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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
This one began well enough, but the bulk of the story really dragged through the middle, and it takes effort to make a story set in the middle of Nazi-occupied Russia drag. If it hadn't ended as well as it had, I would have rated it three stars, but I really enjoyed how the final few chapters unfolded, even if they were pretty predictable. I wish something had come of The Courtyard Hound, too, but the trudgery in the middle and that one little thing were really the biggest flaws. Benioff also used the word "nauseous" where he should have used "nauseated," and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda even knew the difference. This guy has no excuse.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this book! The premise of the story was great and felt like it helped drive the storyline because the reader knew what the end goal was. The journey in between was also excellent and well written. I think that's all down to how the characters interacted with each other and others around them. The main supporting character's charm and hubris and the main character's growth made it enjoyable even through the saddest of moments. The ending just wrapped up the book in such a tight bow as well.
This is probably more of a 3.5 rounded up. The writing was good, but not my favourite. Slightly too much description for my taste, but spread out enough that it didn't bog down the story. The story itself was the best part. I liked the characters and all the strange situations they got into. The endings of Kolya and Vika's stories were predictable, but I guess you can't help that if it's what really happened.
Overall, I'm glad I read this because I'll remember the story for a long time.
Overall, I'm glad I read this because I'll remember the story for a long time.
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
march 7, 2025: i read this book for the first time when i was 13, on paperback. i reread it at least once every year after that until i became too busy to read. i went blind recently and managed to get a hold of the audiobook and now i've reread it as a 26-year-old.
it's a bit too anti-comm for me now that i'm unapologetically marxist, but the magic of the book has remained the same and it is still my favorite book of all time. i will always grieve over the character death and laugh at the outrageous things that come out of kolya's mouth. i will always find myself smiling about the ending, despite the loss, and i will fall in love with the prose a little more each time.
though i admit i forgot how chauvinistic the dialogue could sometimes get lmao i suppose it was historically accurate. the discomfort was tempered by vika's character
i learned a lot about russian culture and history from this book. i was especially interested in their naming customs. and the way lev described his city and the mild patriotism was powerful. the story is ridiculous and kolya is the most ridiculous character of all but it was a profound story and his existence was profound.
while listening, i made it a bit of a game if i could still remember if a favorite line or passage was coming up. happy to report i still remembered every single one.
i look forward to rereading it again next year. the only thing i love a little more than the book itself is probably that prologue. just so good
it's a bit too anti-comm for me now that i'm unapologetically marxist, but the magic of the book has remained the same and it is still my favorite book of all time. i will always grieve over the character death and laugh at the outrageous things that come out of kolya's mouth. i will always find myself smiling about the ending, despite the loss, and i will fall in love with the prose a little more each time.
though i admit i forgot how chauvinistic the dialogue could sometimes get lmao i suppose it was historically accurate. the discomfort was tempered by vika's character
i learned a lot about russian culture and history from this book. i was especially interested in their naming customs. and the way lev described his city and the mild patriotism was powerful. the story is ridiculous and kolya is the most ridiculous character of all but it was a profound story and his existence was profound.
while listening, i made it a bit of a game if i could still remember if a favorite line or passage was coming up. happy to report i still remembered every single one.
i look forward to rereading it again next year. the only thing i love a little more than the book itself is probably that prologue. just so good
I loved City of Thieves by David Benioff. In the beginning of the novel, Benioff leads us to believe that this is the story of his grandfather's experience in Leningrad during WWII. The description of Lev and Kolya's mission to obtain a dozen eggs is in my first post. This is an amazing coming of age story for Lev. It tells the story of a friendship bonded over this mission. It's also a love story. And, while it was definitely not a girly story, what with the violence and the talk of sex, in the end it was still incredibly touching. And, it made me cry. I cry easily at television shows and movies, but not so easily at books. Though it is sad to think of the things that so many lived through in WWII, I truly hope the majority of this story is true because I loved it so much.
This book takes place in Russia during the German occupation in WW2. It was not difficult, dark or any of those things that you expect from a book that covers this topic. It was more in the background. the actual story revolves around two men who are on a quest for a dozen eggs and spend 4 days together. I found it to be very interesting, easy to read and parts very entertaining.
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars.
I was a tiny bit disappointed with this, especially after seeing all the glowing reviews. While it had all of the elements of a good book - interesting characters, fascinating setting, gripping plot, competently written (I would never say well-written) - it just fell a little flat. Being set during the siege of Stalingrad, the book covers some really harrowing themes but, despite this, I never really felt particularly engaged with the setting or the characters.
I think that this is a general problem with novels written by screenwriters; the dialogue is snappy but the descriptions of the surroundings and the use of language are perfunctory at best, so you never care very deeply about what's going on. On top of this, the ending was incredibly rushed - one minute they're in the middle of the action and within 15 pages the book ends, which was odd.
If this was made into a movie I'm sure it would be great, but as a novel it's just a little 'meh'.
I was a tiny bit disappointed with this, especially after seeing all the glowing reviews. While it had all of the elements of a good book - interesting characters, fascinating setting, gripping plot, competently written (I would never say well-written) - it just fell a little flat. Being set during the siege of Stalingrad, the book covers some really harrowing themes but, despite this, I never really felt particularly engaged with the setting or the characters.
I think that this is a general problem with novels written by screenwriters; the dialogue is snappy but the descriptions of the surroundings and the use of language are perfunctory at best, so you never care very deeply about what's going on. On top of this, the ending was incredibly rushed - one minute they're in the middle of the action and within 15 pages the book ends, which was odd.
If this was made into a movie I'm sure it would be great, but as a novel it's just a little 'meh'.
I actually learned more about WWII and what was going on in Russsia during that time.
Good book for men or women, a quick read.
Good book for men or women, a quick read.
Un gran bel libro di intrattenimento, coinvolgente, un vero pageturner, ma poca sostanza. L'autore dà al lettore ciò che si aspetta: avventure e pericoli , amicizia e amore, non manca l'ironia, un eroe bello e simpatico che sa sempre cosa fare e incanta tutti, e lo "sfigato" timido di turno che alla fine . Ovviamente non manca . Come sfondo della vicenda c'è l'assedio di Leningrado nel 1942.
Ci sono troppi cliché e scene poco credibili per essere convincente:.
È un bel libro e uno volta iniziato e difficile metterlo giù perché l'autore riesce a coinvolgere il lettore sin dalle prime pagine ed è facile affezionarsi ai due protagonisti. Interessante anche lo sfondo storico, ma alla fine sono rimasta delusa perché sembra la sceneggiatura per un perfetto blockbuster.
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che vengono sempre superatiSpoiler
diventa il vero eroe proprio durante il momento più cruciale di tutta la storia salvando la vita all'amata e all'amicoSpoiler
l'happy end ma con un imprevisto strappalacrimeCi sono troppi cliché e scene poco credibili per essere convincente:
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i due ragazzi si salvano sempre, incontrano un pericolo dopo l'altro durante la loro avventura, ma nemmeno uno a missione compiuta mentre tornano verso Leningrado, lo "sfigato" che diventa eroe, l'eroe belloccio e simpatico che muore alla fine della storia e ovviamente l'incontro, dopo un paio di anni, dello sfigato con l'amata che diventerà sua moglieÈ un bel libro e uno volta iniziato e difficile metterlo giù perché l'autore riesce a coinvolgere il lettore sin dalle prime pagine ed è facile affezionarsi ai due protagonisti. Interessante anche lo sfondo storico, ma alla fine sono rimasta delusa perché sembra la sceneggiatura per un perfetto blockbuster.