Burying the Sun [Hardcover]

Gloria Whelan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2004

In the glorious springtime of 1941 Leningrad seems as though it will always be bright. And then, on June 22nd, Germany turns its forces against its old friend, and all at once Russia is at war. As the enemy army draws closer, winter approaches, and with it will come a darkness and hunger that will stalk the once-luminous city.

At fourteen, Georgi is too young to join the army. Still, he is determined to do something -- anything -- to help his family, and his city, through this terrifying time.

In this companion novel to her breathtaking Russian epics angel on the square and the impossible journey, National Book Award-winning author Gloria Whelan transports readers to a gripping and treacherous time in Russian history and illuminates the power of one brave young man who, by taking action, will bring light to a city under siege.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–Haunting images and elegant prose make this companion to The Impossible Journey (2003) and Angel on the Square (2001, both HarperCollins) memorable. Fourteen-year-old Georgi; his sister, Marya; and their mother live in a tiny apartment in Leningrad in 1941. As news of the advancing German army reaches the city, the residents prepare for war. Georgi, too young to join the Russian army, volunteers wherever he can. Marya works at the Hermitage museum, where she helps pack up the magnificent artwork to be shipped away for safe storage. As the German army moves closer and begins bombing, the city is cut off from outside help. Starvation sets in, and the citizens struggle to survive. Georgi, his family, and their neighbors keep hope alive by focusing on the beauty in the world, from a chocolate bar to a Shostakovich symphony. The lilting writing style and simple dignity of the characters help construct an honest portrait of everyday life in extraordinary circumstances. From the renowned poet Anna Akhmatova reading her work on the radio to the first bloom of spring flowers, the people cling to visions of light. The plot moves quickly, but the bleak details of war are not spared. The staunch determination of the human spirit will linger with readers long after the last page is turned.–Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 5-8. This companion book to Angel on the Square (2001) and The Impossible Journey (2003) continues the story of a Russian family struggling for survival in troubled times. The narrator is 15-year-old Georgi, the year is 1941, and the setting is Leningrad, where German forces are bombing and blockading the city. Georgi's sister, Marya, a Hermitage employee, escapes with museum artwork for safe keeping; their mother goes to the front as a nurse. Georgi and his friends remain to cope with the relentless cold, their debilitating hunger, and the death and destruction around them. Despite the first-person narration, the story is a bit reserved, refusing to milk the characters' suffering for an easy emotional response. Instead, Whelan creates a memorable, perhaps indelible, picture of a particular time and place. A recurring theme is the power of art, represented by the paintings and by the symphony written by Shostakovich for his imperiled city. No art lover should miss the absurd, yet ultimately moving, scene in which Georgi gives a farmer-turned-soldier his first tour of the Hermitage. Pointing to empty frame after empty frame, Georgi describes in vivid detail the paintings that belong within them. A brief author's note, a glossary, and a bibliography are appended. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (October 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060541121
• ISBN-13: 978-0060541125
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #794,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A boy who wanted to make a difference..., November 27, 2004

By 

hiphopgirl_1000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burying the Sun (Hardcover)

In Buring the Sun, the continuation of the stories first told in Angel on the Square and The Impossible Journey, 14-year-old Georgi and his family have returned to the city of Leningrad, rented a little apartment, and started up a new life. Leningrade, 1941, is a peaceful city, grand and beautiful but all changes when Germany turns against Russia and WWII finally hits the communist country. Suddenly Georgi's life becomes a whirlwind of change in preparation of war. His mother joins the Russian army as a nurse, his sister Marya is working at the Hermitage, a museum, where she is helping pack up the artwork so that they can be sent somewhere safer. Georgi is too young to join the Russian army but that doesn't stop him from trying to help the war effort. He and his friends do tasks around the city to help the needy. However the days grow darker as food and supplies is cut off from the city and the residents are literally starving to death. Georgi sees the once grand and tall city change in just a few months into hell. Is there some way he can help the city survive?

Gloria Whelan has once again written a poignant historical novel. Like its two predecessors, Burying the Sun doesn't try to hide the cruelities of war and famine. Instead Whelan tells the truth in a way that is not too horrific but still gets the suffering across. Her biggest achievement though is showing how the determination of one young boy managed to illuminate a city shrouded in the darkness of war.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great historical novel by Gloria Whelan., September 16, 2004

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Burying the Sun (Hardcover)

BURYING THE SUN continues the story of the family from ANGEL ON THE SQUARE and THE IMPOSSIBLE JOURNEY. This book is Georgi's story and begins when he is fourteen years old. The family has returned to Leningrad and rebuilt their lives there. But war lurks on the horizon, about to disrupt their peaceful lives. Georgi and his friend Yelena, along with the other young people of the city, are given "patriotic work" to do for the war effort, the first of many changes in their lives. Georgi's older sister Marya has to leave home, and soon the city falls under siege by the Germans. With food running low, Georgi is determined to find a way to help his city.

Gloria Whelan has written another wonderful historical novel and readers who enjoyed the first two books about this family won't want to miss it, and it will appeal to new readers who enjoy historical fiction as well.