'A gripping war novel with lots of humour, suspense and tragedy'
Saint Petersburg, Russia, Winter of 1942. The city is under siege by German forces. Everyone is starving and many people freeze to death because of the cold. Every night the sky is lit up by the exploding bombs of German aircrafts and the Russian fighter planes attacking them.
In this hopeless atmosphere of war a shy teenager, called Lev, is locked up in prison for looting. He is soon joined by another man, nicknamed Kolya, a charismatic young soldier accused of desertion. Both are sure that they are going to be executed the next day. But thanks to fate they get a second chance.
A high-ranking Russian colonel sends the two young men on a mission. They can either complete it and gain their freedom or fail and die. They have got one week's time to fullfil the task: to find a dozen eggs for the Colonel so that his wife can bake their daughter's wedding cake. During normal times this would be a simple task, but in a huge starving city, where even pets have been eaten by their owners, it seems to be an impossible challenge. Nonetheless the two young men set off on and adventurous journey, one which sends them behind the enemy's lines.
The author, David Benioff, has written a gripping war novel. With lots of humour, suspense and tragedy he shows the desperate lives of the people who were caught between two opposing forces during the Second World War. But City of Thieves isn't only a story of adventure and survival, it is also a coming of age story.
The protagonist, Lev, a young, inexperienced teenager becomes a man who has killed two German soldiers before his eighteenth birthday. He also meets his best friend and the love of his life. Join the two young Russians on their often fun and then suddenly again shocking and tragic mission.
Want to tell the world about a book you've read? Join the site and send us your review!
0 comments:
Post a Comment