City of Thieves

A Novel

By: David Benioff

Narrated by: Ron Perlman

Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

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 best seller 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.

©2008 David Benioff (P)2008 Penguin

Critic reviews

"The novel tells a refreshingly traditional tale, driven by an often ingenious plot...[Benioff] shifts tone with perfect control - no recent novel I have read travels so quickly and surely between registers, from humor to devastation.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“This spellbinding story perfectly blends tragedy and comedy.” (USA Today)

“Splendid...Benioff has produced a funny, sad, and thrilling novel.” (Entertainment Weekly)

Amazing!

This book is a MUST READ! That’s all you need to know about it. Seriously

Great reader

A tough book as it laid out the direness of Leningrad during the siege, but also captivating in its dark humour and twists as the ‘looter’ and the ‘deserter’ search for 22 eggs for the colonel so his wife can make s wedding cake for his daughter.
Well crafted and well orated.

Outstanding story

I loved all of it. The story was compelling, character development was brilliant. I was emotionally invested from beginning to end. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Intense but capitvating

What did you love best about City of Thieves?

This was a different side to the many stories told of WWII.

What was one of the most memorable moments of City of Thieves?

The very end of the story was surprising but so touching.

What about Ron Perlman’s performance did you like?

Each character stood alone in the story and were easily identifiable.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I would often linger at whatever I was doing so I could continue to listen.

Compelling!

This is a coming of age story, set in the cold winter of 1942 during the Nazis brutal siege of Leningrad. The story is about an unlikely frienship between two young men.

I was afraid this book would be bleak considering the subject, but there was a wonderful balance with the story of war and humor. I loved the way Lev and Koyla interacted with each other and how their friendship unfolded. Koyla was my favorite with the way he could find humor in the most dismal of times.

Benioff brings this story to life as if I was standing right there. I literally could not stop listening. This book would be a great movie!

A Must Listen

A story of coming of age, the horrors of war, and also of love. Written to be told, and very well told by Perlman. His voices and inflections capture the personalities as Benioff must have intended. One of the best books I've read and the best audiobooks I've listened to yet.

Benioff rocks this story!

Would you consider the audio edition of City of Thieves to be better than the print version?

I found the audio format preferable to print in that I would not know how to pronounce various Russian words and cities, etc.

Have you listened to any of Ron Perlman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Loved the Russian accents! Not overdone and only occasional for emphasis in certain passages. Nice interpretation, Ron.

Any additional comments?

After noting that Benioff wrote or co-wrote many of the excellent screenplays for Game of Thrones, I became interested in his work. This novel is a gripping account of grandfather's experiences as a young Russian man in the first winter of WWII when Nazi Germany attacked Communist Russia. The writing is extraordinary and compelling. I feel present in the story.

Excellent listen

I think this was the first book I listened to on audible over a year ago. To this day, it is the standard by which I measure every other book. Phenomenal story! Excellent reading performance.

A Classic!

Any additional comments?

So, this story is set in the middle of the Leningrad Siege of 1942. If you don't know about this historical event, t would help to read a paragraph or two about this it before you start this book. If not, it won't affect your enjoyment of this brilliant tale.

It begins one night when 17-year-old Lev Beniov a shy, naive teenager is arrested for a minor infraction. Lev is thrown into a prison cell with Kolya, a handsome, casanova with a quick wit. Kolya is a soldier who was arrested (falsely, he says) for desertion. The two expect to be shot in the morning, but instead, they are offered a deal by Colonel Grechko of the NKVD. The Colonel has a daughter about to be married. If Lev and Kolya can find a dozen eggs for the wedding cake before Thursday, they can both go free. This is a daunting task because there are no chickens, much fewer eggs, anywhere in Leningrad. A delicate eggshell is a great analogy for the brittle fragility of their task.

This is how one of the most entertaining friendships and most thrilling adventure quests I've ever read begins. I loved this book, every word of it. The writing, the plot, the tone, the humor. The characters are especially full and detailed. There is the cool and calm Vika, an expert sniper and one of the toughest female bad-asses you'll ever meet in a book. My favorite though, was Kolya, a shameless womanizer, and know-it-all with a deep affection for literature. His charm and playful humor is so intoxicating, you'll forgive his reckless swagger and fall in love with him. And we can't forget Lev, the most relatable character, who grows and changes the most in this great story.

I can't remember the last time I raced through a book this quickly, unable to put it down!

Outstanding!

A superior auther! A superior narrater! Take the time for a superb listen...you won't regret the purchase!