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Summary: It left me breathless....
Review: I can't believe that Tatiana and Alexander are created. This book is my absolute favorite book and I know it will be for years to come. I've read it about 10 times since it's come out and that number would be higher, except that I've lent it out (and selfishly stressed when it left my home). My husband thinks I'm weird, but I can't stop thinking about the Tania & Alexander. They stay with you. I don't know how, but they do. Writing a review .... saying words that have been said so many times before.... doesn't seem adequate. If you haven't, give this book a chance. You'll come to know why many of us had sleepless nights (even after finishing) and ignored our families. :) And why we feel in love with both these characters. Thank you, Ms Simons, for sharing them with us.
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Summary: The Best
Review: I read this book awhile ago and finally am posting a review. Enough people wrote about the plot. When I read this book, I was obsessed with it and could not put it down. I cried, laughed, ect. I don't think I will ever find a book that moved me like this one did. I personally loved the setting and time period. I have been to Russia often (though not during this time period) and feel she has captured the feeling of the time and the people. I rarely keep books, but this one I will have always and will reread. I also purchased the sequel from UK Amazon and it was well worth it. Sequel is good and puts closure so I could move on from Alexander and Tatiana. I also recommend Tully by Simmons, but for different reasons. I really hope to read more in the future from Simmons.
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Summary: An Amazing Piece of Literature
Review: Once in a person's lifetime comes a book so compelling that the reader is actually haunted by the text long after the last word is read and the cover closed. The well-developed plot and round characters make this not only an amazingly emotional story, but an example of excellent literary technique. Ms. Simons writes in such a way that the reader is deeply affected by the predicaments her two lovers face. This is an excellent love story, but also a tale of human triumph. The characters become a part of your life you will never forget. You will cry. I guarantee it. This book will not just tug on your heart strings; it envelops your entire soul and plays a musical chorus. My only wish is to love at least half as passionately as Tatiana and Alexander. It would be more than enough for several lifetimes.
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Summary: Bronze Horseman is a golden treasure
Review: Review of The Bronze Horseman, by by Paullina Simons
Reviewer: Mark Lamendola This is one of the most spell-binding books I have read in a very long time. Actually, I heard it on cassette, narrated by Kate Burton. Ms. Burton, a stage presence in her own right, is the daughter of Richard Burton. Obviously, the publishers thought highly of this book. And they had good reason to. Ms. Simons was born and reared in Leningrad, and immigrated to the USA. She's written other books, including a sequel to this one. Unfortunately, the sequel (Tatiana and Alexander) is available in some countries (e.g., Australia) but not yet in the USA. As a reader, you can't help but yearn for Tatiana and Alexander to realize their hopes and dreams. Yet, they face so many obstacles along the way that it's never certain they will. Their immense and powerful love for each other is evident, time after time. The siege of Leningrad, in World War II, is something few American history books talk about. But, those of us who have read about what happened know how horrific it was. Ms. Simons lived there, and was able to talk to people who had--barely--lived through it. And that siege formed the backdrop for this intense tale of passion, betrayal, and danger. It all began when 17-year old Tatiana was eating an ice cream on a beach when she noticed a Red Army soldier staring at her. Events moved forward from there. As Tatiana suffered one loss after another--her twin brother, her father, her mother, and her sister--Alexander showed his love for her. He often did so at great risk. In fact, Alexander risked everything for Tatiana at the end of the novel. But, this love was not one-sided. Tatiana gave of herself, repeatedly--and also took great risks. This story is not about two young people who survive war. It's really about two young people caught in a complex web spun by other people--like the devious Dmitri--while the circumstances of war also bear down on them. The Bronze Horseman brings romance, suspense, and adventure together into a story that is memorable and moving. That it's also entertaining, breathtaking, and heartbreaking is simply icing on a very tasty cake. Ms. Simons has a few books published. I hope she writes many more of this caliber.
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Summary: Powerful and powerless
Review: The Bronze Horseman is the most amazing book I have ever read in my entire life. It is so powerful that it leaves you powerless to put it down. I loved Tully, but this was even more amazing as the sequal Bridge to the Holy Cross made it doubly as long and doubly beautiful. It is an emotion, heartbreaking and heartwarming book and I will never forget it. I recommend everyone to read it as you won't regret it <3
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Summary: THE BRONZE HORSEMAN-THE BEST BOOK EVER!!!!
Review: THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ! THE SCOPE OF THE WORK IS SO VAST - FROM AMERICA TO THE URALS VIA ST PETERSBERG AND BACK - YET IT IS ALSO A SIMPLE STORY OF LOVE BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE. THE STORYTELLING ALSO BENEFITS FROM THE AUTHORS MANY MONTHS OF RESEARCH INTO HER SUBJECT. THE DESCRIPTIONS OF RUSSIA AND OF HER WAR ARE BREATHTAKING AND REALLY TAKES THE READER BACK IN TIME. IF YOU NEVER READ ANOTHER BOOK, READ THIS ON!
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Summary: Such a sweet book
Review: I'm not giving this book 5 stars because I completely enjoyed it. It sucked me in from about the 20th page, the characters, the setting, everything was wonderful. It was an exciting depiction of a Leningrad under siege and what the people trapped inside had to do to survive. It takes you from the famous "White Nights" where the sky stays light well into the evening, to the bitter winter, where it was always dark. I could imagine what it must have been like to try to survive on the amount of food they had left at the end. Alexander is a powerful character who was rivaled only by Tatiana with her strength and compassion. If you are looking for a love story then this is a very, very powerful love story.
I just wasn't looking for a love story when I read this book. Unfortunately, after the amount of pages I had put into it, I also couldn't throw it aside and call it a bodice ripper and a sappy love story. It has so much more depth than that as well. After all they had gone through to get to where they had gotten, they definetly deserved their happy interludes. I kept reading almost against my will. Still, this book made me depressed in some way. I can offer two reasons for that, the first reason is because it is a powerful story, with powerful characters. If you could go through your entire life and constantly do the right thing, and sacrifice everything of yourself for the person you loved, then you would live like Tatiana and Alexander. If you've ever loved and lost, this book will depress you. If you feel like you've never met a person that important to you, this book will depress you. Hmm, or maybe that's just me. Anyways, I'm giving this book five stars because it deserves five stars.
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Summary: Very moving....
Review: I LAUGHED, I CRIED, I HUNGERED, I BLED. I LIVED this book. It is so amazing.
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Summary: New Zealanders beware!
Review: New Zealanders (or perhaps even Aussies) please be aware that this books sequel IS available in NZ under the different title of 'THE BRIDGE TO HOLY CROSS' (not titled 'Tatiana and Alexander' as it is in the UK as stated here). I bought this book via the UK site before realising that the same book stared at me from across the road in the bookstore with a different title! I have no idea why different markets have different names, but there you go. Now I can't wait to read it! By the way I loved the Bronzed Horseman, very very good.
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Summary: Riveting!
Review: I loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone. A very rich romantic novel set in a turbulent time in the history of the Soviet Union. If you are a Simons fan, don't miss it! I would also recommend "Tully" and "Red Leaves" to anyone that is new to to her work. Paullina Simons is a master storyteller, and has created a work of art with her latest novel. This story is reminiscent of "Dr. Zhivago", but I prefer "The Bronze Horseman". I saw "Dr. Zhivago" recently after reading this book, and wondered what all the fuss was about! Her books would do quite as well as movies. I'm very glad to have come across this book and this author. The only one of her books that I did not like was "Eleventh Hour", more for the subject matter than anything else. It's hard to make a story about the kidnapping of a pregnant woman upbeat or inspirational. That is the only Simons book I would not recommend. If you only read one of her books, make it "The Bronze Horseman"!
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