City of Thieves by David Benioff Published by Viking Adult on May 15, 2008
Genres/Lists: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Pages: 258
Read synopsis on Goodreads
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Some time ago, I picked up City of Thieves by David Benioff at the urging of my sister, who loved it. What I didn’t know until I wrote this post is that Benioff is the co-creater of the blockbuster show Game of Thrones, which I don’t watch – but I might now that I know he’s involved! Anyway, back to the review – I wasn’t in the mood for a serious read at the time, though, so I put it down after a few pages. But then I was picked to be a World Book Giver, and my book to give away is City of Thieves, so I knew I had to read it before I started handing it out.
This book follows the story of two young men who are arrested in Leningrad during WWII and are given the option to avoid death by procuring a dozen eggs for an NKVD officer within a week. Despite the virtual non-existence of eggs in the city under siege, the boys take off on an adventure that tests their will to survive, friendship, and loyalties.
I really enjoyed this book. Some of it was hard to read because, even though this book is fictional, the events within it were real for many people during WWII and it broke my heart and turned my stomach. But the mark of a great book is that it leaves a lasting impression, and this is one of them. At times darkly humorous, City of Thieves is a classic example of the word “page-turner.” I understand now why it was chosen as one of the choices for World Book Night.
