Symphony for the City of the Dead

Anderson, M.T. (2015). Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad. Brilliance Audio.

Young Adult and older / Audio Book / Non-Fiction

I give this audio book 5 of 5 stars
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Blurb (SYNC): In September of 1941, Adolf Hitler’s Wehrmacht surrounded Leningrad in what was to become one of the longest and most destructive sieges in Western history—two and a half years of bombardment and starvation. More than a million citizens perished. Survivors recall corpses littering the frozen streets, the relatives of the dead having neither the means nor the strength to bury them. Desperate citizens burned books, furniture, and floorboards to keep warm; they ate family pets and—eventually—even one another to stay alive.

Trapped between the Nazi invading force and the Soviet government itself was composer Dmitri Shostakovich, who would write a symphony that roused, rallied, eulogized, and commemorated his fellow citizens—the Leningrad Symphony. This testament of courage was copied onto microfilm, driven across the Middle East, and flown over the deserts of North Africa to be performed in the United States—where it played a surprising role in strengthening the Grand Alliance against the Axis powers.

This is the true story of a city under siege: the triumph of bravery and defiance in the face of terrifying odds. It is also a look at the power—and layered meaning—of music in beleaguered lives. Symphony for the City of the Dead is a masterwork thrillingly told and impeccably researched by National Book Award–winning author M. T. Anderson.

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: This was yet another audio book that I went into without knowing a thing about it -- I hadn't even read the full title, so I didn't know it was non-fiction or about Shostakovich. In hindsight, I think this was a good thing because I might not have listened to it because the subject matter wasn't one that would grab my interest.  Too many books, too little time, you know.

I am so glad I listened to this book. Not only did I learn more about composer Dmitri Shostakovich, I got a serious schooling in world history and particularly, the madness of Joseph Stalin, and the suffering, slaughter, and perseverance of the Russian people. The narration (by author M.T. Anderson) was outstanding, and a perk of reading with my ears was getting to listen to snippets of various pieces by Shostakovich placed in context of when and why they were composed.

What I found fascinating is how the Russian government, over Shostakovich's whole lifetime, used Shostakovich and his music for intentional purposes. He was first raised up to inspire and improve morale, but when he got too popular, he was then berated and put in his place to show that the government was all powerful.  Then he was protected because his music was excellent propaganda, which showed the outside world that Russia was cultured and refined (and kept hidden the atrocities happening there).

Though the hook was to find out about Shostakovich's 7th Symphony (referenced in the title) and its secret message, what comes through is that regarding music, what message is transmitted via the music is completely dependent upon the circumstances of the listener at that time. Where some hear a victory march, others hear a death march; the bells of hope may also be ringing doom.

Thank you to SYNC summer audiobook program for providing this free download with absolutely no strings attached. Listening and reviewing were entirely my own decision -- and it was a good one.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: M. T. Anderson is the author of Feed, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, as well as The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Volume I: The Pox Party, winner of the National Book Award and a New York Times bestseller, and its sequel, The Kingdom on the Waves, which was also a New York Times bestseller. Both volumes were also named Michael L. Printz Honor Books. M. T. Anderson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Egg and Spoon

Maguire, G. (2014). Egg and Spoon. Candlewick on Brilliance Audio.

All Ages / Fairy Tales / Folk Lore / Fantasy

I give this audio book 4 out of 5 stars

Blurb: Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside. Her father has been dead for years. Her brothers have been conscripted into the Tsar's army and taken as servants in the house of the local wealthy landowner. Her mother is dying, slowly, in their tiny cabin. And there is no food. But then a train arrives in the village, a train carrying untold wealth, a cornucopia of food, and a noble family destined to visit the Tsar in St. Petersburg - a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena's age. When the two girls' lives collide, an adventure is set in motion, an adventure that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and - in a starring role only Gregory Maguire could have conjured - Baba Yaga, the witch of Russian folklore, in her moving house perched on chicken legs.

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: I don't have much patience for regular speed on audio books, so as usual, I listened at 1.25x, which was perfect. 

A monk, the narrator of the story, is amusing with his asides and humor in telling the story. Couple this with the outstanding voice narration of Michael Page, and the story is taken to a higher level of enjoyment. Page seamlessly voices the numerous characters where males sound male, females sound female, and witches sound witchy!

Speaking of witches, Baba Yaga steals the show. What a hoot she is! She is a perfect counter to the prim and proper-ness expected in civilized society, and her character made the book for me. 

There are so many different levels to this story -- there is the fantastical and the the practical, smoothly woven together by Maguire to create something for everyone to enjoy. Folk tales and fairy tales are good for all ages, and though this is categorized young adult, there is definitely adult appeal in Egg and Spoon. 

While the reading could be challenging for some younger readers, the richly drawn characters and setting, along with a basic plot that's highly unusual and interesting, are going to keep readers engaged. Advanced readers are likely to get a different experience from others because it's really quite a complex story with statements on social injustice and inequality, the environment, the life, death, and more.

The book goes longer than it needs to with some extraneous and seemingly random parts which could have been left on the cutting room floor. I feel like had I read this instead of listened, there definitely would have been some skimming. Even so, it's a wonderfully creative story and listening was time well spent. I have several of Gregory Maguire's books on my TBR shelf, and Egg and Spoon is incentive for me to move them to the top of the pile.

Thank you to Audiofile / SYNC Audiobooks for Teens free summer audio book program for providing this download with absolutely no strings attached. As always, my honest opinion is the only kind I give.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gregory Maguire is an American author, whose novels are revisionist retellings of children's stories (such as L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz into Wicked). He received his Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Tufts University, and his B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany. He was a professor and co-director at the Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature from 1979-1985. In 1987 he co-founded Children's Literature New England (a non-profit educational charity).

Maguire has served as artist-in-residence at the Blue Mountain Center, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Hambidge Center. He lives in Concord, Massachusetts. Learn more about the author and his books on his website, http://www.gregorymaguire.com/.

Vivian Apple at the End of the World

Coyle, K. (2015). Vivian Apple at the End of the World. (Vivian Book 1). Dreamscape Media, LLC.

YA / AUDIO / Contemporary / Speculative

I gave this audio book 4 out of 5 Stars, though it's likely I would give it a 3 if I had read it instead of listened.

CLICK FOR FREE AUDIO DOWNLOAD 

AVAILABLE thru 6am ET  5/12/16

BLURB: (from Goodreads) A chilling vision of a contemporary USA where the sinister Church of America is destroying lives. Our cynical protagonist, seventeen-­year-­old Vivian Apple, is awaiting the fated 'Rapture' -­ or rather the lack of it. Her evangelical parents have been in the Church's thrall for too long, and she's looking forward to getting them back. Except that when Vivian arrives home the day after the supposed 'Rapture', her parents are gone. All that is left are two holes in the ceiling...

Viv is determined to carry on as normal, but when she starts to suspect that her parents might still be alive, she realizes she must uncover the truth. Joined by Peter, a boy claiming to know the real whereabouts of the Church, and Edie, a heavily pregnant Believer who has been 'left behind', they embark on a road trip across America. Encountering freak weather, roving 'Believer' gangs and a strange teenage group calling themselves the 'New Orphans', Viv soon begins to realize that the Rapture was just the beginning.

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: This is a great audio book for a short road trip.  The narration, performed by Julia Whelan, is well done, and even when the female narrator does male voices, it works just fine.   The author, Katie Coyle, does a great job of telling a story that keeps readers/listeners engaged. Yes, not-so-subtle hints are dropped, but there also is an edge of just enough doubt that those reading/listening will want confirmation they are right (but prepare also for surprise when wrong).

The story line and angle that this book took on the rapture are indeed unique, though of course the premise isn't.  As I listened to the story unfold, I found it so perverse that people would buy into what was being preached; I didn't want to believe anyone in our society could be so horribly mislead.  However, the story becomes unsettling given the real life examples of what ideas many in our society are supporting today.  To that end, I found myself nodding in agreement when main character Vivian says, "It's funny now to think that we were ever confused by extreme action taken in the name of God."

I cannot comment on the writing itself since I listened to the audio book, but it does seem that the author asks readers/listeners to accept a lot of things at face value and not think them through.  Additionally, some of the characters' reactions to really dire and devastating situations do not feel authentic and there are some huge plot holes that are just more fun to ignore.  I am giving it 4 stars because pitfalls and all, I wanted to keep listening to hear how things turned out. I sincerely hope that the sequel, Vivian Apple Needs A Miracle (published 9/2015), ties-up the loose ends and explains the oddities that are found in book one.

Thank you to SYNC 2016 for providing a free audio download (available through 5/12/16) to anyone who wants it, just because SYNC is awesome.   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Katie Coyle grew up in Fair Haven, New Jersey, and has an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. Her debut novel, VIVIAN APPLE AT THE END OF THE WORLD (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2015), was named one of the forty best YA novels of all time by Rolling Stone, and was followed by a sequel, VIVIAN APPLE NEEDS A MIRACLE. Her short fiction has won the Pushcart Prize, and has been featured or is forthcoming in BEST AMERICAN NON-REQUIRED READING, One Story, The Southeast Review, and Critical Quarterly, among others. She lives in San Francisco with her husband.  

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