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    The Bronze Horseman
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    The Bronze Horseman
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    The Bronze Horseman
    Ebook1,112 pages18 hours

    The Bronze Horseman

    By Paullina Simons

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler's armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.

    Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana—and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander's impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects—a secret as devastating as the war itself—as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 17, 2009
    ISBN9780061739712
    Author

    Paullina Simons

    Paullina Simons is the author of Tully and The Bronze Horseman, as well as ten other beloved novels, a memoir, a cookbook, and two children’s books. Born in Leningrad, Russia, Paullina immigrated to the United States when she was ten, and now lives in New York with her husband and an alarming number of her once-independent children.

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    Reviews for The Bronze Horseman

    4.5/5

    116 ratings52 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Oh Gosh, I honestly could not swoon more over a book! This one is an epic love story that should not be overlooked. My heart ached and my gut wrenched several times. Everything felt so real and even when the book was closed I was still consumed in the characters lives.

      It is a story of hardships, war life, and forbidden romance. The main characters will grab your heart and hold it captive. The romance is so intense. It's not a mushy kind of love, but more of a I'll do anything to be with you kind of love. The sexual tensions pours off the pages and leaves you begging for more. It was intimate, intricate, and just flat out EPIC.

      Normally, I have the urge to skim when books are long, but this one held my attention and sucked me in one word at a time. Even now, three days later, I cannot get into another book because my brain is still with Alexander and Tatiana. They were a couple like no other and the story was one I will never forget.

      The Bronze Horseman will leave you appreciating the life you live and it will have you holding onto your loved ones a little longer. It is a fictional story based on a past time reality. It will mess with your mind and heart so be prepared!

      I can't wait to start book two.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely the best book I have ever read! I could never put it down and it actually brought tears to my eyes. The author makes you feel like you are right there beside Alex & Tatiana. A must read for anyone!
    • 5/5
      A beautiful romance set in 1941 Russia. You can't put it down!
    • 5/5
      Being an English major, I've had to read a lot of books the past few years and this is truly one of the best books I've ever read in my life. It has absolutely everything you could possibly want in a book. Amazing, very dynamic characters that will make you laugh and cry. The writing is outstanding. Incredible drama and suspense. And the most exquisite love story you will probably ever read. The couldn't disagree with the other review more- this is book one of a trilogy, so the "ending" isn't really the ending at all. I can't praise this book highly enough.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book so much! I don't even know where to start with this review.... This is quite possibly the best book I have ever read. I laughed, cried, and screamed while reading it. It has consumed my life for days and I can honestly say it was so worth it. I am glad also this is a trilogy, I am not ready to be done with Alexander and Tatiana.
    • 4/5
      I would have given it 4 stars but it was looong!
    • 5/5
      Tatiana is one of the most amazing characters EVER written. She is so strong, and selfless and the story Paullina Simons told inspired so many emotions. I have a ton of favorite books but this one is the one that I hold closest to my heart.
    • 5/5
      One of the best works of historical fiction I have ever read. These novels encompass history from the Russian Revolution and WWI all the way through the Vietnam war and into the 21st century. A powerful tale of romance, war, struggle, and triumph by one couple bound by war and tragedy.
    • 4/5
      Very long, but good! Will have to re-read for details.
    • 5/5
      Epic sweeping historical romance, couldn't put it down!
    • 4/5
      This read in a very young adult kind of way for me and I'm not sure why. You definitely have an element of historical fiction rolled into a young romantic storyline.

      Tatitana and Alexander are destined to be together. That's not really a spoiler, you can pretty much tell from the moment they lock eyes across a creme brulee ice cream. However, they couldn't have picked a worse time. Hitler has invaded the Soviet Union and everything about war - the rations, the starvation, the war, and death in general surrounds every bit of their life. Yet...you have to believe in that whole "destiny" thing, which you do.

      Even though it's history, you DO find yourself sort of cheering for the young couple, no matter how many obstacles they face. Ridiculous number of obstacles, mind you. As a result, the suspension of disbelief is a little high. Likeable book - and for me, a pretty fast read, even with a boatload of pages.
    • 4/5
      There are so many levels to this book, it is quite hard to know where to begin in this review. I loved this book, but at times was frustrated, happy, sad, once I even thought Is it ever going to end.

      Let me walk you through this book carefully-

      The main character Tania, or Tatia, or well she had so many nicknames but they all fit her by whomever used them. I could relate to her, I could relate to her naivety, her innocence, her being scared of finding love for the very first time (even though it hasn't really happened for me.) The first day of war, she is sent out for groceries and finds a solider instead, but that small happiness quickly ends for her.

      It seems that her older sister has fallen in love with Alexander first.

      Can I understand this sisterly bond, oh so very well, even though my sister is closer to me in age. Would I give up on love just because my sister found the guy first, I did have that thought, and I really did think it through. My reaction or should I say my action would probably have been the same as Tania, she said it best when she said that there were many men out there but she only had one sister. Would I have lied about my feelings and hidden them inside the deepest part of my heart...oh heck yes. I can't say though as things got worse for everyone if that would have changed.

      The dynamic of family in Russia, it was very hard for me to understand. Maybe this is why Alexander was so mad at everyone for taking advantage of Tania.

      We travel through heartache, disaster, starvation, death, hope, and yes even love before the two main characters can finally let go of their lies and just be with each other. And oh were they with each other...reading through those 28 days of pure happiness seemed almost like they had stepped into a different world altogether. The war had stopped for them, and you start to wonder if there was still a war going.

      You wonder about if their happiness is going to last. No wait you forgot, he is a soldier and yes there still is a war going on. Things may have gotten better (with having less people to feed and less people to worry about because they were all dead), but death was still an ever present force.

      I am rambling...

      I am not going to give away any details on the end, but this is just a first in a trilogy (Which will also include a prequel at the end of February) The history was rich, and the story was fabulous. Take it one page at a time though and don't give up.
    • 3/5
      This is going to be one of those reviews, so prepare yourself right now, okay? This is going to be a three star book review that reads like a rant of hatred, but, honestly, it's not. Every so often, there's a book you like, but that you have a lot of issues with, and you have to be up front about all of them. So, take this to heart: I did like The Bronze Horseman overall, despite my myriad issues.The Bronze Horseman and I were somewhat doomed from the start not to have as happy a relationship as hoped, sort of like Russia and communism. Basically, I looked at this gorgeous, highly recommended book, and I made a set of assumptions. Based on the size, I believed this would be a historical, an epic one, full of feels and delicious historical factoids. I was wrong, which isn't really the book's fault necessarily, but that still colored my enjoyment of it.Though historical fiction, The Bronze Horseman is first and foremost a romance novel. Now, I do not have anything against a good romance novel, but I really do not see the call for an 800 page romance novel. That just feels a mite excessive. A lot of readers are going to burn out along the way, I suspect. The first few hundred pages are romance, followed by some history, then a couple hundred pages of sexy times, and then more war-focused stuff. Readers here for historical will find the romance mind-numbing, and those just looking for sexy times will not appreciate the break to discuss starvation.Unsurprisingly, the bit in the middle where Alexander disappeared for a good chunk of time was my favorite. The romance took a back burner to a depiction of life in Leningrad during the Siege. Simons does a brilliant job portraying the hunger, the desperation, and the hopelessness of that experience. The realities of survival, and how most people didn't, are conveyed unflinchingly.Unfortunately, most of the book wasn't hard-hitting historical fiction: it was a romance that I just couldn't ship. From the beginning, I found Tatiana and Alexander's relationship off-putting, and I still haven't been able to forgive them for what assholes they were for so long. Now, I hope I can eventually so I can enjoy the next books in the series, but, for the moment, I'm very displeased with them.To explain why, I have to delve into some SPOILERS, so now's the time to look away if you don't want things spoiled.Tatiana and Alexander meet when she's just 17 and he's a soldier in the Red Army, several years older. The day they met, she was upset, unable to find food for her family on the day of the declaration of war, and comforting herself with creme brulee ice cream, when a soldier with eyes the color of her ice cream strikes up a conversation. His eye color already had me rolling my eyes with abandon, but it gets worse.Alexander does what any red-blooded (Soviet pun!) soldier would do for a pretty girl he's just seen licking a cone: takes her to buy food for her family from a special store for the military. Once she has what she needs, he escorts her home, only to discover that he has flirted with her sister Dasha in the past. Dasha, who likes to hang around with soldiers if you know what I mean ;), immediately latches onto Alexander, with whom she believes herself to be in love. He exits swiftly, feeling really awkward, and Dasha proceeds to tell Tatiana how perfect he is and Tatiana fails to mention her own attraction to him.Everyday, Alexander shows up to meet Tatiana after work and they fall in love. Meanwhile, whenever he visits her house, he pretends to like Dasha and even brings along his skeevy friend Dimitri for Tatania. To be fair, Alexander just wants to tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may, but Tatiana is unwilling to hurt Dasha's feelings. This charade goes on forever, and Alexander eventually proposes to Dasha. Head, meet brick wall.All this time, Alexander's hooking up with both sisters, and I basically want to murder all of them. To make things worse, Alexander and Tatiana never have to fucking come clean about the deception to anyone. Conveniently Tatiana's whole family dies except for her, with Dasha the last hold out. Gag me, okay. Ugh. No love triangle should ever be resolved by the death of one of the people in the love triangle. It's the coward's way out. Characters should have to face the consequences of their actions.Instead, Dasha dies and the two reunite and then have mind-blowing sex approximately fifty times a day for a month, until Alexander has to go back to work. While they're enjoying their honeymoon, he berates her for giving to much of herself to others and urges her to never leave his side. Of course, serving others is wrong, but she should do everything for her husband, because, you know, gender roles. Alexander is controlling, codependent, rude, and occasionally violent, not to mention a guy who would cheat on both his fiancee and his love for months. I can't root for that relationship. I just can't. Had I read this when I was a bit younger, perhaps when I was a teen, I would have been swept away by the romance and concern for the main characters, but now, as a jaded adult, I kept hoping for them to obtain comeuppance for their actions. The Bronze Horseman is a well-written romance in a historical setting, but do not come to it expecting to learn much about the Siege of Leningrad. This novel has more in common with Diana Gabaldon than Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn; that's not a bad thing, but was not what expected or wanted.
    • 5/5
      Whatever you're currently reading...just put it down and start this book immediately. It's so good--and I'm happy to say is the first book in a trilogy about Tatiana and Alexander. Such a powerful story set against the German invasion of Russia--specifically Leningrad. Can't say enough good things about this book--getting the second book in the trilogy started tonight.
    • 4/5
      This is the tale of an unlikely romance in Leningrad during World War II. Tatiana, a young Russian girl, meets Alexander, a soldier in the Red Army, and they fall in love immediately. Their relationship is complicated by Tatiana's family, Alexander's secrets, and the world crumbling around them. I haven't read much about the siege of Leningrad and I learned a lot. Tatiana and Alexander are well written; at times I would be annoyed with them because they were so human and had faults. The Bronze Horseman is a long book that wraps you in its world and releases you only reluctantly at its close.
    • 5/5
      This book is a mixture of sorrow and hope but basically a beautiful Russian Love Story that gets very, very heated. Set during the War; Leningrad and invasion of Hitler. Very detailed of what life was like in Russia during the war, the rationing, typhoid and communal living. A mix of betrayal and sacrifice for love and family. Listened to this on audible audio. Part 1 of a 3 part story - moving on to the next installment!
    • 5/5
      I found it griooing from beginning to end. Tatiana and Alexander fall in love during the invasion of Nazis in 1941 Leningrad, Russia. Though they try to fight their attraction for each other, it's impossible. Will their love survive the war? Only time will tell.
    • 5/5
      A friend lent me this book and I had no preconceived ideas about it. I had previously read one Paullina Simons which I thought was pretty silly but tried this one anyway. I was captivated from the start. Its the sort of book that stays with you when you are not reading it and makes you ignore your family when you are. The historical aspect of the book was done in such a way as to really emphasize the human aspect of what went on, while not making the story mundane. It was beautifully written. Imagine my surprise when I found out there was more.....
    • 5/5
      I really liked this book. Many twists and turns. Russian novels have always been my favorite. The only criticism that I have is that when this young couple had an argument, Alexander's dialogue sounded more like a 21st century young adult rather than a 1940 Russian soldier. Overall, it was a great book. Waiting for the sequel to be delivered to my door via Amazon.
    • 4/5
      There are books that overwhelm your senses by the beauty and finesse of their language, and there are those that depend mostly on the plot (there are rare ones that do both, of course). This book is of the second variety. What I liked about it is an excellent plot, as well as historical evidence of astounding mistakes that Stalin made at the start of and throughout the Second World War. What I didn't care about is the quantity over quality (it's a large volume), repetitiveness, and the fact that almost every character except for the two main ones (who were idealized) carried a huge chip on their shoulders, some ugly trait. That said, the plot does carry the book, and I am looking forward to the sequel that just came out.
    • 5/5
      This series came highly recommended by several friends of mine. I love other epic historical romances like Outlander and The Tea Rose, so it was a safe bet I'd love these novels, too. And overall, I did. The Bronze Horseman is set in Russia during WWII, a setting with which I wasn't terribly familiar (I kept referencing Wikipedia to learn about the history). At the beginning of the novel, I found Tatiana very annoying. She's so innocent and naive; that eventually becomes endearing, but I was frustrated by some of her actions - instead of buying food for her family, she buys herself an ice cream. Once I thought of Tatiana as kind of like Scarlett O'Hara, I liked her more. Tatiana's and Alexander's romance is, well, very romantic. When they finally get together, there are plenty of very steamy scenes. Almost too many, actually. Honestly, how many times can one couple have sex?? I thought Alexander was a great character, ranking nearly as high as Jamie Fraser (from Outlander) for sex appeal. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      This is an epic romance novel in a historical setting with a tragic ending. If you are looking for a feel good type romance this is not for you. If you want a love story that will make you cry and yet feel joy The Bronze Horseman is a must read. The love between the main characters, Alexander and Titiana, is love in its most pure form and the sacrifices one is willing to make for that love.
    • 2/5
      Do you feel obliged to finish a book, once started? One of the hardest things I find is to stop reading a book when I am not finding it a satisfying read.Had THE BRONZE HORSEMAN been shorter (I got to page 187), or had it had more mystery about its plot, or had I been younger, I might have finished it. I am more than willing to believe that it may well be another's cup of tea, just not mine.The Metanov family are in Leningrad, fighting in their own way for Mother Russia as Hitler's forces advance steadily towards the city. Pasha, the 17 year old son, and Tatiana's twin, disappears from a boy's holiday camp near Novgorod where his father has sent him. The family are living in squalid conditions when a Red Army officer Alexander enters their lives. Tatiana's older sister appropriates him, and so a love triangle develops.And that's where I stopped. I have no doubt that the historical detail is what will attract some readers, while the romance will captivate others. Just not me. It was part of an attempt to read a book that is NOT crime fiction.
    • 5/5
      Adding to my favorites list. So many tears and smiles while reading this book!!
    • 4/5
      I have had a really hard time deciding how to rate this book. I went into the book with incredibly high expectations. I just knew that I would fall in love with this book largely because I had been told that I would love it. I didn't love it. I liked it though and there were parts of it that I liked a whole lot. There were some sections of the book that didn't work for me nearly as well. I did enjoy reading this book overall despite my issues.This book is set in Russia during World War II which is a really interesting period of time to read about. I did really enjoy the setting and the descriptions relating to the war. That was really the best parts of the book for me. The parts of the book set in Leningrad that deal with the hunger and desperation of the characters was incredibly done. This book would have easily been a 5 star read for me if the whole book had that same level of impact. I also really liked the last section of the book that was more war focused.There were other sections of the book that didn't work for me nearly as well. Tatiana seems really immature during the first section of the book and kind of drove me nuts. She is young at the start of the story and it really showed. I also had some issues concerning Alexander's relationship with Tatiana's sister, Dasha. Alexander is actually Dasha's boyfriend during much of the book so Alexander and Tatiana keep their feelings for each other a secret. I didn't care for this aspect of the story at all.This was a book that I think may have been a bit too long. I found myself growing tired of some parts of the book. The third section of the book that really focuses on the romance between Alexander and Tatiana was nice but it went on for too long in my opinion. During that part of the book, they were so removed from the war that it really changed the impact of the story. I think that the first section of the book could have been cut back as well.I would recommend this book to fans of historical romance. There were parts of this book that were really strong and I did enjoy it. I do plan to continue with the trilogy soon to see what else happens.
    • 5/5
      I can't even say how much I love this book. 4th time reading it and love it even more each time I read it.
    • 4/5
      I finally finished this massive saga - this was significantly longer than it needed to be. I am conflicted; I really liked some parts of the book and some things about the characters, but at the same time, there were significant parts that were unnecessary and things about the characters that were annoying and that I didn't like. I stuck with it because I am stubborn and the overall story was good. I honestly don't know that I can read the next book or two - even though I really want to know what happens next...
    • 5/5
      The Bronze Horseman is definitely not a cut and dried boring war book. Maybe it is because it deals with a love story taking place during WWII. This book is extremely recommended. The love is not too gushy, and the war is shown in all its horror and loveliness. Everything about the story will wrap around you and involve you. It was nice to be pleasantly surprised by this book.
    • 4/5
      The Bronze Horseman begins in 1941 as the Germans have just invaded Russia, but seventeen year old Tatiana Metanova still stops to enjoy the day with an ice-cream, and as a bus passes she sees a soldier staring at her from across the street. Alexander Belov is mesmerized from the first at the sight of Tatiana, but is in for a surprise when he follows her home and finds her sister is a woman he's met before - and that sister thinks Alexander is in love with her. Out of love for her older sister, Tatiana keeps silent and encourages Alexander to court Dasha. Much of the story continues as the Germans advance on Leningrad, finally resulting in a siege of the city as Tatiana and her family struggles to survive amidst the ever growing shortage of food and fuel, along with the oncoming Russian winter. When on leave Alexander continues to involve himself with the Metanova family, not able to stay away from Tatiana even though he must hide his feelings for her, although his "friend" Dimitri openly courts Tatiana. Since I am not into book reports and spoilers I'm not going to reveal much more of the plot, although Alexander does have a deep dark secret from his past that Dimitri holds over Alexander's head that threatens both his and Tatiana's eventual happiness, and finally culminates in a hair-raising attempt to escape from Soviet Russia. The good - the scenes in Leningrad were chilling, as people literally starved to death and dropped where they were (and left there) as bombs rained down around them daily. Alexander's devotion to Tatiana was very endearing, and I loved the scenes where he dealt with her injuries after the bombing. Sigh... The problematic - Tatiana's never ending suffering at the hands of her family as she sacrifices all during the siege without a word of complaint (you know any seventeen year old who would put up with that??). Just stepping aside and letting her self-centered sister have the man she loves? Tatiana getting a private hospital room in overcrowded Leningrad? Once the cast came off her leg she was pretty much healed and able to trudge up and down icy stairs and streets with no discomfort or slowness? But the worst for me was the idyllic setting around page 600 that went on and on and on and on - I got the picture already and I did not need 100+ pages of nothing but sex and sex and more sex. Where was the editor? So why am I still giving this one four stars even though I agree with the flaws pointed out by the critical reviewers? Since I flat out couldn't keep my nose out of the book and the carpet didn't get vacuumed and the floors didn't get mopped this weekend, I guess that's a good indication that despite the flaws I was pretty much sucked into the story and thoroughly enjoyed it and plan on reading the next in the trilogy Tatiana and Alexander. Just be warned that if you're not able to get past the nitpicks and the author's somewhat repetitive style, I suspect this is not the book for you.
    • 5/5
      I loved this story, it kept you glued to the pages the whole way through. I really felt for the characters and felt the drop back of the war was very moving but not taking over the main story. It was one you do not want to finish but cant help rushing to get to the end to see what the out come will be.