Comment

Mar 16, 2016
Probably many of readers won't be agree with me if I say that this book is so boring and in slow motion – that I couldn't finish it. The siege of Leningrad (St. Petersburg now) - lasted 872 days from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944 (blockade ring was broken January 18, 1943). In Soviet Union the war was named The Great Patriotic War. It was humanly almost impossible to survive in that city during that period of war. People who survived the siege, were reborn, and became a symbol of resistance, endurance and goodness. That is why the character of Anya (Vera), with its absolute coldness to her own daughters, to me didn't look as realistic. After the blockade - people have become more attentive and caring toward each other. But, I repeat, I didn't finish reading the book, so with 100% accuracy cannot give my opinion about it. By the way, when it is said that Anya cooked soup from wallpaper stripes, it is not exactly how it was done in Leningrad. In besieged Leningrad they made soup to survive, but not out of strips of wallpaper itself, they used adhesive paste, with which the wallpaper was attached to the walls. And the paste was prepared at home by mixing flour and water. That's why was hoped that by boiling strips of wallpaper, paste will decoction, and therefore some of the flour will result in “soup”. The same was with leather belts. Leather was made from animal skin, so there could be some nutrients still in them, in belts. There are so many incredible stories about Leningrad siege! I also didn't really like is description of characteristics of modern American women, in this book too. Almost always, they are described as so independent, so strong! They never need support. They are "closed" within themselves during the difficult periods of life and ask people around them, mostly men, to leave them alone for a time and do not try to help them emotionally. But humans, in the most difficult moments, need support from people who truly worry about them, instead of pushing away closest people in order to demonstrate who knows what.