; I highly recommend it! Books like these really bring history to life.
P.S. This would make an amazing (and probably R-rated) film. Why hasn't anyone jumped on this? I kept picturing Dustin Hoffman as Lev (circa Little Big Man). We need to get this into the Cohen brothers' hands.
July 18, 2021
I’d long known of the Siege of Leningrad but I never really knew much about it, so before reading this much praised novel I decided that a little research was prudent. The first thing I learned is that Leningrad (formerly and in the present day known as Saint Petersburg) is largely surrounded by water. This must have aided the prolonged blockade of the city by German and Finnish forces. The siege lasted from September 1941 to January 1944 and it was the aim of the invading armies to force surrender by bombing the city and by, essentially, starving its population to death. The most heart wrenching assertion I read (and I have no idea of the veracity of this claim) is that 4000 people in the city starved to death on Christmas Day 1941. Either way, it was clearly a hellish place to live at this time!
Lev Beniov is surviving - just. He’s seventeen years old and has already witnessed the ‘disappearance’ of his father, a renowned Jewish poet, as a consequence of the Stalinist purge. The rest of his family have left the city for safe haven in Moscow, but in an act of defiant bravery he’s stayed on. One night he’s arrested for breaking the curfew and looting a dead German soldier who has dropped from the sky. He is imprisoned with a blond infantryman, Kolya, who is accused of desertion - the fate awaiting both of them is execution. But they are offered a reprieve by the Colonel in charge on the condition that they find and return a dozen eggs for his daughter’s wedding cake.
The task is a seemingly impossible one but the pair set off in search of the eggs and in the course of the next few days the true horror of life in this starved city is brought to life. There are scenes of utter depravity and dead bodies abound. This grim vista is offset, to some extent, by the camaraderie and friendship that grows between the shy and virginal Lev and brash ladies man Kolya. But everything the pair experience or witness is just so dire, so depressing that I started to find it a bit of a challenge to continue turning the pages.
The upside here is that it is good story, well told. The downside (other than the pervading mood of the piece) is that it did feel somewhat overly sentimental. I’m glad I read it and I’m not surprised this book has found a willing and receptive audience, but it always felt like just a story to me and I prefer to be immersed in something I can believe in and live. And though I enjoyed their company I was never really convinced by either Lev or Kolya. I know that many of my Goodreads friends have lavished 5 stars on this one but I’m going to settle on 4.
Lev Beniov is surviving - just. He’s seventeen years old and has already witnessed the ‘disappearance’ of his father, a renowned Jewish poet, as a consequence of the Stalinist purge. The rest of his family have left the city for safe haven in Moscow, but in an act of defiant bravery he’s stayed on. One night he’s arrested for breaking the curfew and looting a dead German soldier who has dropped from the sky. He is imprisoned with a blond infantryman, Kolya, who is accused of desertion - the fate awaiting both of them is execution. But they are offered a reprieve by the Colonel in charge on the condition that they find and return a dozen eggs for his daughter’s wedding cake.
The task is a seemingly impossible one but the pair set off in search of the eggs and in the course of the next few days the true horror of life in this starved city is brought to life. There are scenes of utter depravity and dead bodies abound. This grim vista is offset, to some extent, by the camaraderie and friendship that grows between the shy and virginal Lev and brash ladies man Kolya. But everything the pair experience or witness is just so dire, so depressing that I started to find it a bit of a challenge to continue turning the pages.
The upside here is that it is good story, well told. The downside (other than the pervading mood of the piece) is that it did feel somewhat overly sentimental. I’m glad I read it and I’m not surprised this book has found a willing and receptive audience, but it always felt like just a story to me and I prefer to be immersed in something I can believe in and live. And though I enjoyed their company I was never really convinced by either Lev or Kolya. I know that many of my Goodreads friends have lavished 5 stars on this one but I’m going to settle on 4.
August 17, 2015
"I was half asleep but I smiled. In spite of all his irritating qualities, I couldn't help liking a man who despised a fictional character with such passion."I loved this book. So much. In fact, I'm in real danger of descending into embarrassing fangirl babble and I really don't want to put you through that. This book deserves so much more than my barely coherent praise I want to heap on top of its modest, unassuming frame. So before I proceed any further I want to draw your attention to two excellent reviews that made me want to pick up City of Thieves and read it in the first place -- Maciek and Steve. Thank you gentlemen.
"There isn't any good news. Just because there's bad news doesn't mean there's good news, too."
During my university days, I majored in 20th century military history. To say I was vastly outnumbered by my male classmates would be an understatement. I was -- for a time anyway -- a curious anomaly, one who was more often humored and patronized, than taken seriously. While my interests would eventually bring me to a focus on Ireland and the IRA, I did spend a fair amount of time up to my eyeballs in everything World War II. But with a subject so vast and sprawling you have to pick your concentration or you'll walk away from it having learned nothing of value. So I chose the Western Front because that's mainly where my countrymen fought and bled and died.
But it was so easy to become distracted by this WHOLE OTHER FRONT -- the Eastern Front -- where soldiers and civilians were dying by the millions. While I did my due diligence to keep my attention fixated on the Battles of Britain and the Atlantic, Dieppe and Normandy, I couldn't shake the desire to read more about the 900 day siege of Leningrad -- the starvation, the desperation, the cannibalism. Conditions on every front were a nightmare tableau of death and destruction, but the Eastern Front had the added torture of the bitter, savage cold. Bullets, bombs, starvation were one thing -- that frigid biting air able to cut a man in half and take his fingers and toes on a whim was something else.
In City of Thieves, Benioff transports us to the Eastern Front, into the frozen streets of Leningrad in the midst of the German's siege. Here we meet two boys -- Lev, 17 and Kolya, 19. Strangers to one another when the story begins, Lev and Kolya will have just one week filled with peril, misadventure, terror, laughter and tears to forge a bond that normally would take decades. The boys do not have decades however. They have just one week. And what a week it will be.
Lev is the quiet, shy virgin Jew, often serious but with a desire to uncover in himself some level of courage and charisma, to perhaps get a pretty girl to notice him. Kolya, the older of the two, is brash and boisterous, filled with a lust for life and for any pretty girl he can get his hands on. Upon meeting Lev he feels it is his duty to help the hapless virgin find his way into the arms of an accommodating lover. It won't be easy.
The two boys have also been tasked by a high-ranking military officer to head behind enemy lines in search of a dozen eggs. Where does one even begin to look for luscious eggs in the land of the freezing and starving, where sane people are eating book glue for protein and the insane have started to eat each other?
This book is about the horrors of war, and yes, sad and horrific things do happen. But this is mostly a joyful novel filled with heart and humor. I laughed many, many times at Kolya's never-ending antics and stream of profanities, his perpetual teasing of Lev and his insatiable lusty appetites even in the face of war and death.
Big spoiler under tag:
Adding to the utter enjoyment of this book was having it read aloud by actor Ron Perlman. Ron! Where have you been my whole life? If it were only possible, I would make you read all of my books for me from now on. You bring depth and nuance to this story with every breath, every lilt of Russian. You are the man.
Read this book. Or even better, listen to it. It's wonderful.
April 10, 2016
This book made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me feel. It is a book about friendship during the worst of times. It is my favorite book so far this year. The writing is fabulous!
"Firelight shone through the mullioned windows, warm and buttery, spilling onto the snow in front of the house. Black smoke plumed from the chimney, barely visible as a curling smudge against the dark blue sky. It looked like the most inviting house ever built, the country residence of the emperor's favorite general, heated and well stocked for Christmas with everyone's favorite smoked meats and pastries."
I highly recommend this book!
"Firelight shone through the mullioned windows, warm and buttery, spilling onto the snow in front of the house. Black smoke plumed from the chimney, barely visible as a curling smudge against the dark blue sky. It looked like the most inviting house ever built, the country residence of the emperor's favorite general, heated and well stocked for Christmas with everyone's favorite smoked meats and pastries."
I highly recommend this book!
May 11, 2024
Just wow. This is now one of my favorite books of all time.
May 16, 2018
Omg. May, 2018 This got nominated AGAIN for one of my book clubs, so yes, I did the audio for the fourth total time through this. If you know anybody who hasn't read this, buy it for them.
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When you’ve read a book THREE times, that’s a pretty decent barometer of one’s love level! Im founding a 2nd book club as of next month & wanted to kick it off with an easy read that includes laughter amidst fear, historical curiosities you've never heard of, and deep friendship. City of Thieves hits all those marks and more. It is not Faulkner or Conrad or Joyce, but it is one of my favorite books ever. It also has the single best ending sentence of just about anything Ive ever read.
The tale reminds me a bit of "Lonesome Dove" if one can imagine old Gus being a charming 20 year old Red Army soldier named Kolya. Yes, maybe that's an odd comparison, but aside from a lot of profanity and some scatological humor (he is a 20 year old soldier - the language fits him), I cannot think of anyone who wouldn't love this character and the others. A tiny, red-headed sniper, the scrawny chess player with his gigantic nose, and even Darling, the dinner companion will stay with you for a long time.
All the bizarre horrors and atrocities in Benioff's book are well documented factually, and I actually read two of the author's reference pieces after my first time through the book. Darkly fascinating. Five stars for the story and its historical accuracy.
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When you’ve read a book THREE times, that’s a pretty decent barometer of one’s love level! Im founding a 2nd book club as of next month & wanted to kick it off with an easy read that includes laughter amidst fear, historical curiosities you've never heard of, and deep friendship. City of Thieves hits all those marks and more. It is not Faulkner or Conrad or Joyce, but it is one of my favorite books ever. It also has the single best ending sentence of just about anything Ive ever read.
The tale reminds me a bit of "Lonesome Dove" if one can imagine old Gus being a charming 20 year old Red Army soldier named Kolya. Yes, maybe that's an odd comparison, but aside from a lot of profanity and some scatological humor (he is a 20 year old soldier - the language fits him), I cannot think of anyone who wouldn't love this character and the others. A tiny, red-headed sniper, the scrawny chess player with his gigantic nose, and even Darling, the dinner companion will stay with you for a long time.
All the bizarre horrors and atrocities in Benioff's book are well documented factually, and I actually read two of the author's reference pieces after my first time through the book. Darkly fascinating. Five stars for the story and its historical accuracy.
July 6, 2022
3.5 stars
“I never understood people who said their greatest fear was public speaking, or spiders, or any of the other minor terrors. How could you fear anything more than death?”City of Thieves is an exquisitely written homage to Russian culture and history. More importantly, though, it is a riveting tale about survival and the power of friendship.
Amidst the Battle of Leningrad, two Russians, Lev and Kolya, are arrested and imprisoned. Terrified that they will be executed, they are shocked when a Russian commander offers them an ultimatum: if they are able to find twelve eggs for his daughter's wedding cake, he will halt their execution.
Undoubtably one of the highlights of this story was the friendship that developed between Lev and Kolya. They have completely opposite personalities – Lev is rather reserved, while Kolya is gregarious and charming – but they eventually begin to care for one another and it is heartwarming to read about.
Another strong point was the historical aspect of the novel. David Benioff portrays the horrors of World War Two in a harrowing, realistic way. He makes sure to address the cruelty of war and the impact it had on ordinary Russian civilians.
“We were living in a city where witches roamed the streets, Baba Yaga and her sisters, snatching up children and hacking them to pieces.”There is quite a bit of unexpected humor in this, and that almost detracted from the serious topics that were being written about. The humor felt a bit over-the-top and unnecessary in the midst of a bleak war. Consequently, the story didn't have the emotional punch I was hoping for.
Ultimately, this is a well-written depiction about what Russia was like during World War Two. City of Thieves is likely to appeal to those who enjoyed Code Name Verity.
“The cold is Mother Russia’s oldest weapon.”
January 22, 2019
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Russia is also the place where a defector and a looter became an unlikely duo on a quest for . . . .
More specifically, this is the story of . . . .
“One week in 1942, the first week of the year, the week he met my grandmother, made his best friend, and killed two Germans.”
If cellmates Lev and Kolya can supply a dozen eggs in time for the Colonel’s wife to bake a cake for their daughter’s wedding they can save their hides. Along the way they will come across cannibals, a rooster rather than a hen, Germans, an epic chess game and one highly anticipated bowel movement.
I have owned this book forever. Many thanks to Emily for suggesting I make it one of my selections for the Winter Reading Challenge. I had no idea what I was missing out on. For a slim novel this one surely packs a punch. Recommended.
One more to go!
Russia is also the place where a defector and a looter became an unlikely duo on a quest for . . . .
More specifically, this is the story of . . . .
“One week in 1942, the first week of the year, the week he met my grandmother, made his best friend, and killed two Germans.”
If cellmates Lev and Kolya can supply a dozen eggs in time for the Colonel’s wife to bake a cake for their daughter’s wedding they can save their hides. Along the way they will come across cannibals, a rooster rather than a hen, Germans, an epic chess game and one highly anticipated bowel movement.
I have owned this book forever. Many thanks to Emily for suggesting I make it one of my selections for the Winter Reading Challenge. I had no idea what I was missing out on. For a slim novel this one surely packs a punch. Recommended.
One more to go!
August 14, 2023
Brutal, but good.
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