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I didn't want to put this book down. Benioff is a marvelous storyteller. He hooked me from the onset, when he cast Lev and Kolya together, the looter and the deserter, and sent them out on an impossible mission. I had no choice but to follow along as they faced danger in the cold, snowy landscape of WWII Russia. Despite this being a Holocaust novel, confronting issues of hunger, cannibalism, and murder, I found many affirmative moments filled with laughter, love, and friendship. This was a remar
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What to say about this book, as a norm I don't read historical fiction, but picked this one up because it was a book recommended by Stephen King. When I first started listening to it, I thought I would stop listening, but I'm glad that I did not. This book takes place in Russia during WWII, and it is about the friendship between 2 unlikely people, a 17 year old jewish boy named Lev and a red coat army deserter by the name of Kolya, who meet in prison. they are taken to the general and he gives t
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Absolutely wonderful story! I recently read Symphony for the City of the Dead: Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad (nonfiction). This work of fiction, set at the same place and time, was the perfect followup.
Jul 14, 2010
Cathy
rated it
it was amazing
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review of another edition
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five-star-reads
This is an excellent tale that transports the reader into the Russia of World War II replete with Red Army soldiers, Nazis, partisans, and two special characters who provide a phenomenal buddy story that keeps you wrapped up in their mission and friendship. This novel does give some graphic and vivid depictions of atrocities of war juxtaposed with the innocence of youth and the honesty and truth of true friendship. A very special read filled with comedy and plenty of adventure to make this a mem ...more
I liked learning about a part of history where I hadn't heard too much, Nazi invasion of Russia. But there was so much that was depressing and too gritty...I don't have to "enjoy" a book to rate it high, but this seemed excessive. The things depicted undoubtedly went on (e.g., cannibalism), starvation, dead bodies, frozen bodies extreme cruelty but wow... Oh I also don't like "coming of age" books where the emphasis is on how young boys/men think with such extreme disrespect towards women, nudit
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I fell into this mesmerizing fairytale from the get-go. Benioff is a confident storyteller, and with few exceptions, this novel swept me along with Lev and Kolya on their formidable life-and-death wartime challenge. Lev, a naive and insecure Jewish teenager, and Kolya, a flamboyant young soldier, are thrown together in prison during the Seige of Leningrad. This novel shares some characteristics of a super hero comic strip, but it worked for me. I was reminded of The Madonnas of Leningrad -- a ve
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Jan 21, 2010
Jamaie
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Sep 09, 2011
Patti
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Renee
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Feb 26, 2019
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