Historical fiction book · Curated
City of Thieves
David Benioff · historical fiction
In the starving winter of the Leningrad siege, seventeen-year-old Lev Beniov is caught looting a dead German and spared only if he and Kolya, a deserting private with a story for every checkpoint, can bring a colonel a dozen eggs for his daughter’s wedding cake. David Benioff’s 2008 novel is World War II military historical fiction of a frozen city, cannibals on the road, and two young men sent behind the lines for a feast nobody can afford.
Why read it: A widely searched siege novel—the Benioff title readers look up by name, and a Leningrad quest counterpart to The Bronze Horseman already on the shelf (not a Bronze Horseman sequel).
About this historical novel
City of Thieves by David Benioff is historical fiction set around 1941–1942 in the World War II era period with key settings including Leningrad, Pskov, Soviet Union, Russia. In the starving winter of the Leningrad siege, seventeen-year-old Lev Beniov is caught looting a dead German and spared only if he and Kolya, a deserting private with a story for every checkpoint, can bring a colonel a dozen eggs for his daughter’s wedding cake. David Benioff’s 2008 novel is World War II military historical fiction of a frozen city, cannibals on the road, and two young men sent behind the lines for a feast nobody can afford.
On HisFic we tag it under 5. Military & war and 6. Adventure & epic so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include siege, survival, friendship, hunger, and coming of age. A widely searched siege novel—the Benioff title readers look up by name, and a Leningrad quest counterpart to The Bronze Horseman already on the shelf (not a Bronze Horseman sequel).
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Plot summary
In the starving winter of the Leningrad siege, seventeen-year-old Lev Beniov is caught looting a dead German and spared only if he and Kolya, a deserting private with a story for every checkpoint, can bring a colonel a dozen eggs for his daughter’s wedding cake. David Benioff’s 2008 novel is World War II military historical fiction of a frozen city, cannibals on the road, and two young men sent behind the lines for a feast nobody can afford. A widely searched siege novel—the Benioff title readers look up by name, and a Leningrad quest counterpart to The Bronze Horseman already on the shelf (not a Bronze Horseman sequel).
Subgenres
Eras
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Curated titles that share era, story type, or themes.
- The Bronze Horseman · Paullina Simons
In June 1941, Leningrad still has white nights when Tatiana Metanova meets Red Army officer Alexander Belov—then Hitler’s armies close the siege and hunger, secrets, and an impossible love take the city. Paullina Simons’s opening Bronze Horseman novel is World War II historical romance of the siege of Leningrad: war, family, and a passion that has to survive the winter.
- All the Light We Cannot See · Anthony Doerr
A blind French girl and a German boy’s paths converge in occupied Saint-Malo during World War II.
- The Tattooist of Auschwitz · Heather Morris
Based on a true story: a Slovakian Jew forced to tattoo prisoners at Auschwitz falls in love against impossible odds.
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas · John Boyne
Nine-year-old Bruno is moved from Berlin to a lonely house beside a fence his sister calls Out-With; from his window he sees people in striped pajamas, and he makes a secret friend named Shmuel on the other side. John Boyne’s 2006 novel is WWII Holocaust historical fiction told as a child’s fable: a friendship through the wire at Auschwitz, and a title readers still search by name.
- The Nightingale · Kristin Hannah
Two French sisters take different paths of survival and resistance under Nazi occupation.
- The Book Thief · Markus Zusak
A girl steals books in Nazi Germany; Death narrates a story of words and survival.
Regions & places
Europe
Leningrad · Pskov · Soviet Union · Russia
Themes
- siege
- survival
- friendship
- hunger
- coming of age
Tags
war · bestseller