The Siege by Helen Dunmore

[Helen Sellings]

The siege is a historical novel originally published in November 2001.  It is set in Leningrad just before and during the Siege of Leningrad by German forces in World War II.  The number of people who died during this period reached a chilling six hundred thousand.  The Siege of Leningrad was one of the key events of the twentieth century.  In 1941, Hitler’s army encircled Leningrad, confidently expecting to crush any resistance and enter the city, but Leningrad held out in spite of unbelievable suffering.  This novel focuses on the Levin family and their friends, trapped inside the besieged city.  It’s a brilliantly imagined novel about war as experienced by ordinary people, and a profoundly moving celebration of love,  life and survival. Through it all, what emerges is the will and determination of some people to survive and the strength of the human spirit, no matter what.

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[Helen Sellings]

I didn’t find it too harrowing at all. If anything, it is inspiring with regards to the strength of the human spirit. I really think most people would thoroughly enjoy this book it is so beautifully written.

[Hilary Fisk]

This is one I want to read, but I am a bit put off by the thought that it might all be too harrowing?

[Author]

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