Hello,
David Benioff's "City of Thieves" is a book about the folly of war and how you can meet some of the most influential people in your life in some of the most unusual circumstances. I love the book cover of Kolya and Lev trekking across Russia in the search for a dozen eggs. This book is set in the winter of 1944, near the end of the siege of Leningrad, formerly Saint Petersburg. Leningrad is near the end of that nearly 900 day siege.
The three main characters: Lev is the protagonist and narrator of this book. We see him grow into a man over a few short days time. When we first meet him he's a scared boy, wanting to be more. His mother and sister left at the start of the book to be with relatives. Lev's father was a famous poet who spoke out against the Russian government, he was taken by the NKVD- a law enforcement agency. Lev's father was never seen again.
Kolya is a deserter, who becomes Lev's best friend in those few short days. Kolya is working on the great Russian novel, "The Courtyard Hound", and testing it out on Lev. Kolya attributes the book to a fictional author so that he can save face if Lev doesn't like it. Kolya is one of those people that others just naturally love, he uses that to his advantage. We are never sure what he's about though, although ultimately like Lev he becomes a hero by the end of the book.
Vika is the female sniper that Kolya and Lev run into when they stumble on to a house of kept women, Russian women that are being kept for the pleasures of the occupying German army. She's one of a group of partisans that are fighting back against the German occupation. Lev is smitten by her and does what he can to impress her.
Lev and Kolya first meet at the notorious prison, the Crosses, when they are both there because of crimes. Lev is a "looter" and Kolya is a deserter. Instead of being shot for their various crimes, they are taken to meet a Russian colonel, Grechko. Grechko will give them their freedom if they can get him a dozen eggs for his daughter's upcoming wedding. Grechko's wife believes if they don't have a cake for the wedding then that's bad luck.
As mentioned previously Leningrad is in a world of hurt, hundreds of people have already died. Food is scarce and the Germans are also bombing Leningrad. People are desperate resorting to cannibalism to survive, one old man keeps a chicken coop on an apartment building that he protects with his shotgun. The horses have been killed for food. Bakers are cooking almost anything that won't kill people. So this seemingly simple, innocuous request really isn't so simple after all.
The book follows Lev and Kolya as they do what they can to get these dozen eggs. Although they are an unlikely duo, we quickly begin to cheer for them. Kolya can talk his way into and out of almost anything except for a bullet. Once Lev figures out that "The Courtyard Hound" is a book that Koyla is writing, he lets us know. The story of "Hound" is as good as "City of Thieves", sadly "Hound" is as ill fated as it's author.
On the scale of 1 to 5, I give this book a 4.5. My only quibble, and it's a small quibble, is the ending is just too tidy and neat. The book shows all the ugliness and warts of war, any ending wasn't out of the realm of possibility. As this is a story that Lev relates to his author grandson we know that Lev will survive. Although I loved the ending, it just doesn't feel real enough.
Lev's dispatch of an experienced, older, fully fed German military isn't really believable. Either is how easy the three got away after just killing that German officer. Although pointing out the folly of war, Lev got the dozen eggs back to Grechko. Grechko already had 3 dozen eggs from other people. Obviously he had just sent Lev and Kolya out, not really expecting they would accomplish their mission. Lev gets the best kind of ration card for his efforts, but I'm sure he realizes how expendable to Grechko.
I definitely suggest you read this book, I've been haunted by it ever since I finished it last night. My mind keeps on returning to Kolya, his "Hound" and the too tidy ending.
themusicaddict
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