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joemodz 's review for:
City of Thieves
by David Benioff
City of Thieves is a surprisingly great little novel. I have such a backlog of books I want to read that if it wasn't a gift from my daughter, I may not have read it.
The story begins as an envelope story (although it never returns to that at the end, except for one line about the grandmother never cooking) with a 34-year-old man asking his grandfather about the war, and after a little persuasion, he gets his grandfather to talk about the war. The story, however, focuses on one year in 1942, whe Lev, the grandfather who is barely 17, is arrested, thrown in with another young man assumed to be a deserter, and sent on a mission to acquire a dozen eggs as their get-out-of-jail card. During the next week, there is a running constipation joke, cannibals, extreme poverty, graphic violence, sex, and suffering-- the perfect backdrop for Lev's transition into manhood.
Rating: 4.5 stars, because I don’t think it will go down in history, but it’s a great story nonetheless.
My personal review ratings are based upon the following: 1 Star, “I did not like it and wasted my time or couldn’t finish it”; 2 Stars, “I think it is just Ok, but I’ll never think about it again”; 3 Stars, “I think it is an entertaining , enjoyable book, and I’ll think about it again”; 4 Stars, “I really love this book, and I may read it again”; and 5 Stars, “I think this book is excellent, I will read it again, and it will stand the test of time.”
The story begins as an envelope story (although it never returns to that at the end, except for one line about the grandmother never cooking) with a 34-year-old man asking his grandfather about the war, and after a little persuasion, he gets his grandfather to talk about the war. The story, however, focuses on one year in 1942, whe Lev, the grandfather who is barely 17, is arrested, thrown in with another young man assumed to be a deserter, and sent on a mission to acquire a dozen eggs as their get-out-of-jail card. During the next week, there is a running constipation joke, cannibals, extreme poverty, graphic violence, sex, and suffering-- the perfect backdrop for Lev's transition into manhood.
Rating: 4.5 stars, because I don’t think it will go down in history, but it’s a great story nonetheless.
My personal review ratings are based upon the following: 1 Star, “I did not like it and wasted my time or couldn’t finish it”; 2 Stars, “I think it is just Ok, but I’ll never think about it again”; 3 Stars, “I think it is an entertaining , enjoyable book, and I’ll think about it again”; 4 Stars, “I really love this book, and I may read it again”; and 5 Stars, “I think this book is excellent, I will read it again, and it will stand the test of time.”