Product Description

Four months into the siege of Leningrad, the city is starving. Seventeen-year-old Lev fears for his life when he is arrested for looting the body of a dead German paratrooper, while his charismatic cellmate Kolya, a handsome young soldier arrested for desertion, seems bizarrely unafraid. Dawn brings, instead of the execution squad, an impossible challenge. Lev and Kolya can find a dozen eggs for an NKVD colonel to use for his daughter's wedding cake, and live. Or fail, and die. In the depths of the coldest winter in history, through a city cut off from all supplies and suffering appalling deprivation, man and boy embark on an absurd hunt. Their search will take them through desolate, lawless Leningrad and the devastated countryside surrounding it, in the captivating journey of two men trying to survive against desperate odds. (20080615)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53641 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-26
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Review
'The book's eight stories are written with both a literary writer's care and a film writer's instinct for courting his readers or viewers. He hooks them, reels them in and does his best to make them happy to be in the boat with him – until he lets them go a few hours later' (USA Today )

'The latest master of the zippy, punchy, knee-to-the-groin story is David Benioff . . . Wonderful collection' (Independent on Sunday )

'Beautifully paced and seemingly effortless'

About the Author
David Benioff has published articles and stories in GQ, Seventeen and Zoetrope. Born and raised in New York City, he now lives in Los Angeles. This is the long-awaited new novel by the critically-acclaimed author of THE 25TH HOUR and WHEN THE NINES ROLL OVER.

Customer Reviews

How does 12 eggs make 5 stars...?
David Benioff's "City of Thieves" is something of a coming-of-age tale with a twist. The twist is the fact that the tale is set in the besieged and starving city of Leningrad in January, 1941. It is a city at war surrounded by the German army, in the middle of a bitter winter, where the last resort becomes commonplace.

The story begins in modern day America, with a brief narrative of the author's own life as a writer and then evolves into him asking his Russian grandfather to tell the story of his experiences during the war.

The main protagonists of this tale, Lev and Kolya, are each picked up by the Red Army for crimes against the state - Lev is caught on a trumped up looting charge (taking a knife from a dead German soldier), and Kolya for desertion. Although both crimes are capital offences, the boys are given an unusual lifeline - a `secret mission' by a Red Army Colonel, who agrees to grant their freedom on the condition that they steal a dozen eggs - even though eggs have not been seen in Leningrad for months - within 5 days to make his daughter's wedding cake. All they are equipped with to complete the task is their (somewhat misplaced) perceived skills in thievery, 400 roubles and their curfew waived - If they fail, they will be hunted down and shot.

It seems like the most bizarre premise, so why did I award 5 stars to City of Thieves? Well, there's a number of reasons for this, for a start, it is a very well written and very readable book, as one would expect from an author known for screenwriting. In a previous review, I criticised one book for taking the best part of 200 pages to fully set the tone of the book - David Benioff managed it in less than 10 pages (I would be surprised if a screen-writer would draw it out further).

Although the characters of Lev and Kolya play into a couple of chalk and cheese stereotypes, with Lev the shy, dreaming, chess-playing virgin of Jewish descent and Kolya is handsome, tall lothario - they are still very engaging characters, and seeing how their friendship develops is touching and fun. Although, looking at the base qualities of Lev and Kolya, one cannot help but think this will be a predictable odd-couple type yarn, however, the plot is well designed and very well thought out. Each story unfolds as a self-contained vignette but each has its own magic moment that draws the reader into the next chapter.

I found the ending more than satisfying, even if some of the `results' did not take me totally by surprise, I still stand by that 'City of Thieves' is a well executed and entertaining novel.

European history has been a topic of fascination for me, and as this is a story of a young man, being told with the benefit of hindsight, I feel this story gives a believeable picture of life in urban Russia during the early years of WWII - when ordinary people were prepared to do extraordinary things just to survive, or what price is put on things we take for granted now.

I managed to get through this while on a weekend break, I never thought I would have been so thankful for so much rain! I would definately recommend this - even if you are not a fan of war stories, you will never quite look at a box of eggs in the same light!

Nice, Unusual 'Buddy' Novel
Set during the siege of Leningrad by the Nazis during World War II, this book, is at its core, a `buddy' novel.

The relationship between the two young protagonists, thrown together by circumstance - Lev, 17 years old, gauche and of Jewish extraction, and the garrulous, charismatic Kolya, who at twenty years old considers himself very much a man of the world, provides many laughs and touching moments.

At first Lev is not much impressed by the older boy, but a real mutual affection develops between them over the few days that span the length of the novel. Kolya comes to be the older brother Lev never had. We've all known a few Kolyas in our lives: they're usually great fun, but just don't know when to shut up or let things lie, and this `quality' occasionally infuriates Lev.

It's a real page turner (I finished it at 2:30 in the morning) and it repays the publisher's gimmicky offer of two free books if you don't like it.

Penned by David Benioff, who has form as a screenwriter, this book was obviously written with the big screen in mind and the movie will inevitably follow. I just hope they don't play it too much for laughs.

Although potentially a `heavy' tome, it wears its research lightly, but as a result it lacks the gravitas of a more `serious' novel. Perhaps this was the approach the author was aiming for.

I personally loved it and would recommend it to all those who enjoy a flat-out good read, although probably not to serious war scholars!

One final warning: make sure you have a handkerchief ready for the ending!

If you only read one book this summer...
I'm not going to spoil the story for you by giving away any parts of the plot line. I am not usually interested in war stories however, this one is captivating. This is a wonderfully written story that quickly develops believable characters, manages to combine humour with the real horror of war sensitively and draws out the extent of human warmth and courage that can be found in the face of severe adversity. I agree that it will make a great film. However, it makes an even better book. If you only read one book this summer, make it this one.