One of the most talked about books of the year . . . Bit by bit, the ravages of age are eroding Marina's grip on the everyday. And while the elderly Russian woman cannot hold on to fresh memories--the details of her grown children's lives, the approaching wedding of her grandchild--her distant past is preserved: vivid images that rise unbidden of her youth in war-torn Leningrad.
In the fall of 1941, the German army approached the outskirts of Leningrad, signaling the beginning of what would become a long and torturous siege. During the ensuing months, the city's inhabitants would brave starvation and the bitter cold, all while fending off the constant German onslaught. Marina, then a tour guide at the Hermitage Museum, along with other staff members, was instructed to take down the museum's priceless masterpieces for safekeeping, yet leave the frames hanging empty on the walls--a symbol of the artworks' eventual return. To hold on to sanity when the Luftwaffe's bombs began to fall, she burned to memory, brushstroke by brushstroke, these exquisite artworks: the nude figures of women, the angels, the serene Madonnas that had so shortly before gazed down upon her. She used them to furnish a "memory palace," a personal Hermitage in her mind to which she retreated to escape terror, hunger, and encroaching death. A refuge that would stay buried deep within her, until she needed it once more. . . .
Seamlessly moving back and forth in time between the Soviet Union and contemporary America, The Madonnas of Leningrad is a searing portrait of war and remembrance, of the power of love, memory, and art to offer beauty, grace, and hope in the face of overwhelming despair. Gripping, touching, and heartbreaking, it marks the debut of Debra Dean, a bold new voice in American fiction.
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
