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370 reviews for:
Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad
M.T. Anderson
4.39 AVERAGE
370 reviews for:
Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad
M.T. Anderson
4.39 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
This book is phenomenal. An excellent primer on WWII Russian history that flows like a narrative. Every time I try to jump right into Russian history, I always get slowed by the dense dissertations on collective farming or bolshevism or what have yous. Everything that happens after Rasputin makes my eyes glaze over a bit, or is too unspeakable horrifying to continue reading (Like how Lenin popped a cap in a bunch of royal kids because he wanted to avenge his dumbass brother).
Not with this book. It kept me engaged. I was absolutely rapt. I now feel like I have a meaningful grasp of the absolute horrors of war (I mean, not that I didn't before per se, but you know what I mean) and what it meant for this massive, yet small, country. Leningraders were resilient as hell. I always knew Russians were metal af, but damn, I had no idea.
I absolutely loved how the themes of music, literature and poetry were tied in with concepts of rebellion and resistance. That's right kids - classical music can be rebellious!
Speaking of kids, it's a bit of a headscratcher that this is considered YA. It's probably a touch advanced for kids, and there are some chapters that are ... a bit much. By "a bit much" I mean, straight up cannibalism told with a straight face for a whole merciless chapter. Murder by the millions. Famine, baby, lots and lots and lots of famine.
But you still should read it. Five stars.
Not with this book. It kept me engaged. I was absolutely rapt. I now feel like I have a meaningful grasp of the absolute horrors of war (I mean, not that I didn't before per se, but you know what I mean) and what it meant for this massive, yet small, country. Leningraders were resilient as hell. I always knew Russians were metal af, but damn, I had no idea.
I absolutely loved how the themes of music, literature and poetry were tied in with concepts of rebellion and resistance. That's right kids - classical music can be rebellious!
Speaking of kids, it's a bit of a headscratcher that this is considered YA. It's probably a touch advanced for kids, and there are some chapters that are ... a bit much. By "a bit much" I mean, straight up cannibalism told with a straight face for a whole merciless chapter. Murder by the millions. Famine, baby, lots and lots and lots of famine.
But you still should read it. Five stars.
A professor I had in college recommended this book to me because Shostakovich is my favorite composer, and it took me way too long to get to this one. This book was so amazingly written, and I genuinely am so glad I finally read it! It really felt like the author gave a unique voice to Shostakovich's experiences, and contextualized them with other events so well. I chose to listen to this on audiobook because I usually struggle to read nonfiction, and the whole time I was thinking about how good the narrator was, but then I realized it was the author! That made me so happy, because it just felt like he was so engaged in the content, and it helped me engage was well. I left this book with even more love for Shosti, and need to write my professor a thank you!
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Part biography, part musical analysis, part history lesson; it all combines in one fascinating read. I knew nothing about Shostakovich before reading this and it was interesting to see how his musical style reflected the events he lived through. Content considerations: lengthy (but not gratuitous) descriptions of bombings, starvation, and death. 15+
I find WWII survival stories and biographies fascinating and always very moving. In a time of such brutal destruction, which most do not sugar coat, there are always those who rise above that and survive. And I love history in general. This book was amazing. Wonderfully written, and an interesting person I did not know much about.
The main premise of the book covers Stalin's Great Terror, Dmitri Shostakovich, a composer, and also the city of Leningrad, also known as St. Petersburg, during World War II, when Germany invaded, which resulted in one of the longest and deadliest sieges in history.
Majority of the book isn't very uplifting. It is dark, as history was then, and it does explore sensitive subjects. Towards the end, it is optimistic. The overall arc starts from the rise of Stalin to the end of the war, and the end of Shostakovich's life. It's brutal, some of the scenes described.
But the end gives hope, hope for a better day. It teaches about the Great Terror, something many don't know too much about, as the Holocaust is more wide known, and also sheds light about a siege during the war, I also didn't know too much about. The story of the symphonies Shostakovich wrote is engaging as well. His symphony contributed optimism and hope and light in such a time of brutality.
I recommend it highly.
The main premise of the book covers Stalin's Great Terror, Dmitri Shostakovich, a composer, and also the city of Leningrad, also known as St. Petersburg, during World War II, when Germany invaded, which resulted in one of the longest and deadliest sieges in history.
Majority of the book isn't very uplifting. It is dark, as history was then, and it does explore sensitive subjects. Towards the end, it is optimistic. The overall arc starts from the rise of Stalin to the end of the war, and the end of Shostakovich's life. It's brutal, some of the scenes described.
But the end gives hope, hope for a better day. It teaches about the Great Terror, something many don't know too much about, as the Holocaust is more wide known, and also sheds light about a siege during the war, I also didn't know too much about. The story of the symphonies Shostakovich wrote is engaging as well. His symphony contributed optimism and hope and light in such a time of brutality.
I recommend it highly.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75 for story but 3.5 for writing so rounding down. I found the history fascinating but the story itself was choppy at times and the writing tried to create more drama when it really wasn’t needed with the story being so dynamic already. Would recommend to history and music lovers.