So acute are the descriptions of Soviet life in cold war Russia in this highly memorable memoir, there were times when I had to put it aside for a while. The author describes her childhood until managing to leave for the United States in her mid-twenties. The measures taken do so are drastic, but the need to depart from her country of birth became irresistible.Not all is doom and gloom, though. The narrative is laced with sardonic humour and examples of family love and attitudes. Sometimes the smiles leave an acrid taste. Her mother’s belief in the maxim that ‘all things happen for the best’ even when terrible things are happening – like the arrest and murder of a family member for telling a joke in a restaurant - is at first amusing, and then sinister and scary. Hunger is often spoken of. There is a Soviet joke about a shop owner being asked: “Are you still out of tomatoes, today?” and replying: “No; here we are out of onions. The shop across the road is out of tomatoes.” Again you laugh, and then frown at what lies beneath the whimsy.But the author did get a very good education, and her fluent writing in her second language is ample testimony to the fact. Throughout, I invariably enjoyed the style and the way the book is crafted as much as I was enthralled by the story. The end made me feel emotional for a long time afterwards, and that never normally happens, no matter how much I enjoy a book. If the subject matter appeals and you enjoy the highest standards of writing, this book is for you. This is a memoir about growing up in Leningrad, Russia in the 1960s. While it is well written and I can appreciate learning how life in Russia was vastly different than how I grew up, the book did not hold my attention or draw me back to it; nothing much happens. I finally found some interest in the ending when she rebels, but I am only giving it 2 stars because I can't say I would recommend it.
What do You think about Goodbye Leningrad (2009)?
Enjoyable but not superb. Wouldn't matter if I never read it but glad enough to have done.
—Katharine33213
Well written and interesting memoir of growing up in the USSR.
—Dan
Too long, however; gave a clear picture of communist Russia
—desi_mira
