Suzanne
Rating:
Review
This coming of age novel really surprised me. Lead character Lev Beniov turns out to be an endearing storyteller. Insecure and a young seventeen, Lev is living through the Nazi siege of Leningrad mainly by not venturing out much from his apartment complex, when in a sudden turn of events he is thrown in jail next to a so-called deserter named Kolya. A top Soviet colonel turns the pair loose with one preposterous chance to avoid execution: find a dozen fresh eggs in four days for his daughter's wedding cake. Thus they are thrust into the belly of the siege, searching for what's become rarer than a four-leaf clover in a city cut off from all food supplies. I was afraid any story in this setting would become mired in the grimness of starvation and the unspeakable acts it drives people to, but Lev and Kolya's burgeoning friendship keeps the adventure moving along. Kolya is everything Lev is not – a little older, experienced with women, ultra confident and charming. But Lev becomes more the man he wants to be and grows some courage of his own as the two pick their perilous way through soldiers and situations on both sides of the war. A great hair-raising tale.
Best Line:
"The loneliest sound in the world is other people making love."
Kim
Rating:
Review
When his grown grandson asks to hear about the war, narrator Lev begins in 1942 Leningrad, during World War II and the Germans are attempting to take the city. When Lev is caught stealing items from a dead German paratrooper, he is thrown into a jail cell, where army deserter Kolya joins him in short order. The next day they are presented with an opportunity at freedom: they must secure one dozen eggs for a Russian colonel, as his daughter's wedding is one week away. Their search takes them all over Leningrad and surrounding towns, meeting friends and foes alike, and all the while Lev and the charismatic Kolya form a friendship with one another that is funny and touching and at times, a little sad. I enjoyed this story a lot, mostly because it never lagged or got bogged down, and I liked the ending too.
Best Line:
"They're giving you something precious and they want to know you appreciate it."
