From the critically acclaimed author of The 25th Hour and When the Nines Roll Over and co-creator of the HBO series Game of Thrones, a captivating novel about war, courage, survival — and a remarkable friendship that ripples across a lifetime. During the Nazis’ brutal siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead … as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, 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 Soviet 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 through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and behind enemy lines to find the impossible.
By turns insightful and funny, thrilling and terrifying, the New York Times bestseller City of Thieves is a gripping, cinematic World War II adventure and an intimate coming-of-age story with an utterly contemporary feel for how boys become men.
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Fantastic! One of my favorite all time books!
Held my interest from start to finish. A fascinating insider’s view of the World War II siege of Leningrad written with realism and even humor.
This book was so beautifully written. It stuck with me for days after I finished it. I have recommended it to many people and have only received positive feedback. It did make me cry at one point , but it made me smile and laugh throughout.
I am an avid reader, but I can say without reservation that this absurd, horrific, funny and deeply moving book is one of the best I’ve ever read. I was totally emersed in this tale of two young men who are sent on a ludicrous and incredibly dangerous quest to find eggs during the Nazis’ seige of Leningrad.
An outstanding piece of historical fiction. Very engaging the whole way through
You will read about two young men very opposite thrown together early in the book in a jail cell in War World 2 in Russia. The whole country is freezing and starving to death. The Germans are invading everywhere.They think they are going to be killed in the morning by the authorities. Instead they are given an impossible task, find a dozen eggs. Remember Russia is starving and it is winter time. P.S., chickens do not lay eggs in winter time unless they have ideal situation.
One of the best books I’ve ever read.
This is not my typical read, but I’m so glad I took the chance. I loved this book! I loved the characters & their unlikely friendship. I was eager to read where their quest would take them and if they would be successful. This book is funny, sad, tragic, hopeful.
I loved that the grandfather was telling his story to his grandson, and that he was honest about his fears and inadequacies. Interesting war story.
Held my interest all the way through, good book
Fantastic bit of history
I really enjoyed this book. Great read
Good read but wish the ending tied back to the beginning ….
Wonderful story. Well written.
From late 1941 to early 1944, Leningrad was besieged by the Wehrmacht, resulting in the deaths of 1.5 million Russians and evacuation of another 1.4 million. Protagonists Lev, or “big nose,” a seventeen year old chess whiz alone in the city, and Koyla, a twenty year old handsome, sex-addicted, aspiring writer and army deserter, guide us through ravaged Leningrad and into the surrounding countryside behind enemy lines. Lev and Koyla are spared execution by a Russian Colonel of the NKVD in exchange for bringing him a dozen eggs so his daughter can have a wedding cake. Lev and Koyla encounter cannibalism, the demolition of Lev’s apartment building, bone-chilling cold, sacrificial dogs and collaborator-prostitutes, and the dead and dying—both young and old. Their bond grows, fueled by non-stop witticisms, often sophomorically irreverent, and sanctimonious reflections on Russian literature. Their link up with Russian partisan resistance leads to a riveting showdown with a Nazi death squad psychopath. The story flows with a natural authenticity inspired by the story of the author’s grandparents, and gives us plenty of great lines to chuckle over with humor seldom seen in the pages of historical fiction.
Was this review helpful? I am an avid world war based fiction reader and author. You can read more of my takes at https://brodiecurtis.com/curtis-takes/.
Original and compelling; about a an angle on the war that I had never really considered and knew little about.
David Benioff presented an excellent novel filled with pathos and a deep understanding of the human condition. This is a great fast read for anyone interested in WWII and especially in a realistic presentation of the Seige of Leningrad.
This is the book I couldn’t put down. I read the entire thing on a flight from DC to Amsterdam. My plan was to leave it for the flight attendants, but I loved this book so much I brought it home and made my reader friends read it.
The characters are wonderful, and you cannot wait to read what happens next. The descriptions of what life was like in Russia during WW II are haunting, and you can almost feel how cold the winters were. The fact this is based on a true story makes this book all the more intriguing.
City of Thieves takes place during the German siege of Leningrad during WWII. People are starving and some have resorted to cannibalism. The hero, Lev, is arrested for looting because he pilfered brandy from the dead body of a German paratrooper. In prison he meets Kolya, who was arrested for being AWOL from his army unit. Ordinarily these two would have been shot immediately, but Colonel needs them for a difficult mission. His daughter is getting married and he requires a dozen eggs to make a wedding cake. As the two men search for eggs in a city where eggs cannot be found, they go from being reluctant allies to loyal friends.
The author’s depiction of the brutality and privation of the era will stay will me for a long time. So will the characters of Lev and Kolya, whom I come to like and admire by the story’s end. Highly recommended!
This book held my interest throughout the entire story. It was touching, and disturbing at times, but also had its light moments as well.