Whew. So yes, this is why I don't read books often. I tend to become engrossed in them and am unable to just put... the book... down. It can apply to books I both like and dislike, but it is even worse when I like it. Hence the 2:36 am read-a-thon I had during The Bronze Horseman. I gave you a little bit of the back story on this book when I first posted I was going to read it, but here is a brief overview. (WARNING: May not be suitable for male eyes):
The story follows a seventeen year-old girl named Tatiana and her family as their country, the Soviet Union, is invaded by Germany during WWII. Tatiana's immaturity allows her to be naive and very carefree. Even after Russia is invaded and their are rumors of evacuating from the city, Tatiana takes the money she was given by her father to buy food to go and get herself an ice cream. On the same day she has a chance meeting with a soldier named Alexander who changes her life forever. They are immediately drawn to each other, only to find that the other girl Alexander recently started seeing is Tatiana's sister, Dasha. (Cue "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!) Tatiana and Alexander are forced to put their feelings aside for one another to respect Dasha's. As the war pushes on, it becomes harder and harder for them to keep their secret as the world they once knew crumbles around them, and they don't know how long any of them will survive. (Duh Nuh Nuh Nuh....)
Review:
So yes, this is a mushy love story full of love, heartbreak and romance. And when I mean romance, I mean romance.... There actually isn't too much in the first half of the book, but once you get to the second half... whew. Let's just say at some point you are going to realize your knuckles are turning white from gripping the book so hard. The author, Paullina Simons, definitely has Tatiana and Alexander make up for lost time during the latter part of the book, but almost to a fault. It becomes overdone and tired by the final time and almost makes it unromantic.
One thing I love about reading historical fiction is that you actually get to learn a little bit about history. Usually, the books are pretty well researched about what was happening during the time period, and adding a storyline to history just makes it more interesting and engaging to read. I definitely felt that The Bronze Horseman did that for me.
After the way the book ended (which I will not give away) I was pretty happy to find that Paullina Simons wrote a sequel to the book called The Bridge to Holy Cross. I would honestly love to read it, if anything, to see what happens to Tatiana and Alexander next.