The End of Sorrow
J.V. Love
Reviewed by Carianne
Carleo-Evaneglist
The End of Sorrow: A
Novel of the Siege of
Leningrad in WWII by John
Verlin (JV) Love is a new look at history.
Joseph Stalin is
believed to have said "The death of one man is a tragedy. The
death
of millions is a statistic" but Love attempts to keep these people from
becoming a statistic by bringing their story to life.
“A love that would not
die…A city that would not surrender…A war that knew no bounds...” is
a very
fitting summary of this nearly 400 page story that captures the
readers’
attention from the very beginning. It’s clear that this is a work of
historical
fiction but as an aficionado of history, I found myself wondering about
the
characters. Who were they? What was their life before and after the war
if they
survived? Having studied post – WW II life in the USSR,
there are many questions about which was better, war or ‘peace’ for the
citizens. This book doesn’t get trapped in the negativity. These
characters are
alive and making the best of their life.
The flow of the story was helped along by the inclusion of
information about the war as it progressed. We were made to realize
that the
soldiers and commanders were people too. For the people of Leningrad,
war wasn’t a far off thing. It was here. Now. In chapter five, we learn
a
little bit more about those who are still there: three million of them
facing
the imbalance of German and Soviet troops. The fall of Mga had closed
the
circle around Leningrad.
The only
out, if it could even be considered one, was via air. They were
trapped. For
900 days it was a question of life or death. Would they survive? One
million
died, but the city survived.
An asset to readers on the go, this book is also available
as an eBook which is a good alternative to a dense paperback. In either
format,
it is highly recommended to those with an interest in Russian or WW II
history,
or those just interested in a well-written story.