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Book Review of The Madonnas of Leningrad

The Madonnas of Leningrad
reviewed on + 35 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7


I had not heard of this book or its author. I bought the book by accident. However, I couldn't put it down once I started it.

The layered plot involves an older woman who has developed Alzheimer's, and whose memories and observations revolve around her present relationships with her family as well as her returning back in time to WWII to the siege of Leningrad. During the war, she worked with others to hide all the Hermitage Museum's artistic treasures. In both periods of her life, present and past, she describes her friendships, loves, and family as well as the cycle of history she was in which she was participating.

Debra Dean, the author, writes beautifully, almost poetically, and the descriptions of the Museums, its holdings, and the city of Leningrad during the war have been thoroughly researched. As a reader, I was swept back in time after the first couple of pages.

I thought this was a wonderful book.