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295th out of 538 books
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My Sergei: A Love Story
The Olympic gold medalist offers a poignant, loving account of her life with her long-time partner and beloved husband, Sergei Grinkov, from their first introduction and successive world pairs skating championships, to their storybook romance and marriage, to the fatal heart attack that took Sergei's life.
Hardcover, 292 pages
Published
November 1st 1996
by Warner Books
(first published January 1st 1996)
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I read this book in high school, and last night I was having one of those "your mind is going crazy as you're falling asleep" moments that popped this book in my head. I have to be honest and say I can't remember many details (setting, certain events, etc), but I do remember that it was incredibly touching and heartbreaking. You have to understand - until I had my son, I never read romance. I was actually one of the mockers *dodges flying insults*. I read horror; King, Koontz, Saul...more
Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov were gold medal pairs figure skaters from Russia. This story goes through the initial pairing up at age 11 for Katia until more recent times.
The training and rigorous regimen required by their coaches for their amateur careers was impressive. Beside the talent and obvious attachment this must of helped them win their medals. Katia also describes the slow growing of their love and eventually marriage and the birth of their daughter.
Their m...more
The training and rigorous regimen required by their coaches for their amateur careers was impressive. Beside the talent and obvious attachment this must of helped them win their medals. Katia also describes the slow growing of their love and eventually marriage and the birth of their daughter.
Their m...more
I picked this up because I'm fascinated by figure skating, and thought it sounded really interesting. And it was in parts, but unfortunately Ekaterina Gordeeva is obviously not a writer, so certain sections of the book were rather clunky making the emotions difficult to relate to.
Two things really effected my experience of the book though. The first was discovering that I may actually have seen Ekaterina and Sergie perform 'live'! At least I remember my mum taking my sister and me to...more
Two things really effected my experience of the book though. The first was discovering that I may actually have seen Ekaterina and Sergie perform 'live'! At least I remember my mum taking my sister and me to...more
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One of the most widely distributed and read skaters' biographies, this is, for a retiring young woman, remarkably frank. Nonetheless, perhaps one of the most interesting aspects is her discussion of her odd and it seems rather troubled friendship with choreographer Marina Zoueva. One gets the sense that here, at least, the whole story has not been told. Interesting, too, to see a relatively unsanitized and foreigner's view of the Stars on Ice "family." Her observations on the "...more
This has to be one of the most tear-jerking books I have ever read. It is a beautiful story and I can remember watching the TV when this happened. It was so sad. Read this book.
Back Cover Blurb:
Thrown together as children by the Soviet regime and told to skate for the good of the state, Sergei Grinkov and Katia Gordeeva became the most celebrated pairs skaters in the world - falling madly in love, marrying, and have a beautiful baby daughter. But after winning two Olympic G...more
Back Cover Blurb:
Thrown together as children by the Soviet regime and told to skate for the good of the state, Sergei Grinkov and Katia Gordeeva became the most celebrated pairs skaters in the world - falling madly in love, marrying, and have a beautiful baby daughter. But after winning two Olympic G...more
This is the sweetest love story I have ever read. I loved watching figure skating competitions in the late 80's, early 90's mostly because Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov were a worthwhile pair to watch. They found each other at such a young age and the respect and tenderness they shared was evident in the programs they executed on the ice, even before they fell in love and married. There are some heart wrenching moments, especially when Ekaterina describes her despair after Sergei's unexp...more
This is the true story of Sergei Grinkov and Ekaterina Gordeeva, the famous figure skating pair that won medal after medal in the 80s and 90s. This is the story of how they began skating together and over the course of the years fell in love, married and had a daughter. This is the story of Sergei's death at 28 due to an unknown heart defect and Katia's struggle to find her way back from the darkness of her loss.
I can only recommend this to anyone who ever watch them skate in their d...more
I can only recommend this to anyone who ever watch them skate in their d...more
I felt like he was my Sergei too just reading this. I am always so appreciative that people will write books and let us in their lives for a little while. Through the happy and heartache... it is just so thrilling to me to share a human life and story. Like Petra's book which I read recently, I found myself googling them and then reading all about them after I finished the book. I also had to squeeze this book into two days because I just simply had to keep going. My heart broke with Katia,...more
The morning after Sergei had his massive heart attack I remember waking up to the radio and having this sinking feeling in my stomach after hearing about it. They were always my favorite "pairs" skating couple and seemed to have such a wonderful, "fairy tale" marriage. I have yet to see another couple that have the "magic" that they brought to the ice. This is a sweet, yet sad, biography written by his wife. Since it is written in Ekaterina's words, the writing i...more
I've always loved figure skating but had never read about a pairs skater plus there's pictures, so I was super excited! I'd give the first chapters 5 stars no doubt. But once she talks about them being in love and not about skating for chapters on end she lost me. It's just me personally. But i loved the childhood parts!
Ps. I've read reviews complaining about her writing and I have to say- Im sure glad she spent her time skating and not at writing college because this story wouldn't exist ...more
Ps. I've read reviews complaining about her writing and I have to say- Im sure glad she spent her time skating and not at writing college because this story wouldn't exist ...more
I've decided I really like autobiographies. I loved reading Ekaterina (Katia) Gordeeva's thoughts, impressions and feelings about her fascinating life. She was paired with Sergei Grinkov at the age 11 as Russian figure skating partners. When she was in her late teens, they fell in love, got married and had a baby. During that time they won 2 gold medals. Then Sergei, at the age of 28 dropped dead of a heart attack. Their daughter was just 3 years old. I knew of this story before, but I lo...more
Ekaterina tells both her story and Sergei's, intermingling stories of their childhoods, of growing up in the Soviet Union, learning to skate and their pairing together. The book truly is a "love story", living up to its subtitle -- Ekaterina brings the reader through their courtship, marriage, and foray into parenthood with their daughter, Daria. Their brief but illustrious figure skating career is described throughout; the book would be incomplete without it.
But Ekaterin...more
But Ekaterin...more
This was a heartfelt story of a young Russian skater who knew nothing but the ice and Sergei. So interesting to compare her young life to that of American skaters!!! And how tragically her husband's life came to an end at such an early age. I think she has been deeply scarred and her book tells that she has not yet gotten over it. I am glad she has her daughter to give her a sense of purpose still. Overall though, it was rather a depressing book. :(
I read this pretty fast, because it had a simplistic writing style and wasn't too long. It made me sad, even though I knew what was going to happen. I feel like it also gives a lot of insight into the world of figure skating, and that was very interesting. I don't have a lot to say about this book, other than that it was sad, and interesting, and pretty sweet.
I wish people could live happily ever after.. Only I know that there aren't any happily ever afters this side of heaven.
I wish people could live happily ever after.. Only I know that there aren't any happily ever afters this side of heaven.
I remember Gordeeva and Grinkov...I followed them from the 1988 olympics when I saw the most beautiful and flawless performance I had ever seen. This is a beautiful love story as well as a look into the world of ice skating and of living in Russia. I was sad that she was set on being sad at the age of 24 and thinking she would never be happy again. This book was written the year after Sergei died. I remember watching her tribute on ice to Sergei and it was interesting to read about that and ...more
This was a great love story. Unfortunately, it is a true story. This is the story of a couples skaters from Russia. He died about a year before I read the story on the ice of a heart attack. He had just gotten the Olympic gold in Calgary. She was just sixteen and a lonely girl. All of the rest of the skaters were 21. This was a great love story. Of course, there were many thoughts on death.
I absolutely love this book. Sergei and Katia are two of my all time favorite pairs skaters. I love the way they expressed their love on ice. When he died, my heart broke for her. I loved the pictures and stories she told of their life on and off the ice, in public and in private. Sergei will forever be missed in the world of skating and in the hearts of those that love a classic love story.
I first came across the magnificent pair team of Gordeeva and Grinkov when I was 12-years-old (1985) and I was enchanted by them ever since; now, years after Sergei Grinkov's death, I have yet to come across another pair team that has been able to captivate the way they did. This book was a gift to the fans of G&G and couldn't have been written any better. I believe I read the book in one day and was thankful for the opportunity to be privy to their personal story, as well as their skating caree...more
I've always loved the skating magic of G&G and therefore I was heartbroken upon hearing about the tragic and untimely death of Sergei Grinkov. The skating world suffered a huge loss, as did his family and child. This book was difficult to read - and yes, I shed many tears during the process. But it was also a beautiful testimony of the love these two amazing skaters shared.
I was staying with my mother for a week after her hip surgery, and I was very bored at times. I found this book on her shelf and decided to give it a try. It ended up being so good that I couldn't put it down. I read it in less then 2 days which is fast for me, because I tend to spend more time writing then reading. Though it has a very sad ending what a beautiful love story it is.
I've always loved the skating magic of G&G and therefore I was heartbroken upon hearing about the tragic and untimely death of Sergei Grinkov. The skating world suffered a huge loss, as did his family and child. This book was difficult to read - and yes, I shed many tears during the process. But it was also a beautiful testimony of the love these two amazing skaters shared.
I didn't think I would read this entire book, but I got halfway through it really quickly and couldn't stop. Because of my mom's interest, I grew up very interested in Olympic figure skating. I remember the 1994 Olympics very well, singles more so, though. It was good to read Ekaterina's memoirs. I have a greater appreciation for our country now, too.
I loved this book. It is a memoir of 2 skaters that I remember from the Lillehammer Olympics. I really liked it because of the real look at their lives in Russia when it was the Soviet Union. I enjoyed reading about how their relationship developed. It was a real story about real people experiencing life. I highly recommend it.
I love this book, and I am usually not a big nonfiction fan. It is amazing glimpse into the life of these Russian pairs skaters. It is amazing the things we take for granted in America. When Sergei passed away, I no longer had the heart to watch pairs skating, and haven't watched any since. They were a great team with a great story.
My favorite pairs team is still G&G. I first heard about their tragedy from reading an article in Reader's Digest. I wanted to know more, and that led to a 3-4 year obsession. I tried to get a hold of everything. This book was Ekaterina telling their story. It's beautiful, sweet, and sad. I taped the documentary based on this book and it was just the same. I looked up to Ekaterina so much. Although I'm rather surprised with what she has done with her life since, there are still many traits and q...more
Beautiful love story. Sergei passed away in 1995 of heart failure, a beautiful devoted Russian couple whose life was changed forever when Katia's Sergei died on the ice and left her with a 3 year old daughter Daria. This is a true account of Katia and Sergei's life and how Katia struggled to move forward on her own.
I enjoyed reading this story very much. I loved the casual and personal tone, and all the little anecdotes. I felt like I'd gotten to know Katya and Sergei through this book. Needless to say, I was deeply moved and saddened once again at how the story ends. A sad yet beautiful love story!
This is the story of Sergei Grinkov and Ekaterina Gordeeva, the Russian pairs skaters who charmed the world and fell in love. Their story of how they came to be ice skaters and what was expected of them by their coaches and country is incredible. Their love story is the stuff Lifetime movies are made of.
Katia Gordeeva has a really sad story, losing her husband and skating partner when she was just 24 years old. This book is very well written and was an excellent read. It was written shortly after he died so it is interesting to read what she was going through back then and compare it to where she is now. She is a strong women.
This book was so moving and so beautiful to me. If anyone has any doubts about whether true and honest love exists in this world this book will change their mind. I love Ekaterina for writing this book. She is a brave and beautiful person, I think i really look up to her.
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