Review - City of Thieves

City of Thieves by David Benioff





From Goodreads:

As wise and funny as it is thrilling and original, the story of two young men on an impossible adventure

A writer visits his retired grandparents in Florida to document their experience during the infamous siege of Leningrad. His grandmother won't talk about it, but his grandfather reluctantly consents. The result is the captivating odyssey of two young men trying to survive against desperate odds.

Lev Beniov considers himself "built for deprivation". He's small, smart, and insecure, a Jewish virgin too young for the army, who spends his nights working as a volunteer firefighter with friends from his building. When a dead German paratrooper lands in his street, Lev is caught looting the body and dragged to jail, fearing for his life. He shares his cell with the charismatic and grandiose Kolya, a handsome young soldier arrested on desertion charges. Instead of the standard bullet in the back of the head, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful colonel to use in his daughter's wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt to find the impossible. A search that takes them through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and the devastated surrounding countryside creates an unlikely bond between this earnest, lust-filled teenager and an endearing lothario with the gifts of a conman. Set within the monumental events of history, City of Thieves is an intimate coming-of-age tale with an utterly contemporary feel for how boys become men.

published

May 15th 2008 by Viking Adult

binding

Hardcover, 258 pages

literary awards

ALA's Alex Award (2009)

isbn

0670018708    (isbn13: 9780670018703)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I loved this book. I was hooked from the very beginning, and devoured the entire work in two sittings. Author David Benioff takes us on a most peculiar journey with two very likable young men, set against the backdrop of the horrors of WWII and the siege of Leningrad. I found his writing to be beautifully lyrical and his characters well developed and believable. The use of profanity and crude descriptions may well turn many a reader off, but for me {in spite of the fact that I don't necessarily enjoy it} it lent an air of honesty and authenticity to the entire story.

This book took me on my own journey of emotional responses, running the gamut of laughter, horror, fear, suspense, surprise and more. It is definitely not a story for the faint of heart, but then, neither are the experiences of war and growing up.

All in all, one of my favorite reads this year.




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Review - Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
published
May 27th 2003 (first published 1888) by Penguin Classics

binding
Paperback, 592 pages

url
http://us.penguinclassics.com/nf/Book/Bo...
characters
Tess Durbeyfield, Alec D'Urberville, Angel Clare
setting
United Kingdom
literary awards
Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006/2008 Edition) (1001)
isbn
0141439599 (isbn13: 9780141439594)

From the Publisher:

The chance discovery by a young peasant woman that she is a descendant of the noble family of d'Urbervilles is to change the course of her life. Tess Durbeyfield leaves home on the first of her fateful journeys, and meets the ruthless Alec d'Urberville. Thomas Hardy's impassioned story tells of hope and disappointment, rejection and enduring love.


My rating: 4 of 5 stars



"Happiness is but a mere episode in the general drama of pain." ~Thomas Hardy

A fitting quote to sum up the entire existence of Tess Durbeyfield, the beautifully tragic heroine of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Tess reminded me of that sister or friend in your life that you cannot help but love because of her absolute goodness of character, yet at the same time cannot help but become exasperated by due to her constant poor judgment and lack of common sense. She is the embodiment of all that is good and right, but her lack of backbone and ability to think for or stand up for herself is often maddening to the point of distraction. Devotion is an admirable quality in any human being, but at what point does such a trait cross the line to becoming blind obedience? This character trait in Tess had me questioning throughout the entire book whether the pivotal moment of the story...the point at which Tess loses her innocence...was, in fact, a case of rape or just another moment in Tess's life in which she allowed someone to coerce her into her actions.

On the whole, I was captivated by Hardy's beautifully tragic story, despite the fact that I found all 3 of the main characters to be unbelievably exasperating and frustrating to me. The writing was beautiful, and in many ways I found the author's use of purposeful ambiguity in regards to the "main event" to be a masterful move in creating his story. His use of character development gives us many clues as to what could have happened, but in the end we're left to decide for ourselves. Regardless, the culmination of events leads to a heartwrenching conclusion that left this reader pondering the age old themes of Forgiveness, Redemption, Judgment, Pride, Devotion, and more...

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