City of Thieves in Crazy Challenge Connection

Jan 22, 2011 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library, concierge, world-war-ii, cooking, friendship, audio, book-club, survival, russia

During the Siege of Leningrad, two young men – strangers at the outset – are sent on a mission to procure the impossible. Lev is only 17, an orphan who is the proud leader of his neighborhood fire watch team. When they spot a German paratrooper slowly descending on their street, the group runs to check the body. In their excitement they don’t hear the state police vehicle until it’s almost too late. The penalty for looting and being out after curfew is execution, but Lev is put in a holding cell During the Siege of Leningrad, two young men – strangers at the outset – are sent on a mission to procure the impossible. Lev is only 17, an orphan who is the proud leader of his neighborhood fire watch team. When they spot a German paratrooper slowly descending on their street, the group runs to check the body. In their excitement they don’t hear the state police vehicle until it’s almost too late. The penalty for looting and being out after curfew is execution, but Lev is put in a holding cell. Shortly another man is put there with him. Kolya is a Russian soldier, in his twenties, he is handsome (with the “perfect” Aryan features – blonde and blue-eyed) and charming. He’s been caught without any leave papers and is presumed to be a deserter. In the morning, instead of going to their death they are taken to the colonel’s office. He has a proposition for them. His daughter’s wedding is in five days and she wants a wedding cake, for which he needs a dozen eggs. There hasn’t been an egg in Leningrad for months. But if the two can return with the eggs by Thursday, he will spare their lives.

This is a novel about the horrors of war, definitely. But more, it is a novel about friendship and loyalty; about learning to trust when nothing and no one is trustworthy; about finding hope and joy in the most awful of circumstances; about finding depths of courage you never knew you had; and about facing death with dignity. None of WW II was pleasant, but the residents of Leningrad suffered more than most during the siege. The conditions depicted are nothing short of horrific, but the author manages to not dwell there for long. He uses Kolya to keep the partisans, the Germans, and the readers charmed and looking forward. I was completely drawn into the story and found myself rooting for these two unlikely companions on their impossible quest. I loved the ending, too.

Benioff is a screenwriter, and it shows; most scenes are very visual. I have no idea if a movie is planned, but if it is, I can guess who will write the screen play.

UPDATE - Nov 26, 2011
I listened to the audio book, performed by Ron Perlman, to refresh my memory for my F2F book club discussion.

Perlman does a reasonably good job of performing the audio, but I found his voice for Kolya irritating. I suppose that shouldn’t surprise me, as Kolya’s smirking and joking ways irritated Lev, too. Also, Perlman uses a higher pitch voice for Kolya, while Lev is voiced with a deeper tone. This was confusing for a while (until I got used to it), because I would have expected the teen-aged Lev to have the higher, younger-sounding voice. I think if I had listened first, I would have given the book a lower rating. But since I read it in the traditional format first and gave it 5 stars, I won’t lower my rating at this time. ...more

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May 22, 2015 Krissy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: pgs-200-299, audiobook

4.5 Stars. Loved it!

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Nov 30, 2023 Marla rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, girl-power, zz-2023, adventure, with-reservations, made-me-laugh, romance, challenged, award-winner, adult

. What a wonderful but sometimes crude and sad story about a young Lev Beniov who ends up in prison. His cell mate, Nikolai "Kolya" Alexandrovich Vlasov, and Lev are tasked with finding a dozen eggs for a wedding cake for a Russian Colonel's daughter.

Trying to find fresh eggs in a starving city of desperate people was an impossible task. But Lev and Kolya continue on encountering many shockingly horrible situations but Lev's innocence and Kolya's humor make this a tale of friendship and bravery. ...more

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Apr 26, 2010 Liz rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012-book-list

What an awesome book! I started the book out a little disappointed b/c I had pretty high hopes for this one, & the vulgar language really grated on me. I do not like crude language! However, I decided to stick with it & see where things went. The longer I read, the more I was pulled into the story of Kolya & Lev. Apart from the crude remarks, I loved these characters. They were so real to me, & their growing friendship throughout the story was very touching. Lev's growth was especially interesti ...more

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Jan 23, 2016 Rachel N. rated it really liked it

Lev is a 17 yeard old living in Leningrad under siege by the Germans during WWII. He and Kolya, a young leiutenant in the army, are thrown togetehr and given the mission of finding a dozen eggs in a week or,losing their ration cards for good. This book was very interesting but I just couldn't give it five stars because parts of it really depressed me. ...more

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