Title: The Madonnas of LeningradAuthor: Debra Dean
Pages: 256
Genre: Fiction
Grade: B
Synopsis: The story moves back and forth between the present day and World War II in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Marina worked in the Hermitage museum as the paintings were packed away and hidden in undisclosed locations. Every night as German bombers would bomb the city, Marina and the other workers were stationed on the roof as the museum as fire watchers. The present-day portion of the book takes place near Seattle. Marina is now an old woman suffering from Alzheimer's and while attending her granddaughter's wedding she just can't remember who anybody is.
My Review: I thought that I would like this book more than I did. While the book moves seamlessly between war torn Russia and present-day America, I found the story difficult to follow and simply not that interesting. During a lot of the book, Marina is trying to remember the rooms of the Hermitage as they were before the paintings were removed and I enjoyed the descriptions of the paintings, sculptures and rooms (The Hermitage was a former Imperial Palace before being converted into an Art Museum. My parents and I toured the museum after my mission - very beautiful).
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