BRONZE HORSEMAN

I read this epic saga in early 2000s and had to search for the title again recently and have re-read it several times. Love, loss, war, secrets, betrayals and an epic love story. Set against world war 2, 2 people couldn’t be more wrong or right for each other. The story starts in Leningrad and moves you across Russia, giving you details of how life was during communism, war and the reality of starvation. You’ll want to cry in so many places but are always hopeful like the protagonists. Thank god for part 2 and 3 as otherwise it felt heart wrenching at the end.

It's one of the best books I read in a very long time very heartbreaking and cinematic You will need a whole box of tissues for this

This book is full of misery and pain and yet gives you so many reasons to fall in love with it. It's set during the WW2 Russia. We all know how people live during war, with scarcity pf food and water. And life becomes so difficult. People can steal and kill for food. There is no humanity left. But, hold you horses, it is full of romance as well. A sixteen year old girl, Tatiana falls in love with Alexander, a solider who is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Apart from being so charming, he has a lot of secrets and I call it crazy personality. Tatiana has to deal with her family that is dying with not enough food to live on and Then her absolute loyalty for her sister, which well is a little tricky to discuss. Will Tatiana and Alexander find a way to be together? Will they survive the war? The author will keep you wondering until the end of this book. In my opinion this book Will take you on an emotional ride. It will make you cry and pray. I'm dying to grab the next book of this trilogy.

Such a beautiful historical romance, centered around diverse perspectives.

Luga. Ladoga. Leningrad. Lazarevo. I have never cried as much while reading any book as I have cried reading this. Don't get me wrong, this is, in no way, a sad or melancholy book. Rather, it is much more about feeling grief and loss, and still learning to be stable; about falling countless times and rising even higher after every fall. Tatiana loses everything that is dear to her during the course of the book, but there is one thing no one can take away from her, not even Hitler or Stalin, which is her hope. The story commences on the morning of June 22, 1941- the day Hitler's armies invade Russia. Life will never be the same for the Metanov family, but one in particular- Tatiana Metanova, the youngest member of the family, who meets on the same fateful day, with Alexander Belov, an officer in Russia's Red Army. Things start getting worse, at both political and personal levels, when Leningrad (St. Petersburg) is besieged by the Germans. Tatiana and Alexander's story covers extreme hunger, cold and desperation, and also the much cherished hope of a better future for everyone around them. A roller coaster ride of emotions, this masterpiece will make you cry mercilessly, laugh recklessly, and above all, love gratefully. "I found my true love on Ultisa Saltykov-Schedrin, while I sat on a bench eating ice-cream." "You didn't find me. You weren't even looking for me. I found you." "Alexander, were you ....looking for me?" "All my life".

Just close your eyes and click buy you will not regret your decision. This book is life changing. The love between tania and shura is what we all desire. This book is one of its kind. War, dead, love, russia, and handsome soldier.

This book is finest of all love stories. A love undeterred by circumstances. One of my favourite books of all times.🖤

The bronze horseman is a beautiful love story full of heart break and sorrow but with stunning heart warming moments that fill you with joy .

I haven't really read many romance novels before, this is probably the first one in this genre that I have really really enjoyed. I purchased this after seeing it on the Dymocks Top 100 book list for 2015. It is incredibly addictive and I don't think for a lot of the book that many of the characters are particularly likeable, but they are very interesting because they have defined strong characters. The detail on the wartime famine in Leningrad is quite astonishing and eye opening. I think the book really picks up towards the second half and the last third, where the romance comes in and it becomes a book that you can't really put down. I really liked this book and it is one of the most engaging books I have read recently.

The story of Tatiana and Alexander is well written and captivating. Loved the whole series and read it several times already. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys romance, as well as history.

Okay, how am I supposed to write a review that can do this book justice in even the tiniest bit? I have no clue. There were already several other people here on goodreads who did a pretty good job on that. But you know, when there is this ONE book that you will always compare other reads to- THEN ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY LEAVE THE BOOK WITHOUT A GLORIOUS REVIEW. There is just no way. So let me tell you what made the story so special and unforgettable to me: I usually neither like love triangles, nor stories about war. I really don't. So, before I bought the Ebook, I had no idea that the story contained to 40% of love-triangle-ish conflicts. But guess what, I found it interesting how I could hate and love a character so much at the same time. I never read such kind of a conflict before (the protagonist loving someone and suffering over him for not being with herself because of another woman). I found it most honorable how Tatiana acted selflessly and in favor to her sister, not snatching Dasha's (more or less) beloved boyfriend away. Of course- on the one hand you wanted to shake Tatiana for being so stubborn and stupid, on the other hand you wanted to never forgive Alexander for not ending his relationship with Dasha. OH! And let's not forget how we probably ALL wanted to CHOKE Dasha. ARGH, DASHA!!! Apart from the fact that I wanted to end Dasha's life for leaving the role of the big sister to Tatiana, I could not get rid of the thought how I would act in times of war and starvation. Would I be as brave as Tatiana and keep working, keep getting up in the morning, keep caring for my family instead of myself? I was not so sure about it. I guess no one can really tell how they would act in such life-threatening situations. Dasha certainly started to shut herself down. The only thing that kept her from giving up was the hope that Alexander would make everything better and keep her from dying. I also liked was how the POV switched at some points of the story, letting us have an insight of both Alexander's and Tatiana's decisions and where they were located. It made the tension rise to its climax at several parts of the story. What I thought was very rare concerning my reading experience, was, that I never cried one tear throughout the whole book. Not a single one. What I constantly felt was pure fear. 80% of the book I was so afraid (or knew) that something bad was going to happen, it made stay wide awake at night, after I actually found the courage to leave my precious Alexander and Tatiana alone. No matter how happy they were at some points of the story, you contantly knew that it was going to get worse again and that they would be separated. A heart- wrenching and paralyzing situation for me as a reader. Although I couldn't understand what still kept them holding back from each other, I could still see how irritated, helpless and paralyzed they must have felt, facing war and an uncertain future. I adored Tatiana and Alexander for not giving up and for not leaving each other alone rotting by themselves. It was such a brave, powerful and passionate connection between those two, it was everything a woman dreams of and will hardly ever get. Yet I couldn't get enough of the moments between the protagonists. I've never read such love scenes before that were so heart- wrenchingly beautiful or that made you wanna scream out loud because of rage. The fact that all this fighting and losing loved ones actually happened in history not too long ago, brought the reading experience on a whole new level for me. Paullina Simons didn't use too much ways of describing the death of people. She told it in a very honest and calm way. It felt almost like you walked the streets of Leningrad yourself- holding your breath and letting your eyes wander silently- not trying to make any noise in a cold winter night. I hope you get my point. 5 stars and more for such a great book.

Devo admitir que terminei esse poderoso e surpreendente livro aos prantos. Esta é uma resenha extremamente difícil de escrever, porque eu realmente não sei como farei jus a esse incrível enredo. Ele traz tudo o que uma verdadeira estória de amor deve trazer: luta, inspiração, decepção, euforia, esperança, sobrevivência e sacrifícios. Até onde você iria pela pessoa que você ama? Esta história definitivamente responde a essa pergunta. O cavaleiro de Bronze é envolto em uma escrita lírica e mágica, e se desenrola lentamente, permitindo que as nossas emoções se intensifiquem aos poucos, que você realmente conheça os personagens e mergulhe na estória. O resultado é que todo o seu coração vivenciará cada parte, cada trecho, cada passagem desse livro e ao final voce se sentirá tonta com o turbilhão de emoções que terá experimentado. A narrativa se passa em Leningrado (São Petersburgo), antiga União Soviética, durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, e começa com o anúncio de que os alemães atacaram a fronteira russa. Tatiana é a irmã mais nova de Dasha e gêmea de Pasha, e juntos dividem um pequeno espaço de apenas dois cômodos com seus pais e avós. Com a divulgação da guerra, Tatiana tem uma tarefa: sair para comprar alimentos. Nessa empreitada, ela vê Alexander, um soldado, do outro lado da rua e algo mágico acontece instantaneamente dentro deles, como se o destino os trouxesse juntos naquele exato lugar, naquele exato momento. Eles passam o dia juntos e ele a ajuda, contudo Tatiana mal sabe que, na verdade, ele é "namorado" de sua irmã mais velha Dasha. O se passa é uma “espécie” de triangulo amoro. Eu digo espécie porque a situação em que eles se encontram é até certo ponto platônica. A relação entre Tatinana e Alexander será complicada, eu diria compreensível, e.... de cortar o coração. Mas, este triangulo definitivamente não é o fio condutor da trama. Não. Ele é apenas a primeira de inúmeras provações pelas quais este casal terá que passar para ficar juntos. Tatiana é notável. Paulina faz um excelente trabalho ao retratar o seu amadurecimento no decorrer da trama, através do amor e da guerra. Ela adquire garra e se torna alguém singular. O seu altruísmo, a sua força e a sua coragem são comoventes. E, Alexander ... Nossa, esse homem é fantástico! Sua coragem, seu senso de justiça, sua paixão, sua proteção feroz sobre Tania. Uau... Enquanto Tatiana lida com suas inseguranças e as responsabilidades que ela tem para a com a sua família, Alexander luta com o peso de seu passado, de seus segredos e de suas promessas. Isso tudo, em meio à um inverno rigoroso, bombardeios, mortes, escassez de comida e falta de eletricidade e água. O enredo traz experiência trágica atrás de experiência trágica, mas polvilhadas com momentos de alegria e de esperança que lhe darão a força necessária para suportar a estória. É simplesmente inacreditável, tudo pelo que eles tem que passar a fim de ficarem juntos. Então, por que ler algo tão dramático? Porque ele vale cada palavra, cada noite mal dormida, cada minutinho do seu tempo. Porque as estórias mais lindas de amor são sempre trágicas, porque o amor entre os protagonistas é lindo, e porque eu garanto que você não irá se arrepender. Além do mais os romances históricos enriquecem a nossa cultura, nos transportando para o passado e nos fazendo aprender de uma forma que nenhum livro de história faria. O Cavaleiro de bronze é um romance absolutamente inesquecível e imperdível!