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The Madonnas of Leningrad: A Novel |  | Author: Debra Dean Publisher: Harper Perennial Category: Book
List Price: $13.99 Buy Used: $3.35 as of 3/20/2010 04:25 EDT details You Save: $10.64 (76%)
New (46) Used (105) Collectible (5) from $3.35
Seller: hpb-outlet Rating: 89 reviews Sales Rank: 2835
Media: Paperback Edition: X Pages: 231 Number Of Items: 1 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.1 x 0.7
ISBN: 0060825316 Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6 EAN: 9780060825317 ASIN: 0060825316
Publication Date: February 19, 2007 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9780060825317 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
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. . . .
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 89
must read if you visit the Hermitage March 12, 2010 Eileen P. Kopelman (Pittsburgh, PA) The book arrived on time and in perfect condition. It was very intersting to read, especially if you are going to see the Hermitage. Read Miller William's poem The Curator before you read the book. It will enhance your enjoyment of the book.
I want to visit St. Petersburg. January 27, 2010 Shirley (MA) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A bittersweet story about life, love, and art during the Siege of Leningrad. A horrendous moment in Russian history, and yet, I didn't find the story oppressive. Call it a light read on a heavy subject. Jumping back and forth from the 1940's to the present, the story is told through the veil of the protagonist's fading mind. The memories of her past, slowly erasing her present. Breathtaking descriptions of art masterpieces contained in the Hermitage. A joy to read. I recommend.
Madonnas of Leningrad January 9, 2010 Barbara Lohse (Ridgefield, CT) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Was loving the book until the end. Beautifully written and initially engaging. However end was abrupt and author could have developed main character with her family and her past. Ms. Dean missed a great opportunity. Disappointed due to the ending.
great read October 19, 2009 Shirley Hatch (Annapolis, MD USA) This is a thought provoking book. To picture the protagonist in her youth and then to flash forward to the present is challenging but the method seems to give the reader a sense of what is happening to her mind. Worth reading!
How Art Helps People Survive September 8, 2009 Sheila Ellenbogen (Boston, MA) The Hermitage may be a better title for the book since Marina, the main character works at the Hermitage. She gives tours proudly and describes the majestic halls of an art museum as well as the priceless artwork contained within. It is here she falls in love with art, history, and public speaking. The Hermitage is also where her boyfriend finds her and, begging her to take time off, proposes to her. Even more, it is where she survives World War 2 by living in the basement with other employees and resorting to eating the glue off the frames to survive while haunting the empty galleries recalling the pictures which once hung there. The recollection of each painting becomes her purpose and helps her psychologically survive starvation, death, and loneliness.
Marina's time at the Hermitage is remembered by an older Marina, one who suffers from Alzheimer's. The story plays with the idea of memory with the central role it plays in helping Marina to survive, but in the way Marina's early life becomes real again as her present world escapes her.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 89
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