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City of Thieves

by David Benioff

4.19 · rating details · 16,228 ratings · 3,360 reviews

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 wont talk about it, but his grandfather reluctantly consents. The result is the captivating odyssey of two young men trying to surv...more

Hardcover, 258 pages

Published May 15th 2008 by Viking Adult

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Jun 22, 2008

Doug Bradshaw rated it

Recommends it for: Especially men, but women will like it too.

Recommended to Doug by: NY Times, EW

I have read some good fiction lately, but this one is special like "Catcher in the Rye" or "The Curious Incident" or maybe "The Kite Runner". Instead of telling the story, I will make observations as to why I loved it:

1. Many historical fiction novels are written from the perspective of the thinking of the time. Although it is interesting to observe how people think people thought in the past, it can be a little too un-modern and sometimes boring, like ...moreI have read some good fiction lately, but this one is special like "Catcher in the Rye" or "The Curious Incident" or maybe "The Kite Runner". Instead of telling the story, I will make observations as to why I loved it:

1. Many historical fiction novels are written from the perspective of the thinking of the time. Although it is interesting to observe how people think people thought in the past, it can be a little too un-modern and sometimes boring, like reading "Moby Dick" or some other great, but somewhat over the top book. Here, we are set back in time by the grandson who is just like us, telling the story his grandfather tells him, but with language and interpretations that are how we think about things today. Instead of finding this tool to be unrealistic and too Hollywood modern, I found just the opposite. I felt like I really was back in time and I related to the characters like they were my best friends and buddies. I loved this approach to history telling.

2. The primary relationship in the book is between a shy, 17 year old Jewish boy who is intelligent, clever, educated and a great story teller. There is a running dialogue in his head describing his sometimes ridiculous and unimportant thoughts and observations as life threatening things are occurring. His older buddy is a young "man of the world" a college boy who is experienced with women, a writer and philosopher, a handsome and sometimes arrogant guy. He puts his arm around his younger shy friend's shoulder and starts to teach him about wine women and song. It is a touching and fun relationship that works as well as any friendship relationship I've ever read. The observations of the younger as to the older's sometimes graphic and raunchy statements and experiences are absolutely brilliant and spot on. This is how life and relationships really work and the author has been able to convey these experiences in a way that makes us relive similar things in our lives as older kids taught us about what really goes on in the adult world and we're half thinking it's a lie and half believing it, yet shaking our heads. I can't think of a book I've read that does this kind of coming of age relationship as well.

3. Because the story moves fast and is more about relationships and internal observations, you would think that the history of the time is secondary. However, the story gives us a very realistic feeling of how it must have been to be suffering through the invasion of the Germans into Leningrad in the horrible cold of the winter without much good food or shelter or equipment. There is a lot of good information about the cold and calculated way of the Nazis and the underfunded and yet heroic attempts of the Russian people to fend them off. And yet, as important as the historical setting of the book is, the thing that makes it work well is the commentary and thoughts of our two friends and eventually heroes.

4. There are many other great characters in the book from the brilliant and interesting Nazi leader, an intense and talented young female sniper, and the spoiled and wealthy man who sends them on their ridiculously trivial mission in the first place.

This book is the reason you read fiction.(less)

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Jul 28, 2011

Buggy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical, love-story, shelf-11, war, survival

I came away from this feeling, very cold, very hungry and with an inexplicable need to make sure my pantry was full. CITY OF THIEVES is a fantastic story; set in 1942 during the Nazis’ brutal siege of Leningrad. It’s a coming of age story filled with adventure, suspense, friendship, romance and tragedy all washed down with (from what I understand) a historically accurate picture of Leningrad during the blockade.

I should point out that despite the events of the time this is also a sur...moreI came away from this feeling, very cold, very hungry and with an inexplicable need to make sure my pantry was full. CITY OF THIEVES is a fantastic story; set in 1942 during the Nazis’ brutal siege of Leningrad. It’s a coming of age story filled with adventure, suspense, friendship, romance and tragedy all washed down with (from what I understand) a historically accurate picture of Leningrad during the blockade.

I should point out that despite the events of the time this is also a surprisingly funny read as our two main characters; Kolya the romantic optimist and Lev with his random internal observations both have an interesting way of looking at life around them during the absurdities of war.

The story begins with a powerful opening chapter; a writer asks his grandfather to tell him about his experiences during the war. All the narrator knows-and he doesn’t remember anyone telling him its just one of those family folklores that he always has. Is that his grandfather, "the knife fighter" killed two Germans before he was eighteen and is missing a finger. And so Lev begins to tell his story to his grandson. Talking openly for the first time about his childhood, coming to America and sex. Mostly though he talks about a two week period in 1942 when he met his best friend, the woman that would become his wife and killed two Germans. I actually referred back to this chapter several times during the course of the book and again when I finished.

Its January 1942 Leningrad is under marshal law, surrounded by the German army and what’s left of its inhabitants are starving. Our hero 17 year old Lev Beniov has just been arrested for looting and placed in a cell with a handsome friendly deserter named Kolya Vlasov. Both of their crimes are grounds for execution and as our heroes get to know each other that’s what they expect come morning. However in a twist of fate they are given a chance to save their own lives, a secret mission for a powerful soviet colonel. All they have to do is find a dozen eggs for his daughter’s wedding cake.

A dozen eggs in a city cut off from supplies, a city resorting to cannibalism and eating glue from book spines to survive. It is of course a ludicrous and impossible task one which takes our new friends far into German occupied territory, through the bitter cold of winter and countless adventures and atrocities. The outcome didn’t really surprise me but I haven't stopped thinking about it either.

“One moment I thought I had a few minutes left to live; the next a sniper was flirting with me. Was she flirting with me? The days had become a confusion of catastrophes; what seemed impossible in the afternoon was blunt fact by the evening. German corpses fell from the sky; cannibals sold sausage links made from ground human in the Haymarket; apartments blocs collapsed to the ground; dogs became bombs; frozen soldiers became sign posts. I had no food in my belly, no fat on my bones and no energy to reflect on this parade of atrocities. I just kept moving, hoping to find another half slice of bread for myself and a dozen eggs for the colonel’s daughter.”(less)

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Feb 26, 2010

Newengland rated it

Shelves: contemporary, finished-in-2010

You know how annoying it is when a book’s ending is so unrealistic that you say to yourself in disgust, “This would never play out like this in real life!”? It’s happened more than once, right? But a funny thing sometimes happens on the way to the forum. Sometimes your peevishness gets assassinated. Sometimes you’re so damned entertained by a book that you act like a sailor on leave and say, “Ah, what the hell!” Sometimes you’re so amused by the characters that you see that suspension bridg...moreYou know how annoying it is when a book’s ending is so unrealistic that you say to yourself in disgust, “This would never play out like this in real life!”? It’s happened more than once, right? But a funny thing sometimes happens on the way to the forum. Sometimes your peevishness gets assassinated. Sometimes you’re so damned entertained by a book that you act like a sailor on leave and say, “Ah, what the hell!” Sometimes you’re so amused by the characters that you see that suspension bridge of disbelief and you cross it -- cheerfully, yet.

This is the case with David Benioff’s oddly mesmerizing historical foray, CITY OF THIEVES. The quixotic quest book offers a little something for everyone. Russophiles and history buffs will love it because it’s set in Leningrad during the siege, and the author has done his homework, making the setting and background events accurate. Coming-of-age fans will like it because the protagonist, a tough but runty Russian Jew who is only 17, will worm his way into the apple core of your heart. Humor enthusiasts will take to it because it is rich with witty badinage, much of it thanks to Kolya, the Red Army sidekick whose libido leads him AWOL and into deep doo-doo with the Russian military.

Together, Lev and Kolya are spared death (one for breaking curfew, the other for looking for love when he should have been on guard with his unit) if they can bring back a certain colonel one dozen eggs. Why? The colonel’s daughter is getting married at the end of the week and needs a huge wedding cake in a city that is about as eggless as a grunting rooster. Ridiculous? Sure. Fun? Indubitably. But the sights our heroes come across during their journey are anything but laughable and, at times, downright gruesome.

War is hell, yes, but it also offers ironies in spades. Ante up, then, because Benioff is dealing. You might consider Kolya a tad over-the-top, and you might agree with me that the showdown with the Germans toward the end “stretches things a bit,” but what the hell – if you’re charmed, you’re in a good mood; and if you’re in a good mood, you tend to let certain things go. Thus, the suspension of disbelief. Thus, the four stars. Thus, the hearty recommendation, reservations notwithstanding. This one’s a page-turner. This one I think you'll like.
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Nov 14, 2009

Rose rated it

Recommended to Rose by: NYTimes best seller list

Shelves: group-local-book-club

This book has it all; a perilous quest, a “buddy story”, history, romance, comedy and drama. I looked at it as an anti-war novel. The beauty of youth innocence set against the brutal and gruesome truths about the cost of war.

A reviewer on amazon put it best with this:
“As Americans, we often have a very one-dimensional view of World War II: "we" took out the Nazis and the Japanese. That the Soviet Union -- soon our enemy for the next forty-plus years -- was our ally...more

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Mar 18, 2010

Elizabeth (Alaska) rated it

A story that combines excellent characterization and a suspenseful plot. Not too many characters in this one, which gave the author the ability to nearly fully develop the two main characters. The author was able to capture the terror of war, yet was able to offset this terror with some humor. The main characters are young men, Kolya and Lev. I have seen this described as a coming of age story. I don't know what that is - the path to maturity being neither straight nor common. It is a story of f...more

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Sep 27, 2011

Stephan van der Linde rated it

· review of another edition

Another Brilliant story about friendship during wartime. WO II.

This story is about two total different boys, who are forced to find a dozen eggs for a colonel daughter's wedding in 5 days.

An impossible mission where there's barely food in the Ruins of assaulted Russia. The boys, the confident good looking Kolya and the insecure, smaller jew Lev encounter all kinds of danger, betrayal and despair.

This book blew me away. I Loved Benioff's debut 25th Hour, bu...more

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Jun 05, 2010

Laurel rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction

This is a gripping read. I had trouble putting it down.

The story is set in Russia during WWII after the Nazi's have overtaken Leningrad. When Lev Beniov is arrested for looting, he is thrown in jail with an alleged Russian army deserter named Kolya. Rather than being executed the next morning as Lev is expecting, they are instead ordered to fulfill a surprising and ridiculous mission: in the midst of chaos, war, brutality and starvation, they must find a dozen eggs for a colonel ...moreThis is a gripping read. I had trouble putting it down.

The story is set in Russia during WWII after the Nazi's have overtaken Leningrad. When Lev Beniov is arrested for looting, he is thrown in jail with an alleged Russian army deserter named Kolya. Rather than being executed the next morning as Lev is expecting, they are instead ordered to fulfill a surprising and ridiculous mission: in the midst of chaos, war, brutality and starvation, they must find a dozen eggs for a colonel to use for his daughter's wedding cake.

Sounds a bit bizarre, doesn't it? A WWII egg hunt? But it works. It works really well. I was mesmerized from beginning to end as these two young men embark on their mission and encounter one brutal, hair-raising scenario after another.

What was most interesting to me about this book, however, was the coming-of-age relationship between Lev and Kolya. Lev is a shy, pensive and somewhat innocent boy of 17, while Kolya is slightly older, reckless, much more experienced and at times outrageous in his behavior and commentary. In the course of their journey, Kolya openly (and a bit crudely) teaches a reluctant Lev what he knows about women, and as their friendship grows, Lev also learns from Kolya important lessons about bravery and loyalty.

There is some foul language in this book, and as mentioned above, some rather crude comments about women and sex. Some may find this offensive. However, if you remove it, I think you lose part of what made Kolya seem so genuine, real and flawed. I personally never felt offended by any of his remarks.... they sometimes made me cringe, but I still found him oddly endearing. And funny. Really funny. Kolya is without a doubt a very likable protagonist, even if (or perhaps in part because) he can at times be a little inappropriate.

There's a lot of violence in this book as well. This is to be expected in any war novel, of course. But the violence here is not just of your typical battle scene. There is murder, starvation, cannibalism, animal cruelty, and even (in one particular scene) intensely disturbing abuse of a young teenage girl by Nazi soldiers. And yet, these were and often can be the realities of war and extreme famine. The violence never felt gratuitous to me, and despite it all, there was enough humor and tenderness in-between all the brutality to make it ultimately heart-warming and even uplifting by the book's end.

In fact, it is not the violence nor the language that will most vividly stay in my mind. It's the wonderful story-telling, the characters, the relationship between Lev and Kolya, and the message of the power of friendship, loyalty and humor in the midst of dire circumstances. While I can't recommend this to everyone, I do think it's most definitely a worthwhile, well-written and touching story. 4.5 stars.
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Aug 11, 2008

Edan rated it

Recommended to Edan by: Patrick Brown

Taking this to Kauai...

...This book is incredibly fun to read--at every turn there was something to discover (Will they be killed? What's in that cabin?), and the characters were well-drawn and interesting.

I was going to give this book 4 stars, because it's pleasantly readable, and the prose itself is really nice, but something about it felt, in the end, not real. Maybe a little antiseptic? Not sure--Patrick said it feels like an old movie about the siege of Leningrad...more

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May 12, 2009

Jeanette rated it

Shelves: all-fiction, russia, world-war-two-fiction

Good story. Kind of clever to have a quest for a dozen eggs lead them on their journey of friendship and danger. The most interesting thing about the book for me was learning about the Siege of Leningrad, which lasted three years. Three years of starvation with no food to be had at any price; corpses everywhere, just left to rot; and brutal cold, with every bit of wood, including the trees, already hacked up and used for heating.

Those who are offended by crassness will probably wa...more

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Sep 10, 2008

Armand rated it

An independent bookstore owning friend handed me this book at the Willows Inn on Lummi Island, noting that occasionally he put the book down just so he would have the pleasure of picking it up another day. In terms of the story’s ability to engage, I see his point. Although I take his recommendations seriously, I was most excited because Benioff adapted his first book, 25th Hour, into one of my favorite Spike Lee films. Not surprisingly, City of Thieves reads like a good movie, with a steady, ea...moreAn independent bookstore owning friend handed me this book at the Willows Inn on Lummi Island, noting that occasionally he put the book down just so he would have the pleasure of picking it up another day. In terms of the story’s ability to engage, I see his point. Although I take his recommendations seriously, I was most excited because Benioff adapted his first book, 25th Hour, into one of my favorite Spike Lee films. Not surprisingly, City of Thieves reads like a good movie, with a steady, easy pacing. The book is a pleasure to read, even though the subject matter gets tougher by the page. As the story unfolds, Bennioff weaves grisly details of life in Leningrad during the German blockade of WWII until you can’t help but feel the cold of a Soviet winter or the hunger of a country at wartime and a city cut-off from its supplies.

The book centers on two young men who meet in jail. Both would ordinarily be executed for their minor offenses but for the lifesaving fools errand of a Soviet commander – find a dozen eggs for his daughter’s wedding cake in exchange for their lives. So Lev and Kolya make their way through the bombed out city, its black markets and apartment buildings, and into German controlled Soviet territory. While City of Thieves is principally Lev’s coming of age story (complete with the sex-obsessed, bathroom humor of young men), the fear and physical deprivation transports the book to something else all together. About two-thirds into the book, a string of chapters each finish with such horrific endings that I wanted to start another just for some relief. The brutality never feels like overkill, though, just accurate. If anything, the book falters when the story resolves so cleanly, but from the outset the reader knows that’s the only result. And that’s the odd trick of this book.

A short prelude describes a screenwriter named “David”, living in L.A. with his actress girlfriend, writing about mutant superheroes (in fact, David Benioff lives in L.A. with wife Amanda Peet (!) and has written the screenplay for the forthcoming Wolverine movie). “David” travels to Florida to spend a week with his grandfather, Lev, finally getting him to talk about the war. Before the story even begins, then, we know Lev survives (minus a finger), meets the love of his life (the still living grandmother who refuses to cook), makes his best friend, and kills two Germans. It’s an odd way to start a novel that could easily have been told straight. Perhaps, though, this is Benioff’s way of offering some small relief for the reader – despite the horror of the Siege of Leningrad, and all that cold and death and hunger – a little bit of knowledge to carry along the way that something good will work itself out.(less)

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Aug 30, 2008

Meagan rated it

Shelves: russia, world-war-two, coming-of-age, attempted-to-read, 2008-reads

I was really looking forward to this book being that it had great reviews and I am really interested in the Siege of Leningrad. Unfortunately for me it was just too crude and I stopped reading about 100 pages in. (I did want to know how everything turned out so I read the ending in order have a little resolution.) It was a fast, entertaining read with a lot of dark humor- those parts I did enjoy.

The other issue I had with it is that I had a hard time over looking the fact that he ...more

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Feb 07, 2009

David rated it

A strangely terrible book. I read it from cover to cover, skipping only a few passages, which I almost never do in a book this bad. And there's nothing, on the surface, that is really bad. The plot is compelling, the characters pretty interesting when they're not merely comic book sketches, the atmosphere in a lot of scenes seems just right. The only problem was that I didn't believe a single word of it. People in wartime, in life-or-death situations, simply don't think or feel this way. I...more

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Aug 08, 2011

Rachel rated it

This one is more like a 4 and a half stars, or maybe 4 and 3/4 stars. My friends, it is teetering dangerously close to a 5-star review!

I may update it to 5-stars later, after I've had more time to consider it.

I loved the story of the friendship between Lev and Kolya. The stories were woven together so nicely: stories of the Russian grandparents in America, who made their living selling insurance over the phone in Bay Ridge (Brooklyn, NY) and then moved to Florida; and t...moreThis one is more like a 4 and a half stars, or maybe 4 and 3/4 stars. My friends, it is teetering dangerously close to a 5-star review!

I may update it to 5-stars later, after I've had more time to consider it.

I loved the story of the friendship between Lev and Kolya. The stories were woven together so nicely: stories of the Russian grandparents in America, who made their living selling insurance over the phone in Bay Ridge (Brooklyn, NY) and then moved to Florida; and their grandson, who is a "mutant superheroes" screenplay writer in Los Angeles; and of course: the Russian grandparents in Russia, and the people they knew, and the stories based on the siege of St. Petersburg / Leningrad / Piter during World War II.

The book is written in a terse and easy-going style ... it is descriptive without being overly so ... it is graphic and violent when it unfortunately needed to be, for the story's sake .... and it provides a good dose of humor and endearment through the carefully crafted characters of Kolya, Lev, and Vika. Much of the conversation with Kolya and Lev, as well as Lev's internal dialog, had me laughing out loud. During the course of the book, I must admit to falling head over heels for BOTH of the male leads. But especially sweet and morose, pessimistic little Lev. :)

I loved this book, except I wasn't thrilled about some of the plot points at the end. I wish the author had put some kind of twist to it so that these very disappointing things didn't happen. I mean .... we expected them for a reason; there was foreshadowing, but I wish the foreshadowing had been more of a ruse. Kind of like ... you're on a roller coaster, you think you're going to die, and then TA-DAAA! You don't die! Hurray! See how much that fun that was!!! I wish the author had done something more like that at the end of the book.

Despite my quibbles with the ending, I really did love this book. It was beautiful and finely crafted in so many ways. Am still considering the 5 stars. :)

And, is it just me, or does anyone else hear this book screaming out .... MOVIE SCRIPT!!! I hope they can find the perfect actors, and a movie producer who can do this book justice. If they can do a good job with this, I would love to see the movie. In the meantime ... maybe I will read the book again, just because I loved the characters (Lev and Kolya) so much. :)
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Aug 30, 2011

Lee Krieger rated it

I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by this book.
I must have picked it up a while ago, but never got around to reading it.
Last week, after finishing a book, I found it, read the back cover and begrudgingly decided to give it a try.

Spending time in Leningrad, during the siege, even fictionally, proves to be a draining experience. Conditions, especially the lack of food, were hard to stomach, and made me want to go to my refrigerator and peer into it.
However...more

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Dec 11, 2008

Aaron John Curtis rated it

This is hard to explain. Few of the plot "twists" surprised me, but I didn't mind because they didn't seem designed to. In fact, if you read the cover you could probably tell me most of what happens. But so what? Benioff writes like a fishhook, pulling you to the next page.

At the same time, I learned a lot about Russia and World War II I never expected to know, let alone be interested in. Things happened in this book that shocked me.

How can a book be predic...more

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Jan 22, 2009

Jeff rated it

About as mediocre a book as you could ever find...

Prose readable but never interesting, embedded with excruciating rhetorical questions and banal turns of phrase such as "he shook me till my bones rattled."

Well conceived but poorly imagined, with physical descriptions of a city reading as if lifted from a boring history book...feels like flesh of fiction being draped on a skeleton of historical fact, with the result a wrinkled, gaunt body such as so many described i...more

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Sep 15, 2008

Alfonso rated it

Recommends it for: anyone who likes a fast moving read.

Recommended to Alfonso by: Vroman's Bookstore

Shelves: fiction

The author did a great job in telling the story. Some authors will overdue the work by trying to do too much with the plot and the language. Benioff keeps it simply and moving.

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Sep 20, 2011

Dem rated it

Shelves: sooner-than-later, favorites, recommended

Having read and loved Child 44this book was recommended to me by a friend and he was spot on in his recommendation as I loved this Novel.

The siege of Leningrad lasted from August 1941 to January 1944 and resulted in an unknown death toll which included around one million citizens.

This is the story of Lev Beniov, who was jailed for looting the body of a dead Nazi paratrooper who landed in the city. He is sent to Jail where he meets with a young and confident soldier call...more

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Sep 20, 2010

Alex Telander rated it

Shelves: books-read-in-2009

CITY OF THIEVES BY DAVID BENIOFF: From David Benioff, author of The 25th Hour and screenwriter for The Kite Runner, comes an original tale of adventure, laughter, and ongoing mystery set against the backdrop off World War II and the Siege of Leningrad. City of Thieves is a fast-paced, enjoyable book that will have you telling your friends about it.

Lev Beniov is a Leningrad local, fondly referring to the city of his birth as Piter after Petersburg. Left to fend for himself with some...more

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Jan 29, 2009

Sharon rated it

I was so afraid this book would be unbearably grim. I mean, come on, it's the siege of Leningrad, everyone's starving to death, and it's only 1941--the war will just go on and on. Nazis. Russian winter. Are there any OTHER ingredients for grimness in a book.

But this book strikes the perfect balance of brutality and joy. It's all about Kolya, of course, one of those over-the-top characters who is always doing something nonsensical that works out just fine. I won't say he carries...more

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Sep 20, 2008

Jennifer rated it

Shelves: adult-books

This unusual story of two teenage boys who are given an impossible task to complete in the middle of a Russian winter during the German siege of Leningrad grabbed my attention on page one and never let it go. Almost like two innocents in a dark fairy tale, Lev (small and dark) and Kolya (tall and blond) encounter cannibals, murderers, prostitutes, and assassins as they trudge across the forbidding frozen landscape absurdly in search of mythical eggs(no one has seen an egg since the siege began)f...more

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Jun 21, 2008

Cynthia rated it

Recommends it for: anyone interested in literary fiction, historical fiction, or World War II.

I literally could not put this book down. I started it one night and stayed up much too late to finish it the next. (My poor husband kept asking me to turn off the light, and I kept telling him, "One more page, one more page.") I had almost no knowledge of this period of history, but Benioff brings it to life in a way that's compelling and moving. I never knew what was going to happen next. The characters are unique and richly drawn, full of dark humor and life. In other words, though ...more

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Jun 01, 2008

Anna rated it

Shelves: arcs-galleys, reviewed-for-watermark

Lev Beniov has been arrested for looting, and in 1941 Leningrad, that's punished by summary execution, as is nearly every crime—it's not as if there were supplies to feed prisoners, when the population was barely surviving on sugar-saturated mud from beneath a bombed-out confectioner's or "library candy," obtained by boiling down book bindings. But instead of shooting him on sight, the NKVD throws him in a cell with Kolya, a chatty, literature-obsessed deserter, and the two of them are...more

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Mar 09, 2008

Mike rated it

· review of another edition

Consistently clean, smart prose, and a decent quest novel centered around the WWII siege of St. Petersburg and the search for a dozen eggs. Benioff writes male-male relationships well, and has an ear for clever (but not too clever) dialogue, and cuts across tones (the silly McGuffin of the egg-quest contra the many horrors of starving Piter). This novel is also introduced (before flashback to the central action) as his grandfather's story...

...but I never got too swept up, never f...more

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Jun 03, 2011

Ben rated it

· review of another edition

Although this book is relatively short and a very fast read, it is anything but light. There are moments of levity, but on the whole, the story is that of a sad adventure. Benioff superbly manages to tell a hard, painful story with a lightness of touch that keeps the story moving and never overwhelms the reader, even in the most of gruesome episodes (and yes, the word gruesome is entirely apt here). I thought this was an excellent short-read that manages to encompass a fascinating story about in...more

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Sep 07, 2011

Aaron O'Neill rated it

Shelves: ww2

Simple fiction at it's best.

City of Thieves, not the most complex and stylish book I have ever read but easily one of the most enjoyable and in the end isn't that all that matters?

An intriguing story, Russia, World War II, 12 eggs and two completely contradictory young boys. David Benioff shows he is no slouch and builds an exhilarating story with all the brutality and intense, vivid imagery that one expects of the war but it is in Benioff's characters where this novel sh...more

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Jan 05, 2009

Nina rated it

This is a coming of age novel in a nutshell. Set in Russia during WW2, it spans a few day period. It is engrossing, and gives a true glimpse to how badly life treated the regular folks during the war. Lev, the main character is very acutely portrayed. I really liked this novel.

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Apr 21, 2009

Denise rated it

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Denise by: Borders

Shelves: historical-fiction, world-war-2

This is an exciting adventure and story of the friendship of two young men during time of war. I loved this novel! It is not normally the type of book I read but I am so glad I did. I could barely put it down.

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Jun 26, 2008

Kevin rated it

Wow! One of those rare books you just hear about and are not expecting it to be so good. This is the story of a young boy who gets sent on an adventure of sorts to find eggs in a war torn Leningrad during the German siege. There is nothing left in the city due to it being surrounded for months and supplies are low everywhere.

The character development is great and the story never stops taking you in a n unexpected direction. The climax had me on edge to where I couldn't put t...more

like 3 likes

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Jan 15, 2012

Jan rated it

Shelves: historical-fiction

Cover to cover in one sitting; couldn't put it down. The end wraps up a little too tidily, but still a mesmerizing story.

like 1 like

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History > World War II

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War

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About David Benioff

David Benioff worked as a nightclub bouncer in San Francisco, a radio DJ in Wyoming and an English teacher/wrestling coach in Brooklyn before selling his first novel, The 25th Hour, in 2000.

He later wrote the screenplay for Spike Lee’s adaptation of Hour starring Edward Norton and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. In 2005, Viking Press published Benioff’s collection of short stories, When the N...more

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Books by David Benioff

The Kite Runner: A Portrait of the Epic Film (Newmarket Pictorial Moviebooks)

When the Nines Roll Over and Other Stories

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Quotes from City of Thieves

“I've always envied people who sleep easily. Their brains must be cleaner, the floorboards of the skull well swept, all the little monsters closed up in a steamer trunk at the foot of the bed.” — 189 people liked it

“Talent must be a fanatical mistress. She's beautiful; when you're with her, people watch you, they notice. But she bangs on your door at odd hours, and she disappears for long stretches, and she has no patience for the rest of your existence; your wife, your children, your friends. She is the most thrilling evening of your week, but some day she will leave you for good. One night, after she's been gone for years, you will see her on the arm of a younger man, and she will pretend not to recognize you.” — 60 people liked it

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