The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons *REVIEW*

  „Courage, Alexander,“ she whispered.

      „Courage, Tatiana.“

Were to begin when words are failing you….?

I love this book so much (and the entire series!!!).

When I first read the synopsis of this book I knew I would enjoy it but I did not expect to love it so so much. The Bronze Horseman is a truly beautiful tale of war, hardship, love and hope. And I think it is the mixture of these things that makes it so epic, so touching, so dramatic and so gripping. If you like a good lovestory, WII fiction and historical fiction in general this is the book for you.

It is a spectacular addition to my favorites-shelf and I must say I hardly ever put a new book there. When I do it really means something. And due to the fact that I was completely obsessed with it putting it up there was just the right thing to do. When I say obsessed I mean obsessed, like I would wake up at 6 in the morning lying in bed and being unable to go back to sleep because I couldn’t stop thinking about Tatiana and Alexander. I’m not complaining though.

So, the story follows seventeen-year-old girl Tatiana in Leningrad when WW II starts for Russia. On this crucial first day of war she meets a handsome solider named Alexander. Only problem: they both don’t realize that Alexander at that time has been seeing Tatiana’s sister, Dasha. And so the misery begins. Since Tatiana does not want to hurt her sister’s feeling she persuades Alexander to continue to date her sister and thus deny and act against his strong feelings for Tatiana. No need to say that things get very complicated with all the lies being told and the war raging outside Leningrad. But there is hope at the end of the tunnel….

(SPOILERS BELOW)

There are several reasons why I clicked with this book and feel a deep, personal connection to it (I know. This sounds majorly cheesy. But it is the truth).

First of all,
I, as a romance and history lover, was bound to like this historical love story. The instant connection between the two main characters was so believable and honest, I feel like there is simply no way of disliking it. Especially the first encounter was so epic and beautiful, when thinking about first meetings in books I really struggled to find something to compare it with (except for Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester’s). And still, despite their undeniable love, they do everything to hide it, ending up putting everything else before it. Tatiana sacrifices her happiness for the sake of her sister, and Alexander sacrifices his happiness for Tatiana. But with a love so strong their union is inevitable. And when that happened…….. I’ve never read something so satisfying. Because you root for them from the first minute it is just so beautiful to finally see them together and blissful. 

Another reason I liked this so much is the setting in the USSR. My family lived in Soviet Union until the early 1990s thus Russian culture, language and life in a communist environment is a big part of my family’s history. Naturally I instantly loved that aspect of the story and felt like I read about how life must have been for my family, even though their situation was very much different. I can’t really describe it but I felt a personal connection to it and it truly enriched my life in many ways.

Furthermore, this book made me feel every sort of emotion there is, from sadness, devastation, longing to happiness, satisfaction and, most importantly, love. In addition, I liked the characters of Tatiana and Alexander: Tatiana, because she is the most selfless person ever, and I find that very admirable (though at times it was a little frustrating to see her putting everything before herself). And Alexander, because of his strength and undying faith, especially considering what he has been through already in his short life. 

Also, I was obsessed with the maps of Leningrad and North-Russia. I love maps in books and this one especially. Reading about them walking around the city and being able to track it on the map was so cool. I sometimes just sat there and looked at the streets of Leningrad and it (and the whole story in general) really made me want to go to Leningrad. I wonder if there is like a tourist guide that shows all the places from the book and if there isn’t there definitely should be one because that would be just the best thing ever!!!

In short: READ THIS BOOK!!!   You won’t regret it, I promise.

Rating: *5/5 ★

Have you read the book? What are your thoughts on it? Let me know in the comments :)