City of Thieves is a World War II historical fiction novel written in with a dark comedic style fitting for the timeframe. The story is set in Leningrad as two teenagers desperately search for a carton of eggs for soviet officers for a wedding cake. Meanwhile, the Germans are sieging the city and each day becomes more dangerous than the last. It is a coming-of-age story about love and friendship in the darkest of times.The story is introduced as the author, David Benioff, speaking to his grandfather about his experiences growing up during World War II. Benioff appears to have taken minute amounts of truth from his grandfather and spun it into a story far grander than the original but no less moving.
After reading this novel I researched the author and discovered he is one of the co-creators of HBO's Game of Thrones (one of my favorite series'). He is an exceptional writer and is succinct enough to complete a story without bloviating for 500 pages, which I appreciate.
Bookophile Rating: Excellent (For a well-written piece that shows a unique perspective of one of history's darkest hours and the sliver of good that shines through).
