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musicsaves's review against another edition
5.0
FIRST LINE REVIEW: "This way, please." Oh, gentle readers, do walk this way, carefully picking your path through this beautiful book and the haunting world that it so elegantly paints. This is my second visit to one of my favorite books about one of my favorite places, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. I've had the great fortune to be there several times and am eager to visit it again soon. After reading this book, you'll want to do the same. But it's about so much more than an art museum and horrific WWII siege of Leningrad. It's about life, love, relationships and the painful beauty that filters through and embraces everything. Just look and see it. "This way, please."
lnoelle's review against another edition
4.0
I started reading this book 5 years ago and never finished it. I picked it back up recently and reread and finished the book. It is one of those books that didn't really strike me as a fantastic read while I was reading. When I reflected back on it though, I found that I really did enjoy the story and the subtle commentary on how people deal with difficult circumstances in their life and how they find the meaning to survive through them. It was interesting to learn about the Hermitage Museum during the siege and the conditions that the people endured.
brighroosh's review against another edition
2.0
Honestly, Debra Dean should have done a meta book about how she wrote this book. The pages that she devoted to her research, lack of confidence about her subject matter, and why she included a character with Alzheimer's were very well written.
Because I will never not finish a book, I found it tortuous every night to have to read about the effects of Alzheimer's on the human mind and starvation in Russia just so that I could get to the end. Not great bedtime reading.
I was hoping for much more information about the paintings, and maybe a few images of them (?) since I love art.
Because I will never not finish a book, I found it tortuous every night to have to read about the effects of Alzheimer's on the human mind and starvation in Russia just so that I could get to the end. Not great bedtime reading.
I was hoping for much more information about the paintings, and maybe a few images of them (?) since I love art.
toebean5's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this and feel like I need to read it again with some art references handy. Gorgeous writing, and I loved the framework. Unexpectedly one of my favorites of the year, so far.
othersimmons's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
mbpartlow's review against another edition
4.0
This is a beautifully written little book. A very quick and engaging read. Semi spoiler: I felt the ending of the book didn't fit. The entire last chapter reads like some editor somewhere said "Wait--people are stupid--you need a last chapter that ties up every last loose end and makes a neat package." Instead, the second to the last chapter would make a beautiful and fitting end to the novel.
While reading this, I felt like it was written for a reason, to give hope to anyone who has a family member suffering from Alzheimer's. The traditional story arc? There really isn't one. It's more a slice of life, or two slices of the same life. I was glad I read it.
While reading this, I felt like it was written for a reason, to give hope to anyone who has a family member suffering from Alzheimer's. The traditional story arc? There really isn't one. It's more a slice of life, or two slices of the same life. I was glad I read it.
joaniesickler's review against another edition
3.0
The Hermitage in Leningrad is one museum I am now prepared and very excited to see some day. The story of the rescue of it's extraordinary contents from German bombing in WWII is riveting. And the present-day context keeps the action moving. Recommended by a Mpls Institute of Art docent friend of mine.
outoftheblue14's review against another edition
4.0
The novel is set half in 1941, at the time of the Nazi siege aroung Leningrad, and half in the present. In 1941, Marina was ayoung tourist guide working for the Ermitage museum, accompanying the tourists from room to room. Her love for art and beauty is second only for her love for Dimitrij, a young soldier protecting the city.
In the present, Marina and Dimitrij are an old married couple attending the wedding of their granddaughter. Marina has been suffering from Alzheimer's, and half of the time she can't remember what happens to her, but she can still clearly picture in her mind the war in Leningrad and the beautiful works of art of the museum.
This is a moving book about a woman and her love for art. I liked it very much.
In the present, Marina and Dimitrij are an old married couple attending the wedding of their granddaughter. Marina has been suffering from Alzheimer's, and half of the time she can't remember what happens to her, but she can still clearly picture in her mind the war in Leningrad and the beautiful works of art of the museum.
This is a moving book about a woman and her love for art. I liked it very much.
nb61's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
Too scattered. She carried a pregnancy to term and had a healthy baby while starving in the Siege of Leningrad? What happened to the art work? Did they need her memory palace?