The Madonnas of Leningrad

The Madonnas of Leningrad received mixed reviews. The Guardian wrote "Debra Dean paints a powerful portrait of a woman with Alzheimer's, a disease that makes the past an increasingly persistent intrusion on the present."^[1] A review by the Historical Novel Society called it "a beautifully-written novel, a haunting tribute to the power of memory to help us survive in the worst of times."^[2] and Ruth Rendell described it as "marvellous".^[3] The New York Times observed that "The story is a little too schematic, and Dean's writing a little uneven", but also said that "it largely avoids the sentimentality that mars so much writing about the old and infirm."^[4]

The Madonnas of Leningrad has also been reviewed by BookPage,^[5] Publishers Weekly,^[6] and Kirkus Reviews.^[7]

• Library holdings of The Madonnas of Leningrad
• National Public Radio interview with Dean about The Madonnas of Leningrad