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The Madonnas of Leningrad
by Dean, Debra
- New
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- New/New
- ISBN 10
- 0060825308
- ISBN 13
- 9780060825300
- Seller
-
Charlotte Hall, Maryland, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York, U.S.A.: William Morrow & Company, 2006. 1st Edition . Hardcover. New/New. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. First Edition stated, with correct number line sequence, no writing, marks, underlining, or bookplates. No remainder marks. Spine is tight and crisp. Boards are flat and true and the corners are square. Dust jacket is not price-clipped. This collectible, " NEW" condition first edition/first printing copy is protected with a polyester archival dust jacket cover. Beautiful collectible copy. GIFT QUALITY
Synopsis
One of the most talked about books of the year . . . Bit by bit, the ravages of age are eroding Marina's grip on the everyday. And while the elderly Russian woman cannot hold on to fresh memories -- the details of her grown children's lives, the approaching wedding of her grandchild -- her distant past is preserved: vivid images that rise unbidden of her youth in war-torn Leningrad.In the fall of 1941, the German army approached the outskirts of Leningrad, signaling the beginning of what would become a long and torturous siege. During the ensuing months, the city's inhabitants would brave starvation and the bitter cold, all while fending off the constant German onslaught. Marina, then a tour guide at the Hermitage Museum, along with other staff members, was instructed to take down the museum's priceless masterpieces for safekeeping, yet leave the frames hanging empty on the walls -- a symbol of the artworks' eventual return. To hold on to sanity when the Luftwaffe's bombs began to fall, she burned to memory, brushstroke by brushstroke, these exquisite artworks: the nude figures of women, the angels, the serene Madonnas that had so shortly before gazed down upon her. She used them to furnish a "memory palace," a personal Hermitage in her mind to which she retreated to escape terror, hunger, and encroaching death. A refuge that would stay buried deep within her, until she needed it once more. . . .Seamlessly moving back and forth in time between the Soviet Union and contemporary America, The Madonnas of Leningrad is a searing portrait of war and remembrance, of the power of love, memory, and art to offer beauty, grace, and hope in the face of overwhelming despair. Gripping, touching, and heartbreaking, it marks the debut of Debra Dean, a bold new voice in American fiction.
Reviews
On Oct 17 2008, BayShore Books LLC said:
A beautiful story about a woman lost in the present while her mind is haunted by the past. Wonderfully descriptive recollections of the artwork at the Hermitage Museum give hope during the siege of Leningrad. “The Madonnas of Leningrad” perfectly intersects the life of a young Russian woman during World War II with the life of the same as an elderly woman gripped by Alzheimer's. An unforgettable first novel.
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Details
- Bookseller
- rarefirstscom
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 002122
- Title
- The Madonnas of Leningrad
- Author
- Dean, Debra
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- New
- Jacket Condition
- New
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- ISBN 10
- 0060825308
- ISBN 13
- 9780060825300
- Publisher
- William Morrow & Company
- Place of Publication
- New York, U.S.A.
- Date Published
- 2006
- Size
- 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾
Terms of Sale
rarefirstscom
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
rarefirstscom
Biblio member since 2013
Charlotte Hall, Maryland
About rarefirstscom
RAREFIRSTS.COM specializes in affordable quality first editions/first printings of both classic and contemporary literature. Our pricing is very competitive and our quality will exceed your expectations. We help build great literature collections for both individuals and institutions. Our stock of both classic and contemporary literature is too large to list all titles...so query us if you don't see what you need or want. If its not in inventory, we generally can obtain a quality copy very quickly for you...and at a reasonable price. Our founder is a former journalist and newspaper publisher who, in his second career, retired after 31 years at the Library of Congress where he was an administrator of a national library service for individuals who are blind or physically handicapped. RAREFIRSTS.COM offers quality literature with professional integrity at very reasonable prices.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Remainder
- Book(s) which are sold at a very deep discount to alleviate publisher overstock. Often, though not always, they have a remainder...
- Crisp
- A term often used to indicate a book's new-like condition. Indicates that the hinges are not loosened. A book described as crisp...
- Number Line
- A series of numbers appearing on the copyright page of a book, where the lowest number generally indicates the printing of that...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
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