I seem to be on a small Russian-setting-in-books reading binge. First it was The People's Act of Love by James Meek, and I have on my TBR pile (library book, so I will no doubt be getting to it soon) Andrei Makine's new novel The Woman Who Waited. To round things out I just finished The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean.
Dean's novel is set during the siege of Leningrad as well as contemporary Washington. Once again it is the two stories folded into one situation, which can be very successful, though I am not entirely sure in this situation. Marina is a museum docent in the Hermitage Museum in Leningrad when WWII breaks out and her city comes under siege. Fast forward to an elderly Marina who now has Alzheimers. The here and now is forgotten as it happens, but Marina remembers with vivid detail her life in Leningrad during the war. I really liked the descriptions of the Hermitage--my favorite part(s) of the book. Marina tries to survive the war and its deprivations by building in her mind a "memory palace". When the priceless works of art were taken from the museum to be kept safe from the bombing, the frames were left on the walls--to look forward to the time they would be returned safely. Marina tries to fix in her mind the works of art in the Hermitage. She can remember to the smallest details practically what was once within those frames. Marina's life in the here and now is once again a bit of a horror as she struggles to do the basic things necessary that none of us gives a second thought about.
I think I understand what the author was trying to do with the juxtaposition with the time periods and the memories of the war. But I really just felt the story was lacking. I thought there could have been more to it. Maybe I just read this too close to the Meek book, which I thought was written so excellently (everything was done well--the writing, the storyline, the characters). Or I have just read too many books about this particular time and place, which I thought were done more successfully. The young Marina was a well developed character, but I am not so sure about the other characters or even Marina as an old woman. Of course I still read the entire book, and there were even a few places where you might shed a tear or two. But I think I might not recommend this one to all my friends. That said, she seems to have done quite well with Amazon reviewers, so maybe I am just being too critical. I wonder how the Makine book will compare.