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The Madonnas of Leningrad [SIGNED COPY]
by Dean, Debra
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 0060825308
- ISBN 13
- 9780060825300
- Seller
-
San Francisco, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York, NY: William Morrow & Company, 2006. First edition. 3rd Printing. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. Very good in very good dust jacket. SIGNED by author on title page (signature only). 1st edition, 3rd printing. Would be as new except for minor water damage to pageblock and dust jacket. 'Cody's Autographed Copy' sticker. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. Audience: General/trade. A #1 Booksense Pick by the author of 'Confessions of a Falling Woman'. Where possible, all books come with dust jacket in a clear protective plastic sleeve, sealed in a ziplock bag, wrapped in bubble wrap, shipped in a box.
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
- MostlySignedBooks
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 4020
- Title
- The Madonnas of Leningrad [SIGNED COPY]
- Author
- Dean, Debra
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition. 3rd Printing
- ISBN 10
- 0060825308
- ISBN 13
- 9780060825300
- Publisher
- William Morrow & Company
- Place of Publication
- New York, NY
- Date Published
- 2006
- Pages
- 240
Terms of Sale
MostlySignedBooks
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
MostlySignedBooks
Biblio member since 2011
San Francisco, California
About MostlySignedBooks
I am a long-time book collector who goes to book signings, book sales, and book stores. I keep my books in a smoke-free environment and treat them with respect. I only sell books because I run out of storage space. If you ever have any questions or concerns about anything please feel free to e-mail me. I guarantee all purchases and want all buyers to feel confident in ordering online. Where possible, books are shipped in protective mylar sleeves, in bubble wrap, in cardboard boxes.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- 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...
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