January 20, 2010 | Life in General,Reading is FUNdamental,Road Trip Wednesday,Writer Moment
Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival”, where YA Highway‘s contributors post a weekly writing or reading-related question and answer it in on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.
You’re more than welcome to participate! Just answer the question on your own blog, and leave a link to it in their comments.
Topic #13: What book(s) do you love that no one else has ever heard of
My Sergei: A Love Story by Ekaterina Gordeeva with E.M. Swift
Synopsis
They were two mismatched kids teamed by the Soviets to perform for the state, but they grew up to win four World Championships, two Olympic gold medals — and the adoration of millions. Along the way, they fell madly in love and married. By 1995 they were the most celebrated pairs skaters ever — until Sergei died of a sudden heart attack that year. In this moving love letter, Katya recalls their storybook romance and their thrilling career as skating stars, even offering a candid glimpse behind the Olympic glitter. And she bares her heart as she tells of Sergei’s tragedy, her struggle to build a new life for herself and her daughter, and the courage she needed to skate again…alone.
If you’re not familiar with the ice skating world, then you’ve probably never heard of these skaters, or this book. I am a GINORMOUS ice skating fan, particularly pairs, and the Russian pairs team of Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov were my favorites.
What’s shocking is that Sergei died on the ice during practice, at the young age of 28. He had a heart condition that had gone undetected. Watching these two skate was amazing. You could totally tell that they loved skating and they loved each other. I think all pairs skaters wanted to be them, to skate like them. They made it look so effortless.
When he died, I was stunned. Completely. Stunned. And so devastated. I cried. When she skated by herself for the first time, it was heartbreaking. I cried. When this book came out, I snapped it up because I wanted to read their story. They were my favorite skaters. They were part of the reason why I loved watching the sport, watching the pairs teams, and continue to do so.
Technorati Tags: Road Trip Wednesday, YA Highway, My Sergei: A Love Story, Ekaterina Gordeeva, E.M. Swift, Sergei Grinkov
Kaitlin says:
That sounds like a beautiful/sad book!
Wendy Prior says:
I read that book too and loved it! It absolutely broke my heart too. It was the most tragic, beautiful love story (and why my stories are almost always tragic love stories too, just because of this book!) I can’t believe you chose this one!
Celise says:
Wendy – Wow! You read this, too? That’s so cool. I really didn’t think I’d be the only one, but still…glad you liked it.
Celise says:
Kaitlin – Yes, it was, but it was such a great insight into who they were off the ice. I’m glad I was able to get a glimpse of that. When you watched them skate you could just tell they were soulmates. Heartbreaking, to say the least. But they were an amazing pair.