City of Thieves: A Novel

I would like to spare you the same disappointment I had with this nearly flawless book. DO NOT READ THE PROLOGUE. I have no idea how the author, the editor, and publisher agreed to add those mere three pages that nearly ruin the rest of the book. But I'm glad I got over it and continued. This is an amazing book. I've read a lot of WWII era books, and this one is funnier and more entertaining than others. In my opinion, it is nearly a perfect book except for the ridiculous prologue.

As a history and chess buff, as well as one who's traveled in Russia, I wish I had picked up this novel much sooner. "City of Thieves" pulls us into WWII Leningrad with a frequently used technique--an author capturing on paper the accounts of his elderly relatives. But this time the technique is more than a fictional tool, it is a knife that cuts to the heart of Leningrad--in Hitler's words, "city of thieves"--and cuts back to the present with a nicely understated final sentence.

The story follows young Lev, a boy trying to survive the siege of his snow-covered city. His decision to plunder a German paratrooper's fallen corpse lands him in prison, where he prepares for his demise while realizing he'll never be a great Russian, a silent hero who braves the elements. He is young, weak, and scared. To his surprise, though, he finds himself on an unlikely quest the next morning, when he and another prisoner--a deserter from the Russian army--are told to go find a dozen eggs. Their captor's daughter is engaged to be married, and she needs eggs for her wedding cake. Eggs, in this war-torn region, are a luxury beyond words, and the search for them will lead Lev and his new friend Kolya from gruesome scenes to humorous moments to taut scenarios at the hands of the Nazis.

Lev is a wonderfully realized character, a boy who wants to be brave and worldy wise, but feels saddled with a sharp wit and large nose that don't always bode well in the Russian reality. Kolya is equally engaging, vulgar and crude, yet full of humor and wisdom, as well as a grand desire to be a noted novelist. Along their journey, they will become friends despite their differences, and they'll meet new acquaintances and enemies before it's all over.

Benioff creates a palpable landscape to match this setting among the dregs of history, and he gives us a very human story in the midst of atrocity. This is a mix of the heartwarming and stomach-turning, and in the end is a great addition to the tales to come from the Second World War because it's a tale about men and their desire to belong, whether in large or small ways.

This is a good yarn that is well told. Benioff is not a great stylist, but his writing is more than serviceable. What Benioff does best is tell a shaggy dog kind of story, a buddy story in an exotic location. As serious literary fiction, this book comes up short - both stylistically and in terms of character development it's rather stock - but I don't think that's Benioff's aim. Benioff isn't trying to be Ian McEwan. Rather he seems to be aiming for something higher than your standard bestseller in terms of literary quality but lower than lasting fiction. It's "tweener" fiction. Not many people are doing this. As a matter of fact, I can't think of anyone else who is doing this right now. You'd have to go back to another era. Benioff reminds me of the late Irwin Shaw in a lot of ways. He's smart and not afraid to be more than a little sentimental. The closest contemporary to Benioff is probably Richard Price, but Price is far more manic.

Ultimately, this is a good airplane flight read. It's educated entertainment, far better than you get with bestsellers. You can read it cover to cover easily flying from LA to NYC. You'll forget about it in a year or two and won't ever need to reread it, but it is fun and enjoyable.

As an aside, my father lived through the siege of Leningrad and told a lot of stories about those dark years. In terms of mood and setting, this book seems to ring true.

This is the first book I have read by David Benioff, and now I'm a fan for life! This book was unbelievable, and the two main characters are the definition of a complex, lovable, and genuine protagonist. Highly recommend to anyone who can sit down and really appreciate characters and a time period that was like no other...

I read this book when my kids and I were on vacation. Then I read it to my 10-year-old son, then my 16-year-old daughter read it on her own. It was just one of those books you can't put down --- great story, great writing, great ability to set a mood and keep readers up all night. This writer goes on my very, very short list of those whose books I will now snap up the day they come out without reading the flap or a single review.