Book Reviews of City of Thieves

This book was difficult for me to read. It was very interesting and funny and tragic all at once. I opening the book and found it hard to put down but hard to go on. As a reader, I was afraid for my protagonist. By the end I was laughing and crying at the same time. Very good book for those who can handle the reality that was the Nazis.

I enjoyed this tale of two young Russians during the siege of Leningrad. One part brutal, one part humorous, it is a very entertaining read about the German and Russian conflict during WWII. The language is crude but very much in keeping with the characters and narrative. You come to care about the characters and hope they are able accomplish their "special" mission. I recommend this book.

Very fascinating story about three people that are caught up in events beyond their control -- and how they show courage and innovation to survive and live despite horrors all around them. Surprisingly engaging characters. It is rough in places -- but it is about war -- so, it is to be expected.

Gripping from the word go. This is a sweet and sad story of two young men pushed together to Do what seems to be an impossible task during the ugly, cruel invasion of Russia by the Germans. Fast and can't put down until finished book. Terrific writing.. Sad on many levels when I finished it.

This book is fabulous! I listened to it on audio, and the narrator, Ron Perlman, does a terrific job. You get the Russian and Jewish accents, and his delivery is pretty low-key and not overly emotional, which is perfect for the book. It's a bleak setting (Russia during the German siege of WWII) with not a lot of good things happening, but the author manages to make it a very charming story about friendship, sacrifice and coming of age with a dark comedy element. I absolutely loved it!

The novel is set in brutally cold Leningrad, Russia during WWII. Lev and Kolya are sentenced to death. Lev for theft and Kolya for deserting his unit. Their only hope for survival is for them to obtain a dozen eggs for the wedding cake of a powerful Soviet Colonel's daughter. Only then will their lives be spared. But the Colonel may as well ask for the moon. There is no food, not even a bran muffin to be found (and Kolya could really use one). People are starving and freezing. This book takes the duo through some hair-raising and horrifying adventures. Their courageous journey is heart-breaking as well as humorous and will keep you turning page after page. This book is not so much about war as it is about human endurance and friendship.

I was so enthused about the book that I gave it to my husband to read after I was done and he gave it a thumbs-up, too. Read other reviews at http://readinginthegarden.blogspot.com

Took me less than a week to read this novel.
It grabbed me from the first page and held me through to the last one.
A heartbreaking story of what war does to men interwoven with a heartwarming story of friendship between 2 mismatched characters.
Like all good novels..this one had a happy ending.

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I loved the historical context. The author obviously researched thoroughly the subject. Due, however, to the language and subject matter, I would not recommend it for anyone under 18.

I found this a marvelous book. I had known about the siege of Leningrad but never gave much thought to what it meant. The characters and the situations in this story brought the appalling conditions right into my living room. It manages to be frightening and funny at the same time. I highly recommend it.

Insightful - terrifying situations - interesting characters.

This book reminded me a lot of the movie "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou"...but in Leningrad. Great pacing & distinct character voices made this engaging & the kind of book you want to talk about as you're reading it.

Wow, what an excellent book. Fresh ideas, developed plot, engaging characters, language full of imagery. Fantastic!

Once you start this book you won't want to put it down. It takes place around St. Petersburg, Russia during the German siege of that city during WWII when two young men are sent on an impossible mission. There is much that is grim and much that is funny and some that is sad, but the story is a real humdinger. I'm sure this will be made into a movie, especially since the author is already an accomplished screen writer.

An absolutely wonderful book. It's told in rich detail and is funny, heartbreaking, and suspenseful all at the same time. Young Lev is caught stripping a dead German soldier with his friends, and Kolya is suspected of deserting his military unit. The unlikely pair are sent on an impossible mission by the Colonel - get a dozen eggs for his daughter's wedding cake. No easy feat in Leningrad where there is no food and rations are scarce. Their adventure takes them out of Leningrad, where they encounter bands of rebels, Nazi soldiers, and victims of the violence in WWII Russia.

An endearing, unexpected coming-of-age tale that you won't easily forget.

One of the best books I've read this year. The story, two young men on a week's quest at the end of the German onslaught on Russia, seems deceptively simple, but this author makes it so much richer. St. Petersburg, the Germans, Russians, the horror of war, the arts, unexpected friendships and love ... it's all there and so well written that I was, too. I want to read more by Benioff and more about this time period, two measures of an excellent book.

I liked the people and the setting but not the sexual vulgarity.

Everyone in my house read it and loved it. My WWII genre loving husband. My Young Adult loving 19 year old daughter and my 17 y/o son. We hardly ever all agree, let alone read the same wonderful book. I want to have it to read all over again. It was that good.

Great book on multiple levels. Adventure story. Seige of St Petersburg survival story. Story of best friends. Love story. Didn't want it to end.

I'll never again buy a dozen eggs at the supermarket with quite the same attitude that I had before, let alone egg beaters.

Very interesting story.

I couldn't put it down. Captivating.

This is a wonderfully written book; at times sad, funny, and shocking, it illustrates well how people survive during wartime.

Well worth the read-

An interesting story of a young man in Leningrad and the week that he turned 18 and how that changed his whole life. I found it interesting about what they did to survive. The author never lets his characters lose their humanity. Very well written

I loved this book. Initially I wasn't too sure, but I was quickly engaged. It's funny and horrible at the same time. I found myself thinking about it days after I had finished it.
Highly recommend.

Good story with great characters. Well written and thoroughly enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. It was a very clever story and although some of it was rather brutal, it was mixed with a good amount of humor. I read a lot of World War II novels and this one was written from a very different point of view.