Winter Garden

The Siege of Leningrad was a prolonged military campaign initiated by the Axis Powers against the Soviet Union between 1941 and 1944. On the eastern front of World War II, Germany invaded Leningrad from the south while the Finnish Army invaded from the north, creating a circle around the city.

The siege began on September 8, 1941, and was one of history’s longest and most destructive sieges. Historians later classified the campaign as genocide because Hitler intended to systematically starve and destroy the city’s populace. Hitler targeted Leningrad because it symbolized the Russian Revolution, its military importance, and its industrial significance. As readers learn during the novel, Anya lived through the Siege of Leningrad, though she lost several family members. She carries this loss and trauma with her after the siege, explaining why she is cold and emotionally distant toward her daughters. The novel’s setting during the siege also provides Anya’s cultural background, as Hannah frequently mentions Russian art, culture, food, and language.

Leningrad’s population before WWII was over 3.3 million. Around 1.7 million citizens evacuated the city using the Road of Life, the Red Army’s route to bring supplies into Leningrad and aid its defense. The road went over a lake, so they used boats in the warmer weather and vehicles while the lake was frozen. By the end of the siege, upward of 1.5 million people were dead, including many of those who tried to evacuate. Hannah exemplifies the perils of evacuation when Anya, Leo, and Vera experience a German attack on the train meant to get children out of Leningrad. Likewise, Anya loses her husband and children as they attempt to evacuate the city again.

The most destructive period during the siege occurred during the winter of 1941-1942, when extremely cold temperatures added to the people’s suffering. About 100,000 people died during January and February alone. Hannah depicts this particularly difficult time by having Anya become more withdrawn and depressed during the winters following Leningrad’s liberation. Her family knows that winter is harder for her to endure than other times of the year, and her experience during the siege explains why.

The Red Army attempted some offensive operations in 1942 and 1943 to liberate the city but repeatedly failed. In January 1944, however, the Red Army finally expelled the German forces on the city’s south side. The Red Army then pushed back the Finnish Army by the summer of 1944. Although Anya survives the Siege of Leningrad and moves on to have a new husband and family after Leningrad’s liberation, she feels a deep sense of loss and grief, making it difficult for her to make emotional connections. However, by sharing her experience with her daughters, Anya overcomes her past trauma and lives the rest of her life in peace despite her turbulent youth.