My Sergei: A Love Story

Beautiful but tragic love story. It makes me believe that real love exists. This couple was so special and their love made their skating look magical.

I read this book many years ago. With the Olympics on, while watching skating, I decided to revisit it. This book is written by Katia, shortly after Sergei passed away at age 28 of heart troubles. It is a fascinating look of how Russia used to be. Katia and Sergei were chosen to be figure skating pairs at age 11 and 14. This book chronicles their growth from learning to skate, being paired together, to quickly becoming champions. We see their relationship grow from almost like siblings to friends, to partners, to lovers, to married and parents. Sergei is always portrayed as a very kind gentleman, who was always respectful to Katia and always cared for her. It came through in their skating, he always showed her off. All outside accounts also describe him as such a wonderful man. As I was reading, every page I turned, I wanted to stop time. We know Sergei is going to die, Katia will be a widow, and their daughter Daria will be left without a father. But we don't want this to happen. Read it with Kleenex handy! This book reads like Katia is speaking directly to us, like she is sitting in the room and telling us their story. The wording is sometimes a little stilted, as she learned English as a teenager. Sergei did not speak it (he did understand it, however) so Katia was their voice. He cared for her and protected her in so many ways, and this was her portion of helping. Even if you don't like skating, or never saw them skate (you can always watch on YouTube), this is a great book to read. A biography, autobiography, sports book, romance all rolled into one.

I liked learning about two of the finest pairs of ice skaters the world has ever seen.

I remember this beautiful couple skating and exuding great love foe one another. They complimented each other and fit perfectly together like a finished puzzle. When I saw Katia skate alone in her tribute to Serge I was overcome with emotions. As I finished this wonderful memoir , I became emotional again. How unfair life can be sonetimes but, how amazing and blessed! To know such tender love is rare so I like to think she remains blessed. He gave her a beautiful daughter and somehow God took him home but knew exactly what she needed to keep going on. This was an exceptionally moving sweet story and it will stay with me forever. Her advice to say I love you and treasure each moment with a loved one is spot on. I always wondered what became of sweet Katia after this painful loss. They were both so young. I am happy she continued to skate and found solace in that and in her little girl, Daria. She will always keep her husbands memory alive in every time she performs.

I really enjoyed watching figure skating when I was a kid, and I was 9 or 10 when I saw the docudrama on television when it aired in 1996; it really stuck with me for some reason. I first bought this book at a school book fair around the time it was published (I have no idea what this kind of book was doing at a MIDDLE school book fair, I might add). I didn't really get much from it and I think it was because, as a child, I just couldn't comprehend or relate to it; I ended up giving the book away a few years later. After watching the docudrama for the first time in like 13 years, I bought the book again for my Kindle. Now, at 24, the same age Katia was when all this happened, and after having been married myself for almost 3 years, re-reading her story has left a much greater and more profound impression on me.Gordeeva has a good narrating voice and a casual, yet deeply intimate, writing style that makes you feel like you're a close friend. I found the glimpses into her Soviet childhood (so different from an American one) and her intensive training as interesting as her unfolding love story with Sergei. The love story itself is so simple and natural that it's appeal is immediate. But I think the real success of this book is in the fact that she's sort of given Sergei a voice. Because of the language barrier, he didn't speak in American/English-speaking broadcasts during TV profiles or interviews, Katia would do all the talking. So, you never got a good sense of who he was. But one thing that was clearly evident (on the ice and even when he was just sitting next to her in the profiles) was how much he adored Katia, and by the end of her book, you know exactly why.The only regret you have after finishing the book is that you don't know MORE about Sergei because Katia herself was still learning things about him, things they perhaps hadn't thought to talk about, thinking they would have the next 50 years to keep discovering each other. That they didn't is another facet of the tragedy.Her closing words, so fearful and sad but also nostalgic and hopeful, will have you in tears. But the advantage of reading this book again 15 years after the fact is knowing that Katia did in fact do what she'd hoped: she just kept going, and you have to think that this, her insurmountable strength of will, is what Sergei saw and loved in her. They accomplished so much, for themselves, their daughter, their parents, their country, and it's all in here and you shouldn't pass this one up.

This is a beautiful story from Katia (Ekaterina) a memoir and tribute to their love story and career. I read it when it initially was released many years ago, just got this version.

So special, beautiful and sad..I am really glad I read this. Kind of funny, sometimes tender and silly. Wonderful book

Con un linguaggio semplice ma efficace Katia racconta di sé, della Russia della, sua infanzia, dei suoi genitori, della vita di una ragazza in USSR. E del pattinaggio, dei sacrifici, di un incontro 'sportivo' che si trasforma in un matrimonio. I successi, la fama, gli amici, i team di lavoro.... E racconta di una fine che precede un nuovo inizio. Autentico e struggente.

La vraie histoire de Sergei Grinkov et Katia Gordeva, champions de patinage artistique en couple de 1984 a 1995. Une superbe et tragique histoire d'amour racontée par Katia avec pudeur, comment leur relation s'est construite par petite touche depuis l'enfance dans les années de l'union soviétique en passant de partenaire professionnel, a une affection fraternelle puis amicale chaleureuse pour aboutir a une histoire d'amour très touchante ! Un homme superbe, fort, mari affectueux et père attentionné, fauché brutalement a l'âge de 28 ans a l'entrainement ! Un couple magique et merveilleux qui restera éternel dont il nous reste heureusement de nombreuses vidéos pour pouvoir les admirer !

Lovely book very sad in places but very insightful . I would highly recommend recommend to anybody a great read