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nmwolfe's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Child death, Cannibalism, Blood, War, Sexual violence, Death, and Gore
mayaep's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Rape, Torture, Death of parent, Gore, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Cannibalism, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail
novelideea's review
3.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Violence, Body horror, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Hate crime, Self harm, Misogyny, Rape, Classism, Cursing, Death, Animal death, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Child death, Excrement, Religious bigotry, War, Kidnapping, and Sexual violence
gailbird's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Death, War, Cannibalism, and Animal death
Moderate: Antisemitism, Classism, Cursing, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Homophobia, Gore, and Sexual content
Minor: Excrement, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and Xenophobia
seethinglloron's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: War, Gore, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Antisemitism
booksandmo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Physical abuse, Violence, War, Religious bigotry, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cannibalism, Gore, Hate crime, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Child death, Sexual content, Genocide, Animal cruelty, Grief, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma
moth_meg's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
“No,” I said, “I disagree. Markov was important. So am I and so are you. That’s why we have to win.”
Kolya raised his eyebrows, impressed that I was standing up to the little fanatic. “I’m especially important,” he announced. “I’m writing the great novel of the twentieth century.”
City of Thieves is an exploration of individualism against the backdrop of war, where collectivism commonly dominates the public attitude.
In the midst of a siege, two young men risk their lives in search of a dozen eggs. While it did take me some time to come to appreciate this unusual premise, I ultimately found the book engaging and original. Benioff places emphasis on the ordinary - simple things do not disappear in chaos. If anything, they ground us. Our reality is built upon friendship, sex, poetry, literature, chess, and eggs.
The story is told in first-person by Lev, a Jewish teen living alone in Leningrad during World War II. Lev’s narration is a stream of consciousness, often reminiscing or philosophizing mid-action. This style suits the story well, breaking up the nonstop movement of the main plot.
The reader, privy to the entirety of Lev’s inner monologue, hears the worst of him- his selfishness, his immaturity (especially in his perception of women), his weakness, and his cowardice. Think Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye.
However, I couldn’t help but warm to Lev. Since the main plot of the book only spans a single week, there isn’t room for traditional character development. It would be unrealistic to shove a full character evolution into such a brief window.
But Benioff is clever. Rather than rushing a change in Lev, he forces the reader to question and reframe their original perception of the character. Lev’s wit, empathy, and stubborn will to survive are all revealed throughout the course of the story. We’re left feeling that Lev had these qualities all along, they only needed to be unearthed.
Much of this character revelation is enabled through Kolya, who serves as a perfect foil to Lev. When Lev freezes in the face of danger, Kolya is impulsive to a fault. While Lev treats life with a healthy amount of cynicism, Kolya romanticizes everything from women to literature. Their odd couple dynamic and budding friendship is the heart of the book.
In contrast to the slow start, the ending is executed quite well (although I predicted fairly early on that
Only one aspect of this conclusion fell flat. The romance
Moderate: Gore and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
ranireadsbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Cannibalism, Genocide, Sexual assault, Gore, Murder, Death, and Antisemitism
mandi_lea's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, War, Violence, Death, Gore, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Antisemitism, Confinement, Cursing, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Blood, Genocide, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Rape, and Animal death
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Cannibalism, and Excrement
zoiejanelle's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Gore, War, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Grief, Police brutality, Sexual content, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder