The Madonnas of Leningrad

I love this book because it breathes WWII in a way I’ve never read. This book is a story about the siege of Leningrad. I loved the imagery captured by a curator of the Hermitage, skillfully interwoven with a back story in the United States.

As the Hermitage is dismantled in anticipation of the German bombs, the women commit the placement of the precious artwork to memory in images and story form. The tension rises with the scarcity of food and fuel and the loss of friends.

It is a love story told in imagery and heartbreak: an excellent emotional… show more.

Some books allow us to experience the unendurable—at a safe distance, of course. This story takes us to Leningrad during World War II, when the city is under siege, its inhabitants freezing, starving, and worn down from German bombardments. Through it all, Marina shows up every day at the magnificent Hermitage Museum to help safeguard the precious artwork and the building that housed it. Even as I ached for Marina, it was clear that her devotion to the museum elevated her life. This is what made the book memorable for me. Marina and her co-workers created meaningful lives, even in… show more.

When I was working on my novel, I was drawn to another writer’s debut set in WWII, this one in Leningrad. The 870-day siege of the Russian city by the Germans was something I’d heard of, but I knew nothing about the details. This novel brings to life the mass starvation and terror inflicted on ordinary citizens through the eyes of Marina, a tour guide at the famous Hermitage Museum. When she is charged with removing the artwork for its protection, she commits to memory the paintings in all their splendor and continues to give guided tours in her mind,… show more.