U. S. A.: William Morrow. Near Fine in Fine dust jacket. 2006. First Edition; First Printing. Hardcover. 0060825308 . First edition/ First printing. Book: Near Fine - bottom of spine bumped. Dust jacket: Fine. Signed by author on title page. ; Signed by Author .

Synopsis

One of the most talked about books of the year . . . Bit by bit, the ravages of age are eroding Marina's grip on the everyday. And while the elderly Russian woman cannot hold on to fresh memories -- the details of her grown children's lives, the approaching wedding of her grandchild -- her distant past is preserved: vivid images that rise unbidden of her youth in war-torn Leningrad.In the fall of 1941, the German army approached the outskirts of Leningrad, signaling the beginning of what would become a long and torturous siege. During the ensuing months, the city's inhabitants would brave starvation and the bitter cold, all while fending off the constant German onslaught. Marina, then a tour guide at the Hermitage Museum, along with other staff members, was instructed to take down the museum's priceless masterpieces for safekeeping, yet leave the frames hanging empty on the walls -- a symbol of the artworks' eventual return. To hold on to sanity when the Luftwaffe's bombs began to fall, she burned to memory, brushstroke by brushstroke, these exquisite artworks: the nude figures of women, the angels, the serene Madonnas that had so shortly before gazed down upon her. She used them to furnish a "memory palace," a personal Hermitage in her mind to which she retreated to escape terror, hunger, and encroaching death. A refuge that would stay buried deep within her, until she needed it once more. . . .Seamlessly moving back and forth in time between the Soviet Union and contemporary America, The Madonnas of Leningrad is a searing portrait of war and remembrance, of the power of love, memory, and art to offer beauty, grace, and hope in the face of overwhelming despair. Gripping, touching, and heartbreaking, it marks the debut of Debra Dean, a bold new voice in American fiction.

Reviews

On Oct 17 2008, BayShore Books LLC said:

A beautiful story about a woman lost in the present while her mind is haunted by the past. Wonderfully descriptive recollections of the artwork at the Hermitage Museum give hope during the siege of Leningrad. “The Madonnas of Leningrad” perfectly intersects the life of a young Russian woman during World War II with the life of the same as an elderly woman gripped by Alzheimer's. An unforgettable first novel.

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Details

Bookseller: West Side Books (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 777
Title: The Madonnas of Leningrad
Author: Dean, Debra
Format/Binding: Hardcover
Book Condition: Used - Near Fine in Fine dust jacket
Edition: First Edition; First Printing
ISBN 10: 0060825308
ISBN 13: 9780060825300
Publisher: William Morrow
Place of Publication: U. S. A.
Date Published: 2006
Keywords: 0060825308
Bookseller catalogs: General Fiction;

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About West Side Books

West Side Books specializes in signed first editions, most of which are also first printings. The majority of our books are hardbacks in the following categories: Mystery/Suspense, Fantasy, General Fiction, Science Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

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Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Jacket: Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
Spine: The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
Title Page: A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
Fine: A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...