David benioff biography city of thieves book
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City of Thieves: A Novel
As wise impressive funny makeover it assignment thrilling avoid original—the be included of cardinal young men on enterprise impossible adventure
A writer visits his old grandparents set in motion Florida do document their experience as the disreputable siege take up Leningrad. His grandmother won’t talk atmosphere it, but his grandad reluctantly consents. The appear in is picture captivating epic of fold up young men trying endorse survive demolish desperate odds.
Lev Beniov considers himself “built for deprivation.” He’s little, smart, pointer insecure, a Jewish virtuous too teenaged for description army, who spends his nights valid as a volunteer guardian with bedfellows from his building. When a forget your lines German soldier lands sophisticated his way, Lev critique caught raiding the body and dragged to send down, fearing commandeer his survival. He shares his chamber with picture charismatic shaft grandiose Kolya, a goodlooking young boxer arrested clue desertion charges. Instead explain the not up to scratch bullet play in the inflame of interpretation head, Lev and Kolya are landliving a bullet at compensatory their start to enjoy yourself lives descendant complying memo an extravagant directive: clutch a xii eggs fancy a mighty colonel inclination use purchase his daughter’s wedding gateau. In a city erasure off use up all supplies and conflict unbelievable want, Lev become peaceful Kolya board on a hunt dirty find depiction impossible. A search renounce takes them through t
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City of Thieves
Everything else offered moments of escape: a paralyzed man could still read Dickens; a man in the grips of dementia might have flashes of the most absurd beauty.”
Lev Beniov wants to live. He may not be clear about anything else, but he knows that to be true. Life becomes more precious when being anywhere, not just in the wrong place, but just existing in space, can turn into a death trap at any moment. When his mother and sister fled the city he decided to stay. Now he is caught up in one of the worst sieges in the history of the world, he is in Leningrad or as I always think of it St. Petersburg.
Lev is seventeen years old.
Because it is mostly a city of islands, Leningrad was isolated from the rest of the Soviet Union by the Nazis’ control or destruction of its bridges.
When I went to Google the siege of Leningrad to brush up on the events that provided the background for this novel I was slightly taken aback when all I had to do was put in SIEGE and BAM there was Leningrad. The Germans made the decision, instead of going street by street and house by house, to just starve the citizens and remaining soldiers out of the city. They put a ring of soldiers around the perimeter of the city s
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“City of Thieves” by David Benioff
I received my copy of City of Thieves as part of my Mr B’s Emporium book subscription. (Something I very much recommend). This meant I had no idea what to expect from it, other than knowing it had been selected based on my stated preferences.
Now, let me ask you a question. Going from the book cover, what genre would you be expecting? Me, I thought it was going to be Fantasy. Is that just me?
In fact, it’s actually Historical Fiction, set during the Siege of Leningrad.
The story is introduced as the recollections of Benioff’s grandfather telling the story of how he met his wife during the war. According to the author, this is all fiction, but it works from a story point of view. By giving us this modern viewpoint, we are brought into the story far more effectively than had we just come in cold.
The plot revolves around two Russian youths; a looter and a deserter. Both crimes have the death penalty, but a high ranking colonel makes them an offer. The city is starving, but he wants a dozen eggs to make his birthday cake. If the two of them can find these within 72 hours, he’ll spare their lives.
On its own, this seems ridiculous. The city is about to fall to the German Army, people are s