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The Madonnas of Leningrad

The Madonnas of Leningrad

The Madonnas of Leningrad
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Madonnas of Leningrad

by Debra Dean

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
VG++/N/a
ISBN 10
0007215053
ISBN 13
9780007215058
Seller
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Lutterworth, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Item Price
$15.33
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About This Item

London: Fourth Estate, 2006. Author's first novel, set during seige of Leningrad in WWII. Uncorrected proof, 231pp. Looks unread, no obvious faults. Ref:071676. Uncorrected Publisher's Proof. Card Covers. VG++/N/a. 14.5x21cm.

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

Seller
Church Street Books GB (GB)
Seller's Inventory #
001676
Title
The Madonnas of Leningrad
Author
Debra Dean
Format/Binding
Paperback
Book Condition
Used - VG++
Jacket Condition
N/a
Edition
Uncorrected Publisher's Proof
ISBN 10
0007215053
ISBN 13
9780007215058
Publisher
Fourth Estate
Place of Publication
London
Date Published
2006
Size
14.5x21cm

Terms of Sale

Church Street Books

payment with order. Refund if description inaccurate

About the Seller

Church Street Books

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2007
Lutterworth, Leicestershire

About Church Street Books

Second-hand book dealer (formerly in a Diss Shop), with a stock of around 2000 books from modern quality literature to reference, aviation, classics and antiquarian

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Uncorrected Proof
An uncorrected proof is a printed copy of a book that needs to be reviewed for errors and corrections. They are released prior...
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