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City of Thieves by David Benioff
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City of Thieves

by David Benioff

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944784,290 (4.21)65
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English (74)  Danish (1)  German (1)  Dutch (1)  Spanish (1)  All languages (78)
Showing 1-5 of 74 (next | show all)
This dark comedy makes it mark with its original and absurd plot: a teenage Jew and a Red Army deserter pair up on a mission to find a dozen eggs in a starving, barbaric city with their lives at stake. This novel has very memorable characters and adventures to match. It will make you laugh only to wipe the smile off your with the horrors on every page. A resonant novel to be read by all. Benioff holds nothing back ( )
1 vote Awesomeness1 | Nov 24, 2009 |
Graphic and honest telling of a young man going through a war. ( )
  courtb | Nov 23, 2009 |
This is an excellent World War II story set in and around St. Petersburg (aka Leningrad) in 1942. Lev is arrested for looting a German corpse and Kolya is arrested for desertion. A colonel gives them a choice: die by execution or find him a dozen eggs for his daughter's wedding in four days. They choose the latter. The story is funny, horrble, suspenseful, heart-breaking and exciting. It draws you in completely and the writing has that effortless feeling. Great characters too. I really wouldn't want to tell you anything more. It's best to discover this story on your own. It's a quick read. ( )
  woodge | Nov 20, 2009 |
Almost hated to finish it, it was so good. ( )
  cotner | Nov 19, 2009 |
I loved this book have already recommended it to several people who have also enjoyed it and are now busy recommending it to others.I agree that this reads like a movie but this only makes it more readable.
I wont bore you with the details of the story which have already been described in earlier reviews but it is at times horrific, amusing, tender and sad. I couldn't put it down read it for yourself before the movie comes out. ( )
  bibgirl | Nov 16, 2009 |
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Epigraph
and if the City falls but a single man escapes
he will carry the City within himself on the roads of exile
he will be the City

Zbigniew Herbert
At last Schenk thought he understood and began laughing louder. Then suddenly he asked in a serious tone, "Do you think that the Russians are homosexuals?"
"You'll find out at the end of the war," I replied.

Curzio Malaparte
Dedication
For Amanda & Frankie
First words
My grandfather, the knife fighter, killed two Germans before he was eighteen.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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David Benioff

Wikipedia:Requested articles/Culture and fine arts/Literature

Book description

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0670018708, Hardcover)

As wise and funny as it is thrilling and original—the story of two young men on an impossible adventure

A writer visits his retired grandparents in Florida to document their experience during the infamous siege of Leningrad. His grandmother won’t talk about it, but his grandfather reluctantly consents. The result is the captivating odyssey of two young men trying to survive against desperate odds.

Lev Beniov considers himself “built for deprivation.” He’s small, smart, and insecure, a Jewish virgin too young for the army, who spends his nights working as a volunteer firefighter with friends from his building. When a dead German paratrooper lands in his street, Lev is caught looting the body and dragged to jail, fearing for his life. He shares his cell with the charismatic and grandiose Kolya, a handsome young soldier arrested on desertion charges. Instead of the standard bullet in the back of the head, 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 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 to find the impossible. A search that takes them through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and the devastated surrounding countryside creates an unlikely bond between this earnest, lust-filled teenager and an endearing lothario with the gifts of a conman. Set within the monumental events of history, City of Thieves is an intimate coming-of-age tale with an utterly contemporary feel for how boys become men.

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:19 -0400)

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