Author:Debra Dean Binding: Paperback Published: 2007-02-20 ISBN: 0060825316 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
"From S. Krishna's Books"
"Sweet and Economical"
"A Memory Palace Back to Reality"
"A Great Read"
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Editorial Review:
Bit by bit, the ravages of age are eroding Marina's grip on the everyday. An elderly Russian woman now living in America, she cannot hold on to fresh memories--the details of her grown children's lives, the approaching wedding of her grandchild--yet her distant past is miraculously preserved in her mind's eye.
Vivid images of her youth in war-torn Leningrad arise unbidden, carrying her back to the terrible fall of 1941, when she was a tour guide at the Hermitage Museum and the German army's approach signaled the beginning of what would be a long, torturous siege on the city. As the people braved starvation, bitter cold, and a relentless German onslaught, Marina joined other staff members in removing the museum's priceless masterpieces for safekeeping, leaving the frames hanging empty on the walls to symbolize the artworks' eventual return. As the Luftwaffe's bombs pounded the proud, stricken city, Marina built a personal Hermitage in her mind--a refuge that would stay buried deep within her, until she needed it once more. . . .
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
From S. Krishna's Books I don't really know what inspired me to pick up The Madonnas of Leningrad. I was at the library, in a hurry because my husband was waiting outside in the car. I made a quick run over to the "New Releases/Popular Titles" shelf. Because it was a Saturday, it was pretty picked over, but this small novel caught my eye, and I decided to take it home on an impulse. I didn't know what it was about or even what genre it was, but I loved the title. And now? Now I am so glad I took a chance on The Madonnas of... more info
Sweet and Economical A one-sit read, it is a tender story that does not delve too deeply into developing its characters nor the events unfolding around them. It's probably more a 3-1/2 stars for the total read, but Marina's last tour through the Hermitage is absolutely transcendent, so four stars it is.
A Memory Palace Back to Reality This is a beautiful strange mixture of a sad, poignant tale of a beautiful young women in Leningrad in 1941 awaiting the German takeover and her life now as an old woman who is fighting dementia and remembering the horror and beauty of that time. The author has a wonderful grasp of art history and critique and uses that knowledge extensively as she tells of Marina's memories of that time in Russia when just before the imminent arrival of the Germans, she was a docent at the Hermitage Museum. The... more info
A Great Read We ( my wife and I ) both found the Madonnas of Leningrad to be an excellent, gripping and highly informative book. It is a complex tale, skillfully woven together, touching on Alzheimer disease, Russian history ( The German Siege of Leningrad), and the details of great art works. It has kindled in us a great desire to visit the Hermitage and St. Petersburg. More than that, it has inspired us to buy several more copies to give to friends who we thought would greatly enjoy reading this very well crafted... more info
