A Love That Will Never Die

                        My Sergei: A Love Story
                        By Ekaterina Gordeeva, as told to E.M. Swift
                        Warner Books, � 1996
                        292 Pages

On November 20, 1995, the skating world lost one of its most precious members when Sergei Grinkov died of a heart attack during a routine practice in Lake Placid, NY. Now, his wife and partner Ekaterina Gordeeva writes of their career, of a partnership that spanned over a decade and a love that will never die, in My Sergei: A Love Story, a book which went on to hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.

This is a story not only of a remarkable skating career, but also an endearing romance. Joined as children in Russia, Katia and Sergei grew to become what many consider the greatest pairs team of all time. Known for their passionate, precise, and seamless programs, G&G (as they were called by their fans and the skating community) were virtually unbeatable, winning four world titles and two Olympic gold medals during their amateur career. Partners not only on ice, but also off, the pair later married and had a daughter, Daria.

In My Sergei, Gordeeva pays tribute to her partner, lover and best friend, recounting their fairy-tale romance and their brilliant career. Reliving the day of Grinkov's death, Katia talks of her grief, of her loss, and of rebuilding her life without the man who'd always been by her side; of skating, and summoning the courage to take the ice alone.

In a beautiful book with over 75 pages of colour and black-and-white photographs, author E.M. Swift (of Sports Illustrated) captures Gordeeva's voice perfectly in a style reminiscent of G&G's skating - lyrical in its simplicity, heartbreaking in its beauty. This book is a must-read for any skating fan - an inside look at a pairs team the lik of which the skating world may never see again, and the kind of love that few will ever find.


Review Copyright � 1997 Y.T.S..