Helpful Score: 9
This book was difficult for me to read. It was very interesting and funny and tragic all at once. I opening the book and found it hard to put down but hard to go on. As a reader, I was afraid for my protagonist. By the end I was laughing and crying at the same time. Very good book for those who can handle the reality that was the Nazis.
Helpful Score: 8
I enjoyed this tale of two young Russians during the siege of Leningrad. One part brutal, one part humorous, it is a very entertaining read about the German and Russian conflict during WWII. The language is crude but very much in keeping with the characters and narrative. You come to care about the characters and hope they are able accomplish their "special" mission. I recommend this book.
Helpful Score: 6
This is by far, one of the best books that I have ever read. Brilliant, original writing. If I were dropped on an island and could only take three books, this would definitely be one of those books. Highly recommended.
Helpful Score: 4
Very fascinating story about three people that are caught up in events beyond their control -- and how they show courage and innovation to survive and live despite horrors all around them. Surprisingly engaging characters. It is rough in places -- but it is about war -- so, it is to be expected.
Helpful Score: 3
Gripping from the word go. This is a sweet and sad story of two young men pushed together to Do what seems to be an impossible task during the ugly, cruel invasion of Russia by the Germans. Fast and can't put down until finished book. Terrific writing.. Sad on many levels when I finished it.
Helpful Score: 2
Just a flat out amazing book! I loved the suspense and the humor, they way Benioff made me care about his characters. When I finished the book I sat with my eyes closed for several minutes, just to enjoy the endorphin rush. My highest recommendation.
Helpful Score: 2
Wow, what an excellent book. Fresh ideas, developed plot, engaging characters, language full of imagery. Fantastic!
Helpful Score: 2
I read this book in one sitting. A tale of the siege of Leningrad during World War II. The story describes some of the absolute horrors of the time through the eyes of two engaging characters. The story also promotes the idea of friendship and even love forming and surviving through such difficult circumstances. A great read!
Helpful Score: 1
I thoroughly enjoyed this coming of age story in which a 17 year old Jewish boy accused of looting and an inadvertent Red Army deserter are forced to find a dozen eggs during the siege of St. Petersburg. (Sorry, but Ive always refused to call that city Leningrad, even when that was actually its name.) They connive, beg, worry, freeze and fight (mostly with other people, but also with each other) so that the daughter of a secret police mucky-muck can have a cake at her wedding. A cake. With fresh eggs. In the dead of winter. During the longest siege in modern history.
It is written with large doses of wit and bitter humor. (Credit goes to Iranian director Jafar Panahi for that phrase, which I believe is more accurate than the common American term black humor.) To boot, the book captures the time, the place, the war, the Soviet mentality, and especially the weather, so that you feel as though you, too, are trudging along in the snow with Lev and Kolya. Trying to find fresh eggs. In the dead of winter. During the longest siege in modern history.
P.S. Keep in mind that the preface to the book is the preface to a novel, which means that it, too, is fiction. Even so, I have to believe that in the USSR during WWII, there must have been at least one young female sniper who was as much of a force to be reckoned with as Vika.
It is written with large doses of wit and bitter humor. (Credit goes to Iranian director Jafar Panahi for that phrase, which I believe is more accurate than the common American term black humor.) To boot, the book captures the time, the place, the war, the Soviet mentality, and especially the weather, so that you feel as though you, too, are trudging along in the snow with Lev and Kolya. Trying to find fresh eggs. In the dead of winter. During the longest siege in modern history.
P.S. Keep in mind that the preface to the book is the preface to a novel, which means that it, too, is fiction. Even so, I have to believe that in the USSR during WWII, there must have been at least one young female sniper who was as much of a force to be reckoned with as Vika.
Helpful Score: 1
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I loved the historical context. The author obviously researched thoroughly the subject. Due, however, to the language and subject matter, I would not recommend it for anyone under 18.
Helpful Score: 1
Took me less than a week to read this novel.
It grabbed me from the first page and held me through to the last one.
A heartbreaking story of what war does to men interwoven with a heartwarming story of friendship between 2 mismatched characters.
Like all good novels..this one had a happy ending.
It grabbed me from the first page and held me through to the last one.
A heartbreaking story of what war does to men interwoven with a heartwarming story of friendship between 2 mismatched characters.
Like all good novels..this one had a happy ending.
Helpful Score: 1
This book reminded me a lot of the movie "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou"...but in Leningrad. Great pacing & distinct character voices made this engaging & the kind of book you want to talk about as you're reading it.
Helpful Score: 1
I started out not liking this gritty and at times, gorey, tale. But by the middle of the story, I was pulling and rooting so much for the protagonists. I couldn't put it down. The details of war are gruesome, but descriptive. This was a very well written, captivating story.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is fabulous! I listened to it on audio, and the narrator, Ron Perlman, does a terrific job. You get the Russian and Jewish accents, and his delivery is pretty low-key and not overly emotional, which is perfect for the book. It's a bleak setting (Russia during the German siege of WWII) with not a lot of good things happening, but the author manages to make it a very charming story about friendship, sacrifice and coming of age with a dark comedy element. I absolutely loved it!
Helpful Score: 1
Great book on multiple levels. Adventure story. Seige of St Petersburg survival story. Story of best friends. Love story. Didn't want it to end.
Helpful Score: 1
Everyone in my house read it and loved it. My WWII genre loving husband. My Young Adult loving 19 year old daughter and my 17 y/o son. We hardly ever all agree, let alone read the same wonderful book. I want to have it to read all over again. It was that good.
Helpful Score: 1
I had to read this book for a book club.I really liked the book.Its a great historical book.Just beware there is foul language, bathroom talk,sex, and hurting and eating of dogs,so beware if your an animal lover.I liked how he told the story of the 2 men during the war in Leningrad and how they had to go find a dozen eggs so they could live.I liked reading about their ups and downs along the way and what they had to go through.I couldnt put the book down it was an easy read I read it in 3 days.I will be looking for other books this author has written.
Helpful Score: 1
An absolutely wonderful book. It's told in rich detail and is funny, heartbreaking, and suspenseful all at the same time. Young Lev is caught stripping a dead German soldier with his friends, and Kolya is suspected of deserting his military unit. The unlikely pair are sent on an impossible mission by the Colonel - get a dozen eggs for his daughter's wedding cake. No easy feat in Leningrad where there is no food and rations are scarce. Their adventure takes them out of Leningrad, where they encounter bands of rebels, Nazi soldiers, and victims of the violence in WWII Russia.
An endearing, unexpected coming-of-age tale that you won't easily forget.
An endearing, unexpected coming-of-age tale that you won't easily forget.
Helpful Score: 1
Once you start this book you won't want to put it down. It takes place around St. Petersburg, Russia during the German siege of that city during WWII when two young men are sent on an impossible mission. There is much that is grim and much that is funny and some that is sad, but the story is a real humdinger. I'm sure this will be made into a movie, especially since the author is already an accomplished screen writer.
Helpful Score: 1
One of the best books I've read this year. The story, two young men on a week's quest at the end of the German onslaught on Russia, seems deceptively simple, but this author makes it so much richer. St. Petersburg, the Germans, Russians, the horror of war, the arts, unexpected friendships and love ... it's all there and so well written that I was, too. I want to read more by Benioff and more about this time period, two measures of an excellent book.
Helpful Score: 1
Original, poignant, funny, tragic and a whale of a good story.
Helpful Score: 1
I found this a marvelous book. I had known about the siege of Leningrad but never gave much thought to what it meant. The characters and the situations in this story brought the appalling conditions right into my living room. It manages to be frightening and funny at the same time. I highly recommend it.
Helpful Score: 1
I absolutely loved the story of the two completely different characters being forced to work together. I cheered, laughed and cried while reading. (In one sitting too!) It was a great book. The intro had me hooked, a grandson who is talking to his grandfather about his life, and the the story is recounted. Wonderful read! Got eggs?
Helpful Score: 1
Insightful - terrifying situations - interesting characters.
Great book! It is historical fiction about the siege of Leningrad and the author does not spare the reader any of the horrors of war the citizens of Leningrad experienced. Cursing and sex talk is rampant (just a heads up) but the story is suspenseful and the history seems to be in line with everything else I've read about the siege of Leningrad. In addition to being historical fiction, this novel is also a coming-of-age story with some humorous moments.
Benioff does not disappoint. Enjoyable read. Recommend.
I found this to be one of the best books I have read recently. It was an informative yet humorous depiction of the siege of Leningrad; well written,easily read & hard to put down. I have become eager to read more of David Benioff's writing.
Highly creative and original tale with believable, relatable, entertaining characters. This story is at times disturbing, funny, thought-provoking, suspenseful...but always with an underlying compassion.
I liked the people and the setting but not the sexual vulgarity.
Excellent, transitioning smoothly between horror and humor with a ton of pathos. Highly recommend it!
I'll never again buy a dozen eggs at the supermarket with quite the same attitude that I had before, let alone egg beaters.
I loved this book. Initially I wasn't too sure, but I was quickly engaged. It's funny and horrible at the same time. I found myself thinking about it days after I had finished it.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
An interesting story of a young man in Leningrad and the week that he turned 18 and how that changed his whole life. I found it interesting about what they did to survive. The author never lets his characters lose their humanity. Very well written
This was a wonderful tale - get swept away in the adventure...
I really enjoyed this book a lot. It was a very clever story and although some of it was rather brutal, it was mixed with a good amount of humor. I read a lot of World War II novels and this one was written from a very different point of view.
The novel is set in brutally cold Leningrad, Russia during WWII. Lev and Kolya are sentenced to death. Lev for theft and Kolya for deserting his unit. Their only hope for survival is for them to obtain a dozen eggs for the wedding cake of a powerful Soviet Colonel's daughter. Only then will their lives be spared. But the Colonel may as well ask for the moon. There is no food, not even a bran muffin to be found (and Kolya could really use one). People are starving and freezing. This book takes the duo through some hair-raising and horrifying adventures. Their courageous journey is heart-breaking as well as humorous and will keep you turning page after page. This book is not so much about war as it is about human endurance and friendship.
I was so enthused about the book that I gave it to my husband to read after I was done and he gave it a thumbs-up, too. Read other reviews at http://readinginthegarden.blogspot.com
I was so enthused about the book that I gave it to my husband to read after I was done and he gave it a thumbs-up, too. Read other reviews at http://readinginthegarden.blogspot.com
I couldn't put it down. Captivating.
This is a wonderfully written book; at times sad, funny, and shocking, it illustrates well how people survive during wartime.
One of the best books I've read in awhile. if you like reading anything regarding WW2 you'll enjoy this read.
I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. The characters are so real, the good guys so endearing and the bad guys so thoroughly hated is part of its enchantment, but it's mostly the two main characters. What a pair!
not bad, but not great
Good story with great characters. Well written and thoroughly enjoyable.
This book really highlights the lives of regular people during World War II, in Russia. It is a journey for two men with nothing in common to search for twelve eggs in a short period of time. How strangers become friends with these two men, and the part one plays in the life of one young man. Recommend this to readers of mysteries, and World War II.
I'm in the minority here but I couldn't finish this book. I would have enjoyed the story line but I didn't feel like reading the crudeness anymore.
A member of the Red Army and a 17 year old young man living in Leningrad during WWII become friends on a quest for an illusive prize to gain the favor of a powerful Russian Colonel. They help each other to become educated about Russian literature, people, and survival. They meet partisans which includes one known as the best sniper against the Nazis invaders. When you read the book which includes the horror inflicted upon the citizens of Leningrad by the siege, humor, sex, and some twists you might not see until they happen you will understand the meaning of, "It shall come to pass".
Well worth the read-
Very interesting story.
Book Description
From the critically acclaimed author of The 25th Hour, a captivating novel about war, courage, survival -- and a remarkable friendship that ripples across a lifetime.
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.
My Review
David Benioff is a very gifted storyteller. This book held my interest from the beginning until the very last page. I read it in one sitting and found it to be a page-turner. The characters are very believable and very well-drawn. The plot is full of tension and I could easily see a movie made from this book. It shows the senselessness of war and the survival of the human spirit. I would recommend it for people interested in WWII and Leningrad. I look forward to reading more from Benioff in the near future.
From the critically acclaimed author of The 25th Hour, a captivating novel about war, courage, survival -- and a remarkable friendship that ripples across a lifetime.
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.
My Review
David Benioff is a very gifted storyteller. This book held my interest from the beginning until the very last page. I read it in one sitting and found it to be a page-turner. The characters are very believable and very well-drawn. The plot is full of tension and I could easily see a movie made from this book. It shows the senselessness of war and the survival of the human spirit. I would recommend it for people interested in WWII and Leningrad. I look forward to reading more from Benioff in the near future.
I am not one to focus on writing, although that is important, I really really enjoyed the story.
This has become one of my new all-time favorite books.
