City of Thieves by David Benioff
The book tells a semi-biographical story that author's Jewish grandfather likely experienced during the Second World War, specifically during the siege of Leningrad. I liked the book so much I finished it in less than a week in about 4-5 sittings. Obviously, it was easy to read. The author prioritizes telling the story and conveying the emotions in simple words rather than indulge in esoteric language. The prose flows easily from paragraph to paragraph, chapter to chapter. Set in the backdrop of Leningrad Siege it educates the reader about the extremely harsh realities of the war and the siege without rendering itself into a documentary. The two main characters Lev and Kolya one a Jew and the other a Cossack end up unlikely partners in a very strange quest finding a dozen eggs for a Colonel's daughter's wedding in exchange for their freedom. They develop a wonderful friendship over a short span of a week, each entertaining the other with their talents, exploits and latent i...