The Madonnas of Leningrad: A Novel | 
| Author: Debra Dean Publisher: Harper Perennial Category: Book
List Price: $13.99 Buy Used: $3.95 You Save: $10.04 (72%)
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Rating: 83 reviews Sales Rank: 3517
Media: Paperback Pages: 256 Number Of Items: 1 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4 Dimensions (in): 7.8 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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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: Read 78 more reviews...
exceptional writing June 25, 2009 B. Galloway (AZ) A book which captures the imagination. Characters are fictional, yes, however seem believable. Because the story is based on the history of Leningrad and the Hermitage,there is a dimension to the writing which is not often captured in most novels.
A good read June 23, 2009 Fuzzy Lizard (Georgia, USA) I liked this book. It was a good, entertaining story. The art stuff, though, was a little boring to me.
Madonnas of Leningrad = great read June 11, 2009 Linda Story This was a selection of my book club which all of us enjoyed which is unusual. It lead to an interesting discussion of memories.
The Madonnas of Leningrad May 19, 2009 DDS (Texas) Wonderful. Insightful. Inspiring. I highly recommend this book. The story of Marina will encourage you to be brave in the face of adversity.
Madonnas of Leningrad May 16, 2009 Susan Gomez (austin, texas) The author, using an economy of style, paints both a picture of the magnificent collection of art at the Hermitage, and the bleak wintry starvation and bombing experienced by the Russians at the hands of the Germans at the turn of the century. Vivid.
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