The Madonnas of Leningrad: A Novel
Debra Dean
Oct 2009 · Harper Collins
3.5star
11 reviewsreport
Ebook
256
Pages
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About this ebook
“An unforgettable story of love, survival and the power of imagination in the most tragic circumstances. Elegant and poetic.” —Isabel Allende, New York Times bestselling author of Zorro
The ravages of age are eroding Marina's grip on the everyday. An elderly Russian woman now living in America, she cannot hold on to fresh memories—the details of her grown children's lives, the approaching wedding of her grandchild—yet her distant past is miraculously preserved in her mind's eye.
Vivid images of her youth in war-torn Leningrad arise unbidden, carrying her back to the terrible fall of 1941, when she was a tour guide at the Hermitage Museum and the German army's approach signaled the beginning of what would be a long, torturous siege on the city. As the people braved starvation, bitter cold, and a relentless German onslaught, Marina joined other staff members in removing the museum's priceless masterpieces for safekeeping. As the Luftwaffe's bombs pounded the proud, stricken city, Marina built a personal Hermitage in her mind—a refuge that would stay buried deep within her, until she needed it once more. . . .
“Extraordinary. . . . Dean’s exquisite prose shimmers . . . illuminating us to the notion that art itself is perhaps our most necessary nourishment.” —Chang-Rae Lee, New York Times bestselling author of Aloft and Native Speaker
“A poignant tale.” —Booklist, starred review
“Dean writes with passion and compelling drama.” —People
“Rare is the novel that creates that blissful forgot-you-were-reading experience . . . but that is precisely what Debra Dean has achieved with her image-rich book.” —Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“Poetic.” —San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
“[A] heartfelt debut.” —New York Times Book Review
“Remarkable”— NPR, Nancy Pearl Book Review
The ravages of age are eroding Marina's grip on the everyday. An elderly Russian woman now living in America, she cannot hold on to fresh memories—the details of her grown children's lives, the approaching wedding of her grandchild—yet her distant past is miraculously preserved in her mind's eye.
Vivid images of her youth in war-torn Leningrad arise unbidden, carrying her back to the terrible fall of 1941, when she was a tour guide at the Hermitage Museum and the German army's approach signaled the beginning of what would be a long, torturous siege on the city. As the people braved starvation, bitter cold, and a relentless German onslaught, Marina joined other staff members in removing the museum's priceless masterpieces for safekeeping. As the Luftwaffe's bombs pounded the proud, stricken city, Marina built a personal Hermitage in her mind—a refuge that would stay buried deep within her, until she needed it once more. . . .
“Extraordinary. . . . Dean’s exquisite prose shimmers . . . illuminating us to the notion that art itself is perhaps our most necessary nourishment.” —Chang-Rae Lee, New York Times bestselling author of Aloft and Native Speaker
“A poignant tale.” —Booklist, starred review
“Dean writes with passion and compelling drama.” —People
“Rare is the novel that creates that blissful forgot-you-were-reading experience . . . but that is precisely what Debra Dean has achieved with her image-rich book.” —Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“Poetic.” —San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
“[A] heartfelt debut.” —New York Times Book Review
“Remarkable”— NPR, Nancy Pearl Book Review
Ratings and reviews
3.5
11 reviews
Stephen Gottesman
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June 11, 2013
A fascinating story at many levels. It portrays the tragedy of Alzheimer's while telling the historic story of Leningrad under siege and in particular the story of the fabled Hermitage museum. Art makes life.
A Google user
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July 4, 2011
The book was interesting but switching back and forth between World War ll and modern America was disconcerting. Lots of information on the paintings in the Hermitage and the descriptions were very vivid. On Kindle July 2, 2011
A Google user
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May 30, 2012
I thought this was an outstanding example of good writing. This will no doubt be a classic. It tells the story of the WWII blockade of Leningrad through the eyes of a young girl by way of her own elderly self. The older woman has Alzheimer's flashbacks of her time in seige in Leningrad and the tale of young love, struggle, and heartache at the old woman's condition is tragic. It is a simple read but a good one.
About the author
Debra Dean worked as an actor in New York theater for nearly a decade before opting for the life of a writer and teacher. She and her husband now live in Miami, where she teaches at the University at Miami. She is at work on her second novel.
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