In her book, "My Sergei," Olympic gold medalist Ekaterina Gordeeva (Katia, to her friends) shares the significant events in her life-- her family, experiences, thoughts and emotions, and life with and without her skating partner and husband, Sergei Grinkov. She tells her story in an open and friendly voice, so honest in its descriptions that it draws the reader in from the first paragraph and holds your attention throughout the novel.

The memoir goes through Katia Gordeeva's early childhood and her experiences in the former Soviet Union, but mostly centers on the loving relationship between Katia and Sergei as they went from pairs skating partners to husband and wife, and later became parents with the birth of their daughter, Daria. Sergei's untimely death of heart disease on Nov. 20, 1995 brings the emotional rollercoaster to its lowest point, but with the help of friends and family, Katia proves herself to be a survivor endowed with enough strength and love to reach out even in the midst of her pain.

Gordeeva and Grinkov's struggles for gold medals at the 1988 and 1994 Winter Olympics, their amateur and professional achievements in skating, and their close relationship to one another are wonderfully depicted in this novel. The political, technical and artistic elements of the sport of figure skating, usually so much of a mystery to the general public, are opened up with warm and gentle hands to be viewed and understand, perhaps better than any other figure skating book ever written.

In assisting Katia with the writing of the novel, author E.M. Swift was wise enough not to embellish Katia's words beyond their intended meanings or simple depictions, while at the same time helping to clarify and enhance her vocabulary and voice.

"My Sergei" is an enriching book on the depth and passion of love, and the strength of the human spirit under the most heart-wrenching and painful circumstances. It is truly a good read.

Highly recommended for anyone who cherishes love, family, and friendship. This book is a moving account of the love and loss Ekaterina (Katia) Gordeeva experienced with Sergei Grinkov. Katia was only 24 when she lost Sergei Grinkov, her husband of five years and skating partner of 13 years, to a fatal heart attack. To most people 25 years is but a very short segment of our lives. When seen through the eyes of Katia, 25 years is an enormous portion of the gift we call "Life". With honesty and emotion interspersed with uplifting humor, Katia tells of her life with Sergei Grinkov. She shares with us the rigors or training and rigid discipline required of Olympic Figure Skating champions, the passion and emotion that made G & G the greatest figure skating pair of all time, the hearts and souls of two young children growing up in Russia, the tender romance of a kind and gentle young man and a naive teengage girl, the love and devotion to one another, and the joy of raising their young daughter. Katia has the ability to tell their life story in such a way as to leave you, not with the impression of a perfect life, but of a life filled with the perfect love. Gordeeva and Grinkov were not perfect nor were their lives, but the love was always there to guide them through life's struggles. If ever two people were made for each other, it must have been Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov

Figure skating fans will recall the shocking death of pairs' gold medalist Sergei Grinkov on 20 November 1995. In this poignant memoir, his partner and widow, Ekaterina Gordeeva, shares the story of their lives together as skaters, husband and wife, and as parents.

Gordeeva and Grinkov - G&G - were perhaps the greatest pairs skaters of all time. Thoroughout their career, they touched the hearts of millions, bringing an elegance and perfection to ice that the sport has never seen before - or since.

Through this joyous look back at their career and lives, Katia shares their story, from humble beginnings as athletes in the Soviet sports machine to their triumphant Olympic gold medal wins in 1988 and 1994. She offers a rare insider's glimpse into the recently-scandalous world of Olympic skating and the preparation that goes into every performance.

Despite its tragic ending, the book is uplifting to read, which is one of the reasons that I have dog-eared my copy many times over. Katia's gentle, yet simple storytelling is both heart-wrenching and funny, especially her stories about their lives in America as recent immigrants to a world so different from the one they were raised in. Throughout, she fondly remembers the various competitions, routines, and holidays that marked her life.

It is rare to find a memoir that is so soul-bearing and touching as "My Sergei". While it is a love story, it is also so much more. It's a story of triumph, of the strength of the human spirit, and of love conquering over all.

I first read this shortly after its original publication, and have delved into it many times since. It's one book that I never tire of, and it is one that has touched millions of readers, skating fans and non-fans alike.

A lovely book filled with photos. As enjoyable to me as well as to my nine year old daughter, both skating fans. We liked being able to see the photos of Daria as she has grown from a baby and how important her grandparents as well as her skating family have been to her and Katia. I would have liked to read more about Daria with Sergei also, and how she is coping, but perhaps this is too personal. We wish them the best and hope she publishes another book in the near future keeping us updated.

This is a delightful book that showcases a mother's obvious love for her daughter and for her own mother and grandmother. In this book Katia reveals as much or more about herself than she did in her previous book (also a great book) and tells lots of cute and funny antecdotes about her family. As much as I love My Sergei, I think I actually like this one better. But, you should know, it is written for an older children's reading level and is very different from My Sergei in style.

Just so no one is mislead, there is NO mention of abortion in this book. Katia says only that she was very lucky that her parents and Sergei were supportive of her having Daria - nothing more, nothing less. Nor does Katia mislead anyone about her (and Sergei's) arrangements for the care of her/their daughter while they were away from home on tour for half the year (her parents moved to the U.S. with them so they could care for Daria while her parents worked (touring) - all children should be so lucky to have their grandparents with them rather than spending long hours in daycare - and Katia expresses her gratitude that that option was available and her desire to do the same for Daria's children one day just as her grandmother took care of her while her own parents were away).

In short, this is a delightful book that anyone with a mother or a child can enjoy and appreciate whether they are fans of skating or not. The wisdom Katia has gained from her grandmother and mother and passes on (along with her mom) to Daria is delightful and rings true across all cultures. This book also has some interesting glimpses into Russian/Soviet culture as it differs from our own.

Obviously a previous reader didn't actually read this book since Katia doesn't talk about aborting her child in A Letter for Daria. This book is full of stunning pictures and you can see the love and happiness within this family. The story to her daughter is wonderful. Maybe this book will start a trend-all mothers should write journals to their children. I wish mine had.

I thought that Anne E. Hill did a wonderful job on this book. I loved all the pictures included, many from G & G's earlier years. The cover illustrations are beautiful, and the layout is easy to read. If you have read "My Sergei", a lot of the information is repeated, and there are many quotes from there. However, I did learn a lot of new facts too. An enjoyable read, would recommend for anyone, not just fans. Tells the incredible story of love, heartbreak, and moving on with life throughout tough circumstances.

this book is aimed at young readers, and it tells the story of Ekaterina Gordeeva and her late husband Sergei Grinkov's first meeting, first success as a pairs team, Olympic glory and to her life now without Sergei. An interesting topic and well worth reading as Gordeeva is talented and strong minded young women that young people can admire.

I mostly enjoyed this book for the pictures only. I was kind ofdisappointed when I bought it because mostly, the writer parrots whatKatia wrote in My Sergei and said in the video documentary. Nothing new. The pictures are never seen before but if you want to know about Katia Gordeeva, buy My Sergei.

This book had many b&w photos of Gordeeva and Grinkov that I had not seen before. The book is very nice for older children/pre-teens: pretty easy reading, and has basic facts about Katia's life in a nice format. Everyone else: If you want to learn about Katia, buy My Sergei (definate 5 stars)instead.