The Madonnas of Leningrad

from pgchuis

Read for book club. I suspect I am in the minority here, but I thought the present day chapters, where Marina is suffering from Alzheimers, were the strongest. The way Dmitri cared for her despite his frustrations, and Marina attempted to make sense of the people and situations around her, were v...

from mrstreme

The Madonnas of Leningrad told the story of Marina as a young woman in Russia and as an old woman living in the United States. The young Marina worked at The Hermitage, a large art museum in Leningrad during World War II. The elder Marina suffered from Alzheimer's, struggling with her memory. Bot...

from cameling

Debra Dean takes us on a journey in the mind of a woman who's living with rapidly deteriorating Alzheimer's. She can't remember the present, can't recognize her daughter anymore, and doesn't even realize how reliant she is on her husband now for everything. However, her memories of the past are s...

from Hanneri

The paintings in the Hermitage were evacuated shortly before the Siege of Leningrad. Marina commits them to memory (her "Memory Palace") to sustain her spirit over that three year period. This is how Dean brings these paintings to life for the reader. You will not want to read this book without s...

from bkswrites

I learned of the siege of Leningrad some 35 years ago, when I first visited that city of wonders as a college student. I took it to heart 14 years later, when I returned with a group focused on spiritual connections. I have never been able to communicate to my fellow Americans the hope and sorrow...