A magnificent epic of love, war and Russia from the international bestselling author of TULLY and ROAD TO PARADISE Leningrad 1941: the white nights of summer illuminate a city of fallen grandeur whose palaces and avenues speak of a different age, when Leningrad was known as St Petersburg. Two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha, share the same bed, living in one room with their brother and parents. The routine of their hard impoverished life is shattered on 22 June 1941 when Hitler invades Russia. For the Metanova family, for Leningrad and particularly for Tatiana, life will never be the same again. On that fateful day, Tatiana meets a brash young man named Alexander. The family suffers as Hitler’s army advances on Leningrad, and the Russian winter closes in. With bombs falling and the city under siege, Tatiana and Alexander are drawn inexorably to each other, but theirs is a love that could tear Tatiana’s family apart, and at its heart lies a secret that could mean death to anyone who hears it. Confronted on the one hand by Hitler’s vast war machine, and on the other by a Soviet system determined to crush the human spirit, Tatiana and Alexander are pitted against the very tide of history, at a turning point in the century that made the modern world.
The Bronze Horseman is the perfect blend of romance, history and excellent storytelling! I canโt say enough about this book. I read it back in 2001 when it was scarcely published in the US and I found it on the bargain table of a Crown Books (anybody remember those?) that was closing. Little did I know Iโd be swept into one of the most beautiful romances in the midst of a raging war. This author does a beautiful balance of mixing historical detail with with love, devotion, deceit, starvation, sadness, longing and beauty. The recent popularity of this book felt like a special secret of mine being spread to the world, but Iโm so happy it did because everyone should spend at least a week with Alexander and Tatiana.
Quotes I liked:
We walk alone through this world, but if weโre lucky, we have a moment of belonging to something, to someone, that sustains us through a lifetime of loneliness.โ
-โLove is,โ she repeated slowly, looking only at Dasha, โwhen he is hungry and you feed him. Love is knowing when he is hungry.”
-โThey had no past. They had no future. They just were.โ
Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this multi-million-copy New York Times bestseller is the definitive manual for anyone interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control โ from the author of The Laws of Human Nature. I... read more
Review:The Measure by Nikki Erlick was a book I waited far too long to read. I just couldnโt stomach the idea that everyone in the world would find out their relative life span. The whole idea of this scared me but when my book club chose to read it, I dug in with enthusiasm.Iโm so glad I did. This book is more about life and how we live it, rather than about dying. Itโs told by a cast of eight characters who are deeply affected by the strings they received. The length of the string parallels the length of your life. All the characters are struggling with their results because even if he or she gets a long string, there will still be people they know will be gone soon.How the world at large handles the strings was so well done. People are switching boxes hoping it could change their destiny. Support groups are offered. Protests occur. The world is in a very different place. Much of this book made me think about the differences between fate and destiny. This story offers many intertwined connections between the characters that makes for a powerful and meaningful ending. Iโm so looking forward to whatโs next from this author. @nikkierlick @williammorrowbooks William Morrow ๐ Would you open a box that told you how long your lifespan is?#themeasure #scifilight#bookreader #bookclubpick #goodbookfairy... See MoreSee Less
I read it about the same time as you, and it’s one of my favorites as well.
Marilyn B.
you recommended this book to me and i absolutely fell in love! amazing plot and characters. kept me on the edge of my couch