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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
A short but wild ride. In Nazi-besieged Leningrad, a teen boy is caught looting but, instead of being summarily shot, is tasked to find 12 eggs for the colonel's daughter's wedding cake. 12 eggs, in a city already long resorted to cannibalism. Partnered with an equally expendable, annoyingly chatty deserter, this quest will lead through suspenseful adventure, humor, and the horror and absurdity of war, with the chance at coming of age, if he lives that long.
Highly recommended, but sensitive readers be aware of the content warnings: wartime violence (no excessively gory details like in a lot of "look how gritty I am" novels, but Bad Things Happen); some swearing (it IS wartime), though not excessive; no on-screen sex, but a little off-screen (overheard living in close quarters), the chatterbox talks about sex a lot, and though there are no gross horny play-by-plays there is known-to-be forced prostitution including underage girls, including verbal shaming of the victims by some side-characters.
Highly recommended, but sensitive readers be aware of the content warnings: wartime violence (no excessively gory details like in a lot of "look how gritty I am" novels, but Bad Things Happen); some swearing (it IS wartime), though not excessive; no on-screen sex, but a little off-screen (overheard living in close quarters), the chatterbox talks about sex a lot, and though there are no gross horny play-by-plays there is known-to-be forced prostitution including underage girls, including verbal shaming of the victims by some side-characters.
All of the group were running from the oncoming soldiers, Lev Beniov knew he could easily getaway but also knew his friend was too slow and she couldn’t make it over the fence. As he jumped back down and helped her up, he was soon captured and taken.
In the cell where Lev awaits his sentence for looting, a deserter named Koyla is soon locked in with him. The punishment is almost always death but the Soviet colonel has a different plan. They are given an opportunity to save themselves if they can procure a dozen eggs in six days. The only problem is a war is waging and food is scarce, nevertheless the boys are up for the challenge and soon embark on an adventure that brings them together in ways they’d never imagined.
Set during the Nazis’ siege of Leningrad. The friendship that grows between Lev and Kolya is nothing short of entertaining and heartwarming. So much pain, devastation and brutality surrounds them and yet, their story still manages to make the reader chuckle. At times the language and vividness was difficult to take in, however by the end I was truly committed and brought to tears. A beautiful, horrifying tale that will not leave the reader’s mind anytime soon. Excellent read!
In the cell where Lev awaits his sentence for looting, a deserter named Koyla is soon locked in with him. The punishment is almost always death but the Soviet colonel has a different plan. They are given an opportunity to save themselves if they can procure a dozen eggs in six days. The only problem is a war is waging and food is scarce, nevertheless the boys are up for the challenge and soon embark on an adventure that brings them together in ways they’d never imagined.
Set during the Nazis’ siege of Leningrad. The friendship that grows between Lev and Kolya is nothing short of entertaining and heartwarming. So much pain, devastation and brutality surrounds them and yet, their story still manages to make the reader chuckle. At times the language and vividness was difficult to take in, however by the end I was truly committed and brought to tears. A beautiful, horrifying tale that will not leave the reader’s mind anytime soon. Excellent read!
I immediately purchased five or six copies to send to friends and family, alongside a note strongly admonishing they read this post-haste.
City of Thieves is as good as it gets.
City of Thieves is as good as it gets.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My husband said it was one of the best books he's read. I resisted. Then I read it (interrupted by reading ebooks late while camping) and couldn't stop. When I finished, I reread the first chapter. It's perfect.
I suck at positive reviews:
I enjoyed the book. It was funny and well written. It had chess, too!
I enjoyed the book. It was funny and well written. It had chess, too!
I don't understand how anyone would consider this a book for children. It's incredibly violent and graphic and there's a lot of sexual situations. Even as an adult there were some scenes that were incredibly difficult to read (there's a scene involving dogs that I skipped over...couldn't do it...) Don't let that deter you. It's a remarkable book about war and friendship, but by no means allow a child to read this.
novel takes place during the siege of Leningrad, 17-year-old boy, too young for the army, stays in Leningrad, gets picked up by the NKVD and can save his life by finding a dozen eggs for the commander.