Varkaiden kaupunki (original 2008; edition 2010)

While I loved the narration of the audiobook, I just couldn't stay glued to this story as much as I originally thought I would, and found myself constantly backing up to re-listen. It SEEMED to have all the markings of an interesting read. Two young men heading off on a ridiculous quest for eggs during wartime in Russia, all the while avoiding Germans. It's cold, they're hungry beyond measure, and one can't poop.

Parts of this had me laughing aloud, especially when Kolya is talking - he's just so matter of fact with his wording that I had to giggle. Lev, on the other hand, is so serious, that it makes Kolya even funnier. Humor aside, there is some obvious violence and some scenes that would be quite gruesome if this were in a movie or in real life.

While you understand that this is a story of Benioff's grandparents, he never goes back to present day to wrap it up. I'm not sure if I liked that he didn't (you don't need it), or if it would have been more of a "bookend" style to do so. Curious what others think.

Still a solid 3, but it didn't hold my interest long enough throughout the first half especially to go any higher. ( )

Excellent story, excellent writing. ( )

recommended by: Khaya

recommended for: ll who enjoy historical fiction; anyone interested in the Siege of Leningrad & WWII

This story and its characters hooked me right from the start. Although I took a few days to read/savor it, it’s the kind of book that I found hard to put down, and I could have easily read it in a day.

I vacillated between giving it 4 or 5 stars. Most of the way through it was a 5 star book for me. I really enjoyed the writing style, the memorable characters, the account of the circumstances, and the amazing descriptions. But, I didn’t like some of what happened toward the end, though I did understand it, and I suspected what was coming. And, I thought I didn’t like the last line, but I’d remembered enough to know it was important to go back and reread a section toward the very beginning of the book, and I’m so glad I did. The author really perfectly tied everything together; it was so well crafted. So, 5 stars it is.

Library candy! I had no idea! When I read books about starving people, here during the Siege of Leningrad, I have an overpowering urge to eat, to overeat. That happened with this book. The events in this book are truly harrowing, but there is so much humor, and humanity too, that they were bearable to read about, riveting and barely bearable, but so compelling, and so poetic.

I enjoyed and was impressed with the friendship story, and I really appreciated that war was shown as horrific as it is; one didn’t need to be a Jew in a concentration camp to experience appalling suffering or death either. As a warning to the faint hearted (and I normally count myself as one of them) I will reveal that there is brutal violence and intense suspense in this story, but it was done so well, and I didn’t feel it was done in a gratuitous manner.

Lev, Kolya, Vika, and the author are people I am likely to remember. The Siege of Leningrad was told so well, I could feel it, the hunger & the cold & the fear, and the reading experience of it and other parts of the story were completely gripping, and that’s an amazing feat. This is the kind of story that can make the reader look differently at people and wonder about the circumstances of their earlier years.

So, given the author’s name and the circumstances, I’m now wondering how much is true and how much came from the writer’s imagination. ( )

I sat down intending to read a few chapters of this book, and found myself halfway through it. Benioff's screenwriting chops make for an addictive reading experience, vivid, visual scenes, snappy dialog, and unforgettable details. I started reading quotes out loud to my husband almost immediately, and repeated many of my new facts about the siege of Leningrad to my co-workers (though I can't verify that any of them loved it as much as I did). ( )

I'm not accustomed to listening to audiobooks, so I'd like to read-read this at some point. I wasn't completely enthralled by the audio version, so my rating could go up; on the other hand, if I'm giving it my undivided attention in print (as opposed to giving at least half my attention to the act of driving), perhaps I won't find it as satisfying and my rating could go down. I'm so confused by this newfangled voice recording technology!

At any rate, the characters and plot alike managed to maintain my interest for a six-hour stretch, so for now I feel confident saying "I really liked it." Which I think I did. I just don't know if I was listening closely enough to swear by it. ( )