The Bronze Horseman

Rated by S. Forbes, Shropshire, England on 14th September 2006

I picked this book up at a sunday market for a couple of pounds and it turned out to be the best buy ever!! Brilliant story, Paullina really is an incredible writer, and thanks to amazon i have learnt that this is the first of the TRILOGY!! Wow my day just got a whole lot better as i am re-reading this book currently... Buy it, read it, love it.

Rated by LittleReader, Leeds, UK on 6th April 2007

I am a huge fan of Paullina Simons work ('Tully' is fantastic), but had never really fancied this novel - the Russian War theme sounded depressing and dreary and I avoided it for a good couple of years. You can therefore imagine my delight when I finally did purchase this book and found it absolutely unputdownable. From beginning to end, this tale is absorbing, intelligent and beautifully written. Exploring the complexities of wartime as I can only imagine; I cried buckets! So please dont be put off by the blurb (if the idea of a War story bores you to tears)... My only stipulation is to ensure you have the follow on novel - 'Tatiana and Alexander' - ready as you'll be desperate to continue with the story. Paullina Simons at her very very best - I loved this.

Rated by M. Lugg, Helston, Cornwall United Kingdom on 28th April 2007

Having read Tully, Eleven Hours, Girl in Times Square etc, I did want to read The Bronze Horseman but have to admit that I was put off by the fact that it was set in Russia in World War Two and so it sat on my bookshelf for nearly 12 months! I am so glad I didn't deny myself any longer as this book is amazing. I am ashamed to say that I had no knowledge of what happened in Russia in in the second World War and found The Bronze Horseman compulsive reading and a real eye opener. Needless to say I have bought the next book in the series, Tatiana & Alexander, and intend to start reading it soon although I think I might leave it a little while as I see that the third book in this series, The Summer Garden, is due to be published in paperback in July so I might try and resist Tatiana & Alexander for a month or so to prolong the enjoyment!

Rated by Amazon Customer on 13th November 2002

This book made me very emotional, not many make me cry this succeeded several times. The author has managed to depict how life was in Leningrad during WWII so vividly, that it leaves an impression that stays with you for days. If you like books that have a central romance and that will leave you moved then this is the book for you.

Rated by Amazon Customer on 28th October 2002

This book was recommended to me by another author. From the moment I opened this book I connected right away with the characters. They became REAL to me. I can honestly say there were so many times I absolutely could not put this book down. The author actually takes you to where Tatiana and Alexander are. I can visualise everything. Paullina Simons descriptions of the scenery, the war, the struggles, the starvation, the heartache and the LOVE were all brought to life for me in this book. No book has EVER had an affect on me like this one. I can't explain it. I would give it 1000 stars if I could.

Rated by Amazon Customer on 21st January 2002

When I first received this book for Christmas, I put it on the back of my shelf and decided to read all the others first. I wasn't really into Russia during the War ad the book looked so long. Eventually I got to reading it and then I couldn't put it down, staying up til after two in the morning some nights just to read it. This is seriously one of the best books I have read in my life. The characters are convincing and lovable and it was extremely difficult not to cry at Tatiana's first winter in Leningrad under siege. The pictures are amazing and horrifically realistic. This is the story of Tatiana and Alexanders undying love. I cried my eyes oout at the end and did not get out of my state of depression for about two days. I would not recommend this book to anyone because it is so realistically upsetting and you really feel like you are part of the story, you laugh when they laugh and you cry when they cry - and yes! You even sob with them too! At the same time I think everyone should read this beautiful and amazing book! READ IT NOW!!!

Rated by Amazon Customer on 6th February 2001

I am lost for words to express how powerful and emotive this book is. I bought it because I had loved Tully, and liked Red Leaves and Eleven Hours. But not being a fan of so-called historical or romantic fiction I was a bit uncertain before starting to read. However, within only a few pages I was totally hooked. I could not eat properly for the two days it took me to finish it (great diet help!). I couldn't even sleep; for two consecutive nights I had to force myself to turn off the light after 2am. No book has ever affected me like this, even days after finishing it I can't get the characters off my mind. I can't even bring myself to pick up another book, an absolute first for me as I am usually a book-eater. I really do hope there is to be a sequel, as one of the previous reviewers speculated. I just wish I knew Paullina Simons so I could get some answers quick!! I recommend this book to anyone and everyone, irrespective of what type of fiction they usually go for. I defy anyone not to be in tears at least a few times, and certainly at the finish.

Rated by Amazon Customer on 10th November 2000

I cannot praise this book highly enough.I have never read anything which has effected me so deeply and for so long.I found myself in tears for days afterwards.Tatiana and Alexander are like dear friends by the time you reach the end of this epic journey.I have been trying to console myself by making up a sequel in my head, anyone else who has read the book will understand why!It's captivating, heart breaking, breathtaking, deeply moving, soul warming and epic.It will fling you into the pits of despair and help you discover romantic bones you never knew existed, but be warned - you will NOT be able to put it down once you have picked it up.The history surrounding the seige of Leningrad and the rest of the war in the Soviet Union is amazingly detailed - my knowledge of the geography of Russia is much improved for reading this absoutely incredible book.Buy it now !

Rated by Amazon Customer on 27th April 2001

Like many, I bought this book because I had previously read and enjoyed Ms. Simons novel, 'Tully', but nothing I had read previously prepared me for the emotional rollercoaster I travelled as I delved deeper and deeper into the heart of this story.It is truly the greatest book that I have ever read and one that I will continue to read again and again over the course of my life. It is the most heartbreaking, gut-wrenching tale of love and war that has ever been told, and since finishing it, I have been unable to enjoy any other book. I still feel emotionally and physically drained from following the ill-fated paths of the two central characters, Alexander and Tatiana and I challenge anyone who finishes it to deny the same. Yet now, my one fear is that I myself will never experience a love so powerful and a need so great, but at least I now know what to look for.All I can say is, "Thankyou Paullina Simons."

Rated by Mary Crofton, UK on 10th April 2006

I picked this book up from my local library expecting another run-of-the-mill romance novel- lots of posturing, fainting and possibly some orphans thrown in somewhere. What I got was completely different. The beauty of the novel lies in Simons' gorgeous and heavily layered prose- the city of Leningrad is described in such detail that by the end of the novel I was left longing to visit this historical city. The book touches on some impressively heavy issues- dialogues between Alexander and Tatiana on the meaning of religion, personal identity and communism- particularly touching is his attempt to explain the concept of 'privacy' to his lover when no such word exists in the Russian language.Simons' manages to insert some history in the novel also; although it never reaches the depths of the dreaded 'historical novel'. What sets this novel apart from other romances is the strength of the relationship between Alexander and Tatiana- unlike most romance novels they don't spend the entire time double-guessing and testing the other's affection for them. The author does a good job in creating sympathy for all the characters, not just the protagonists but also those that surround them and Tatiana's emotionally damaged family. This is possibly the only romance I have ever read which allowed the reader to empathise with the third member of the love triangle (Tatiana's sister, Dasha)and the 'villains' may not be likeable but they are understandable.I have heard other readers complaining that the couple are typical 'Mary-Sues' but despite their overwhelmingly good natures they are significantly flawed enough to make for interesting reading. Much of the second half of the novel deals with the undercurrents of violence in their all-consuming relationship, contrasted poignantly with their attempts to build a lasting home for themselves in Lazerevo. One warning though- the ending of the novel is heart-wrenching, to say the least, and although a sequel has now been released when I first finished this novel I had to hide it, simply to stop myself crying!