My Sergei: A Love Story
by Ekaterina Gordeeva, E. M. Swift
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Book Summary Information
Author: E. M. Swift, Ekaterina GordeevaEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1997-10-01
ISBN: 0446605336
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Book Reviews of My Sergei: A Love Story
Book Review: My Sergei
Summary: 5 Stars
Performing in their flawless, elegant, and unique style, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov were the most celebrated pairs skaters of all time. Tragically, Their fairy-tale perfect story came to an end on November 20, 1995 when Sergei died of a heart attack at the age of twenty-eight. This book was appealing for its skating theme and tragic love story. Ice skating has always been a beautiful, elegant sport to all who watch, but we rarely know the full story behind the athletes we see. To learn about this couple who were initially partners on the ice and then partners in life seemed very interesting. They were two soul mates who were partners on and off the ice.
Ekaterina Gordeeva was a tiny, serious and very shy girl of eleven who was always obedient. Sergei Grinkov was a fun-loving, outgoing boy of fifteen. Both were talented and dedicated. They were mismatched kids paired together as chance. Ekaterina, or Katia as people call her, recalls this as the start of their relationship, although she knew none of it at the time.
Gordeeva and Grinkov (G & G as they were known) they won four World Championships and two Olympic gold medals. At their first Olympics, Katia did not think they really deserved a gold medal. They were with a strict coach who had them do plain non-original programs. There was no expressive movements or technical merit. Socially, Katia's experience was negative because she was only sixteen. She did not fit in with all the older kids, and often felt lonely. They would go to bars and leave her out. After the Olympics, Katia and Sergei felt it was time to switch coaches. They wanted better choreography and increased difficulty in their routines. One of their old coaches came back to them. Marina Zueva was an amazing creative choreographer and coach. She also had the best musical taste. She taught them new elements and facial moods to express when they skated. This was important to Katia because they were able to make their skating unique and interesting to watch.
Between training and competing, the couple fell madly in love. They managed to express their deep emotions for each other in a passionate skating style. They married and had a child a year later. Their daughter was born on September 11, 1992, and was named Daria. Their skating became even more inspired by the birth of Daria. Katia felt very fortunate and happy to have such a wonderful family. Sergei was her protector and would never do anything to harm her. It was almost like a fantasy. In their second Olympics, they did a program to the Moonlight Sonata and won gold. It was what they had been wishing for so long. "This one we won for each other." (page 226) Katia felt her goal had been finally reached.
On November 20, 1995, Katia and Sergei were doing a routine practice session with Marina. They were skating through their early movements of their developing program. They were supposed to do crossovers before a lift. "The full orchestra was just coming in, one of those high waves of music Marina liked so much. Sergei was gliding on the ice, but he didn't do the crossovers. His hand didn't go around my waist for the lift." (page 255) Sergei glided into the boards, then bent his knees and lay down on the ice carefully. Marina came over to him, and she knew it was a heart attack and started CPR on him. When he was brought to the hospital, the doctor gave him electric shocks and a shot of Adrenalin in the heart. However, they had lost Sergei. The next few weeks were a blur. There were many arrangements to be done and decisions to be made. Katia was very devastated and felt as if her life had ended also.
A celebration of Sergei's life was planned. Fellow skaters came together to put on a show, and Katia prepared a solo program. She was so emotional throughout the celebration. When she went out to skate her solo, it felt as if someone was holding her hand and guiding her. This was important to Katia because she wanted to be able to say goodbye to Sergei by doing the thing they had worked so hard on throughout their lives, skating.
While Katia was in the dreamy romance with her husband, she became very oblivious to the world around her. She was always dependent on Sergei to protect and guide her. Katia was afraid to trust people or say things that might hurt them. Also, she was afraid of what people might say about her. "Time I have learned, is a doctor. Skating has been the best medicine for me." (page 289) She felt that God was sending her a message, to open her eyes to the world and experience what it was like not to be so blessed. She is now learning the disappointments of life. Katia has a job of building a new life for Daria and herself. Katia is now reaching out to friends and being more interested in their lives. She is getting to know her parents again, and make up for all the time she was traveling away from home. Finally, she is learning that there are new things in life to discover. As for skating, she has yet to summon the courage to skate alone with only Sergei's spirit to guide her.
Summary of My Sergei: A Love Story
Thrown together as children by the Soviet regime and told to skate for the good of the state, Sergei Grinkov and Katia Gordeeva became the most celebrated pairs skaters in the world--falling madly in love, marrying, and having a beautiful baby daughter. But after winning two Olympic gold medals and four World Championships, Katia's world collapsed when Sergei suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 28. A deeply moving, heartfelt memoir of their remarkable lives, this is Katia's final love letter to her beloved Sergei. This edition will contain an epilogue written by Ekaterina Gordeeva. 16-page photo insert. National ads/media.Biographies Books
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