-
Seasonal Offer:
This title is part of our Seasonal Offers promotion.
City of Thieves
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Trade in City of Thieves for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'Complex and compelling. . . a thought-provoking novel that leaves its own lingering , haunting presence in the reader's imagination'
(Waterstone's Books Quarterly )'This gut-churning thriller will sweep you along and, with any luck, propel Benioff into bestseller land'
(Kirkus - starred review)'Told with compelling power'
(Sunday Telegraph) 'Expert tone. . . fine sense of pace. (Financial Times );'A hard-to-put-down novel . . . Benioff blends tense adventure, a bittersweet coming-of-age and an oddly touching buddy narrative to craft a smart crowd-pleaser'
(Publisher's Weekly ) --x'Complex and compelling. . . a thought-provoking novel that leaves its own lingering , haunting presence in the reader's imagination'
(Waterstone's Books Quarterly )'This gut-churning thriller will sweep you along and, with any luck, propel Benioff into bestseller land'
(Kirkus - starred review )'Told with compelling power'
(Sunday Telegraph )'Expert tone. . . fine sense of pace." (Financial Times )
'A hard-to-put-down novel . . . Benioff blends tense adventure, a bittersweet coming-of-age and an oddly touching buddy narrative to craft a smart crowd-pleaser'
(Publisher's Weekly )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 an 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)
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 an 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)
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
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!
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!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
'City of Thieves' is a well-crafted and entertaining novel. It's set during the WW2 Siege of Leningrad and tells the story of two young men, Lev, arrested for looting, and Kolya, arrested for desertion, who are sent on an impossible mission - to find a dozen eggs for a Colonel's daughter's wedding cake, the reward to be their freedom.
A quest against improbable odds is one of the oldest themes in storytelling. This particular quest too, although absurd, has its share of trials that the protaganists must overcome to succeed. Although the tone is often light, the experiences the two young men have, and the very nature of their quest itself, are used to show the reader how cheap and debased life is during wartime.
This is a slickly written and very readable book, as one would expect from an author well known for his screenwriting credits. Indeed, it would be surprising if this story isn't adapted for film as it's a damned fine yarn that would transpose well to the screen.
This novel depicts an appalling but fascinating moment in history; by focusing on the friendship between two characters thrown together, Benioff has cleverly produced a novel that shows us all the horror and human cost of war. Recommended.
A quest against improbable odds is one of the oldest themes in storytelling. This particular quest too, although absurd, has its share of trials that the protaganists must overcome to succeed. Although the tone is often light, the experiences the two young men have, and the very nature of their quest itself, are used to show the reader how cheap and debased life is during wartime.
This is a slickly written and very readable book, as one would expect from an author well known for his screenwriting credits. Indeed, it would be surprising if this story isn't adapted for film as it's a damned fine yarn that would transpose well to the screen.
This novel depicts an appalling but fascinating moment in history; by focusing on the friendship between two characters thrown together, Benioff has cleverly produced a novel that shows us all the horror and human cost of war. Recommended.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I read Benioff's first novel, The 25th Hour, when it came out -- and loved it. I read his short story collection, When the Nines Roll Over, when it came out -- and loved it. I just finished this latest novel from him -- and loved it. As a storyteller, Benioff's got the complete package: mastery of setting, pacing, plotting, psychology, and especially dialogue. Here, inspired by his Russian grandfather's murky experiences during the siege of Leningrad during World War II, he creates a captivating story of adventure, hope, survival, and humor in a tautly effective short novel.
The brutal siege setting is quickly established in the opening chapter, and when the corpse of a German pilot lands near his apartment, teenage Lev Beniov and his friends quickly rush out to scavenge whatever food they can from the body. By the end of the chapter he's been caught as a "looter," and thrown in the notorious Crosses prison, where his cellmate is Kolya, a talkative and jovial army deserter only a few years his senior. Expecting to be executed the next day, they are given an unexpected reprieve by an NKVD officer, who sends them on an absurdist quest for a dozen eggs.
This takes them across the city, where they encounter people even more desperate than themselves, and rather more dangerous. Eventually, it takes them out of the city into the German-occupied countryside, where they get embroiled with a band of partisans intent on killing the commander of an Einsatzgruppen. As the duo wanders through the scary and slightly surreal winter landscape, they form a classic odd-couple bond. Lev is the uptight, awkward straight man to Kolya's charismatic, charming rogue. And Kolya's puckishness with authority, even in the face of true danger, provides a humorous counterpoint to their dire situation, as does his constant turning of the conversation to sex and bowel movements.
It's to Benioff's credit that he's taken the dark backdrop of World War II and managed to create an almost fairytale-like coming-of-age adventure. And even though two major outcomes of the plot are easily guessed at from the get-go, this foreknowledge doesn't detract from either the emotional grip or page-turning fun of the book. Some readers seem to be getting caught up as to whether or not the story is "true" -- it doesn't matter -- it certainly could have been true, as in wartime, anything is possible.
At this point, Benioff reminds me a good deal of the underrated British writer William Boyd (author most recently of Restless): prose writers who excel at both the long and short form, are comfortable in a variety of time periods, are astute psychological observers, and who've also done a fair amount of screenwriting. Hopefully, like Boyd, Benioff won't completely abandon fiction for film.
The brutal siege setting is quickly established in the opening chapter, and when the corpse of a German pilot lands near his apartment, teenage Lev Beniov and his friends quickly rush out to scavenge whatever food they can from the body. By the end of the chapter he's been caught as a "looter," and thrown in the notorious Crosses prison, where his cellmate is Kolya, a talkative and jovial army deserter only a few years his senior. Expecting to be executed the next day, they are given an unexpected reprieve by an NKVD officer, who sends them on an absurdist quest for a dozen eggs.
This takes them across the city, where they encounter people even more desperate than themselves, and rather more dangerous. Eventually, it takes them out of the city into the German-occupied countryside, where they get embroiled with a band of partisans intent on killing the commander of an Einsatzgruppen. As the duo wanders through the scary and slightly surreal winter landscape, they form a classic odd-couple bond. Lev is the uptight, awkward straight man to Kolya's charismatic, charming rogue. And Kolya's puckishness with authority, even in the face of true danger, provides a humorous counterpoint to their dire situation, as does his constant turning of the conversation to sex and bowel movements.
It's to Benioff's credit that he's taken the dark backdrop of World War II and managed to create an almost fairytale-like coming-of-age adventure. And even though two major outcomes of the plot are easily guessed at from the get-go, this foreknowledge doesn't detract from either the emotional grip or page-turning fun of the book. Some readers seem to be getting caught up as to whether or not the story is "true" -- it doesn't matter -- it certainly could have been true, as in wartime, anything is possible.
At this point, Benioff reminds me a good deal of the underrated British writer William Boyd (author most recently of Restless): prose writers who excel at both the long and short form, are comfortable in a variety of time periods, are astute psychological observers, and who've also done a fair amount of screenwriting. Hopefully, like Boyd, Benioff won't completely abandon fiction for film.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Gripping Read!
Mr Benioff is a brilliant story teller. I read Helen Dunmore's wonderful book `The Siege' a few years ago and wondered if this novel would just cover the same ground. It didn't! Read more
Published 5 days ago by Jan
Human emotional needs and interactions
This book is not the place to go to find out about the privations and miseries of the population of Leningrad during its siege by the Germans during the second world war. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Amsterdamned
Finally, an interesting female character- AND a good book
Whilst I found the violence a bit much in places, this book had enough humour and charm to carry it along. Its main characters are all pretty believable AND likeable. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Late night reader
A different and Interesting Book
This is a great idea for a book. You dont have to be a lover of war literature to enjoy this book. The story is funny, thrilling and sometimes has you in tears. I loved this book.
Published 3 months ago by Janie Oblomov
a real page-turner
the author has an engaging and unique writing style and the characters are very strong in this adventure story. Read more
Published 4 months ago by R. Gibson
City of Thieves
This book was selected as our first book to be read by our newly formed book group.
It was highly recommended but i was rather disappointed as I don't think it has lived... Read more
It was highly recommended but i was rather disappointed as I don't think it has lived... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Patty
My favourite ever book...
I had always read non-fiction. No interest in fiction what so ever and was glad to leave it all behind when I'd left school. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Sita
Tough tale, great reading
If the title were any more "spoilery", it would have to be City of Starving Thieves. There is a lot of hunger, and the occasional whiff of horror: queasy stomachs, be warned. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Claire_G
City Of Theives
This was a really good book, well written,and ajoy to read,and a real page turner ,as they say,i recommend this book very highly,i enjoyed it to the last page.
Published 8 months ago by Christopher R. Aldous
sweet, sad, funny and charming
i loved this book, it felt like it poured straight into my mind without me making any effort, and it has some of the most adorable, flawed, human characters i have encountered, not... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Katy Richardson
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
