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 can’t 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 I’d 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 I’m 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 we’re lucky, we have a moment of belonging to something, to someone, that sustains us through a lifetime of loneliness.”
-“Love is,” she repeated slowly, looking only at Dasha, “when he is hungry and you feed him. Love is knowing when he is hungry.”
-“They had no past. They had no future. They just were.”
Review:The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride is a moving and powerful novel about community, our differences, and having each other ‘s back. I listened to this on audio which was narrated amazingly well by Dominic Hoffman.Although James McBride is probably most well-known for his first book, The Color of Water, which I adored, this too will make a mark on readers everywhere. Although I thought this would be a plot driven book based on the very first scenes, I could not have been more wrong. This story is driven solely on these perfectly flawed and nuanced characters. I adored Shona and Moshe, Nate and Addi and of course, Dodo, who the town is trying to save from the “school” he’s been sent too.I don’t want to give spoilers but know that the heart of this book is about humanity and connectivity to one another no matter your religion, color or ethnicity. @jamesmcbrideauthor @riverheadbooks @prhaudio 📘: When is last time you wrote a letter? #bookrecs#newbookreview#igbookreview#igbookreviews #TBR #addtoTBR #historicalfiction#histfic #jamesmcbride #readersmatter #booksmaatter#goodbookfairybookreviews #goodbookfairy... See MoreSee Less
Reading cookbooks is one of my favorite ways to relax. As an empty nester, I don't cook as much as I'd like to, but I still love to read new recipes. I made these amazing Mashed Potato, Kale and Feta cheese pancakes. It was easy, delicious and I cut the recipe in half!Copy and paste this link to purchase: amzn.to/48L0xxR{affiliate purchase}📘: What's your favorite thing to cook? (besides re#cookbookreader##cookbooke#cookbookreadersc#NewRecipese#cookinge#recipeso#goodbookfairy #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