Review: Tatiana and Alexander (The Bronze Horseman #2) by Paullina Simons

Tatiana and Alexander (The Bronze Horseman #2) by Paullina Simons
Published July 29th 2010 by Avon

About the book
The epic saga of love and war continues—the heart-stopping sequel to Paullina Simons's beloved international bestsellerThe Bronze Horseman.

Tatiana is eighteen years old, pregnant, and widowed when she escapes war-torn Leningrad to find a new life in America. But the ghosts of her past do not rest easily. She becomes consumed by the belief that her husband, Red Army officer Alexander Belov, is still alive and needs her desperately.

Meanwhile, oceans and continents away in the Soviet Union, Alexander barely escapes execution, and is forced to lead a battalion of soldiers considered expendable by the Soviet high command. Yet Alexander is determined to take his men through the ruins of Europe in one last desperate bid to escape Stalin's death machine and somehow find his way to Tatiana once again.

My Thoughts

Tatiana and Alexander, by Paullina Simmons, is a great sequel to The Bronze Horseman. Absolutley perfect! I could not have asked for anything more as I sought to complete my journey with these two characters. The story is about two protagonists that share a love so strong that even fate and a world war can't keep them apart. The story continues to paint a vivid picture of a heroic and strong Red Army officer and a girl who refuses to let a war torn country keep them apart.

After inevitable events force Tatiana and Alexander to go their separate paths, a pregnant Tatiana flees to America, leaving Alexander to face the grim circumstances and brutality of a corrupt communist Russia. In this book, the reader learns about Alexander's back story along with the anguish these two characters face in their separation. The story provides a different perspective to the suffering of soldiers in World War II, and the violence and betrayal many of them faced, including Alexander, as they fought for a country that was determined to punish them for their courage and loyalty. Simmons paints a painful account of the Russian war against Germany and fills her storyline with a love between two people that refuse to let a corrupt government and a senseless war come between them, no matter what the costs may be.

The novel Tatiana and Alexander ended perfectly in my opinion. I don't know what else the author could add to their story to make it more complete for me. I am hesitant to move on to the sequel Summer Garden because I've been victim of continuing on with a series for the love of the characters and finding myself extremely disappointed by the author for not ending it when the characters had completed their journey. I highly recommend the sequel to The Bronze Horseman, but the jury is still out as to whether I will read the final installment to this series. The Bronze Horseman and Tatiana and Alexander have moved up to the top of my list as my favored series. Great story of love, triumph and sacrifice. Bar none IMHO.

5 Suns

Review: The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
Published September 8th 2009 by William Morrow Paperbacks

About the book
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.

My Thoughts

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons is such a beautiful story of two people who fall in love in the midst of a country at war. I loved the two main characters, and their devotion and self-sacrifice for each other was beauteous! The author did a splendid job of mixing a good amount of history with a perfect balance of struggle, family, love, devotion, deceit, and all the things that become important when a country is in crisis and two people are fighting to hold on to the one thing that gives them the strength and will to survive.

The story takes place in 1941 in Leningrad, Russia, when the country is at war with Germany. Two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha, fall in love with the same man, a Red Army officer named Alexander or "Shura." Tatiana struggles to do what is right by her family while hiding the love and devotion she feels for Shura. Her story unfolds as the war progresses and her family falls victim to the perils of a nation at war. Shura and Tatiana share a love that stands the test of devotion to one's family and country.

The size of the book is daunting, but don't let that stop you. At first I thought, no way will I finish this book anytime soon, it's longer than War & Peace! No not really. :) I was wrong, though, I finished it in about 5 days because I could not put it down. It stayed on my mind the whole time, and all I could think of was when I could get back to Shura and Tatiana's story. Such a great read! Absolute perfection!

5 Suns