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    City of Thieves
    Unavailable
    City of Thieves
    Unavailable
    City of Thieves
    Audiobook8 hours

    City of Thieves

    Written by David Benioff

    Narrated by Ron Perlman

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    From the critically acclaimed author of The 25th Hour and When the Nines Roll Over and co-creator of the HBO series Game of Thrones, a captivating novel about war, courage, survival - and a remarkable friendship that ripples across a lifetime.

    During the Nazis' brutal siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel to use in his daughter's wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and behind enemy lines to find the impossible.

    By turns insightful and funny, thrilling and terrifying, the New York Times bestseller City of Thieves is a gripping, cinematic World War II adventure and an intimate coming-of-age story with an utterly contemporary feel for how boys become men.


    From the Trade Paperback edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 15, 2008
    ISBN9781436220033
    Unavailable
    City of Thieves

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    Reviews for City of Thieves

    4/5

    2,099 ratings199 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      A grim account of the siege of Leningrad by the Germans in WWII. Hunger, starvation, cannibalism, survival.
    • 2/5
      Solid coming-of-age fiction about World War 2 in Russia that graphically portrays extreme human trial, but avoids emotional desolation. Strong narration and dialogue. Relatively crass humor, but not terribly over-the-top, very male without being macho. A good weekend read.
    • 5/5
      Loved this book! Although it takes place during the Siege of Leningrad, for me it read as a coming of age story. The author did a wonderful job walking the tightrope between recounting the horrors of war and the humor and tenderness of friendship and first love. The story is based on his grandfather's experiences - though seemingly some forgotten/missing details have been added by the author instructed by his grandfather.

      For a much better review I steer you to one written by Doug Bradshaw here on GoodReads. He captures all of my feelings about this book without giving away spoilers.

      The author himself is an interesting guy - check out his bio - especially if you are a fan of Game of Thrones, X-men Wolverine or The Kite Runner movies!
    • 5/5
      One of the best books I have read in 2011
    • 4/5
      Absolutely wonderful. Unforgettable.
    • 5/5
      I finished this book several weeks ago and find myself still thinking about it. A wonderful, well-told story of survival and friendship in an extremely difficult time.
    • 5/5
      During the Siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and awaiting execution when he and a deserter named Kolya are given a chance for redemption; the Colonel's daughter is getting married and the pair are charged with finding a dozen eggs for her wedding cake in war-torn Soviet Union in exchange for their freedom. At first, this story didn't look interesting at all, but as I kept hearing good things about it, I ended up with a copy and am very happy I did. The story is very much about the war with all its cruelty and gruesomeness, but it is also, and most importantly, about friendship and survival and sports a great cast of characters, all of whom could easily be real, and some wonderfully dark humor. Very engaging story with high stakes and a satisfactory (I never said "happy") ending. Highly recommended. Ron Perlman (yes, Hellboy) did a great job with the audio book.
    • 4/5
      What great, horrific, fun, historical fiction. Sure, it's amazing, it's ridiculous, it's appalling, the plot jumps the shark a bit, but still, this one is a real page-turner.
    • 3/5
      This book was brutal, bloody and I felt like I was in the story. I am a bit surprised that I was able to so easily become involved in this one. I thought that it was definitely a book that was easy to read. I did not think that the characters were actually deep and there certainly wasn't much there to really think about after I finished. I'm not crazy about the sub-plots that didn't go anywhere. What happened to the girls that left the farm house? Do we just assume that they died of starvation, cold or were they captured and killed? Did the wedding take place? How did Lev end up in America? Why do we care how many days it had been for Kolya? When it did finally happen it was a bit of a let down.

    • 4/5
      A very entertaining tale with distinctive characters, excitement, personal warmth, some humor, some romance. I'd pay to watch the movie, if one was made. The story is briefly introduced with the fictional author asking his grandfather to tell him about his personal experiences as a Russian under Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II. The rest of the book is the grandfather relating the story of himself as a seventeen year old during that time. This is not "great" art, but it very good all the same.
    • 5/5
      Great book. A little slow in the first pages, and then fantastic reading from then on. I hope he writes more books like this.
    • 4/5
      A story that, based on some of its incidents, should be horrific, but it is as satisfying and seemingly simple as a fairy story.
    • 5/5
      This book has a deceptively simple plot: During the siege of Stalingrad, a colonel offers to spare the lives of Lev, a teenager arrested for looting, and Kolya, a soldier accused of desertion, if they find a dozen eggs to bake a wedding cake for the colonel's spoiled daughter. The only problem, of course, is that everyone in Stalingrad is starving to death and the city is surrounded by the German army. But over the course of four days, Lev and Kolya will discover what they truly value about their country and themselves: they will discover courage and friendship and love and change each other's lives forever. Benioff has meticulously researched this book and his characters come alive on the page, especially the irrepressible Kolya. I usually wish novels were shorter but this is one book I wanted to be longer: my time with Lev and Kolya was all too short.
    • 4/5
      Absolutely wonderful. Unforgettable.
    • 3/5
      Wonderful story!
    • 5/5
      Great read!
    • 5/5
      Americans trying to write about Slavs, works about as well as me trying to be friendly. It can end well, but usually it's embarrassing and just plain offensive. This novel was wonderful, describes the siege realistically, and while the characters weren't exactly Slavic, at least they weren't dumb stereotypes. If an American can do well writing about Slavs, then you know this book is good, so read it.
    • 5/5
      Wow this was great. Well written, strong characters. I've read a number of things on the siege and his depiction is right on. Will look to read more by him. Oh, and Game of Thrones is fantastic.
    • 5/5
      One doesn't usually expect to encounter wry humour in a book with such a bleak setting like the Siege of Leningrad during WWII, but there is some humour to be found within the pages of this excellent story. I guess one needs to see the humour in being assigned such an unusual task - secure a dozen eggs in a city and countryside where people will loot and kill for even a shriveled, moldy potato. A wonderful and horrifying coming of age story where 17 year-old Lev, surrounded by the dark and brutal side of humanity, learns the true strength of friendship, and the bonds that bring people together in times of struggle. A worthy and quick read.
    • 3/5
      This book was just fun. And funny.

      The characters of Lev and Kolya are great and the interaction between them is lively. They could be doing anything and it would be entertaining to read. A great, quick fun read.

      I really want to give it a 4 star but something is holding me back. I did really like it but I reckon I'll forget it fairly soon.
    • 5/5
      wonderful.
    • 4/5
      Synopsis: Thrown in prison together in a starving city during siege, two prisoners are called to the colonel who sets them on a mission: to find a dozen eggs to make a wedding cake for his daughter who is about to get married. Bring back a dozen eggs (the only missing ingredient) and they will be given their ration cards back. Come back empty handed? ...- '"You bring me the eggs by sunrise Thursday, you get them back. You don't, well, you've got all of January to eat snow, and there won't be any cards waiting for you in February, either. That's assuming one of my men doesn't find you and kill you before then, and my men are very good at that."' (p.54)My Opinion: From page one the plot starts running! Every chapter takes a slight twist. Encounters with other people on their mission keep things on edge - are they out to get them, or people who have their best intentions at heart? We quickly grow fond of the the pair on the mission - Kolya, an easygoing, more risk-adverse personality with more life experience and 17 year-old Lev, keen to find the eggs ASAP and return safe and sound to the city.Without giving anything away, the plot twist at the end made me want to go back to the start and read it all over again.
    • 5/5
      A fantastic story about two people's survival in Russia during WWII. The journey these two had to go on and the steps they had to take to survive is incredible. Not only is the story captivating and amazing, but also the characters are written very well. It is obvious that the author has also worked on Game of Thrones, as much of the scenes and the character's topic of discussion have a similar feel. The book will put you on a roller-coaster of emotions and you will be unable to put it down. All around fantastic book.
    • 4/5
      This is the type of story in which people are living in a time and place vastly different from our own. It makes you grateful for the simple things you have in life -- food, shelter and warmth. The backdrop for this story is the seige of Leningrad, and features two very different young men with one impossible goal -- find a dozen eggs in the beseiged city. In exchange, a powerful colonel will drop the charges against them, therefore allowing them to live. If you like historic fiction, this one is highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful!
    • 5/5
      Excellent story, excellent writing.
    • 3/5
      ineresting story but very unlikly.
    • 1/5
      It's obvious that screenwriting is Benioff's primary career. This novel reads like a movie--one explosive action sequence after another, at the expense of character development and the strength of the prose itself. I was disappointed; I'm always interested to read novels set in Soviet Russia, and this is by far the worst. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
    • 5/5
      I am surprised by this book in every possible way. It makes you feel attached to the characters without realizing it and the way in which is told is nothing but brilliant. It was not what I was expecting but it was great and it will probably be among my favourites at the end of the year.
    • 5/5
      Amazing book. I was always captivated. I am pretty new to reading but this is my favorite.