Review: The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

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.

RATING: 4.5 STARS

“Not bombs nor my broken heart can take away from me walking barefoot with you in jasmine June through the Field of Mars.”

The Bronze Horseman is an amazing story of an epic romance. It reaches deep inside you and creates a direct link to your heart and the book, so that you can’t help but feel a thousand different emotions while reading; emotions such as heartbreak, joy, love, sorrow to mention a few.

I have wanted to read this book for a couple of years now, because I have only heard wonderful things about it, so I had to experience it for myself. But the time never seemed right for exactly this book. Maybe because the book is so long, I mean 810 pages, whoa, looong! Or maybe it is because it is a historical romance, and that’s not normally a genre I read. But then, a week ago I needed a new book to read and the first book that popped into my mind was the Bronze Horseman, and I thought: why not? So I read it, and I’m so, so glad I did. This has become one of my all-time favorites and it has crawled into my heart and is staying there!

“He told her he would take her to one of the officers-only army stores called Voentorgs, where she could buy many of the things she needed. “But I’m not an officer,” she pointed out. “Yes, but I am.“ “You are?” “Yes,” he said. “Alexander Belov, first lieutenant. Impressed?”

The story begins on June 22nd 1941 in Leningrad with the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Tatiana is 16 (soon 17 years old) and she is actually excited about the invasion and is hoping for evacuation. Tatiana goes for a stroll and this is where she meets lieutenant Alexander Belov. They don’t talk much; they just wait for the bus together.

It was unremarkable in a garrison city like Leningrad to see a soldier. Leningrad was full of soldiers. Seeing soldiers on the street was like seeing old ladies with shopping bags, or lines, or beer bars. Tatiana normally would have glanced past him down the street and moved on, except that this soldier was standing across the street and staring at her with an expression Tatiana had never seen before.

This is their first meeting. It’s simple, yet it the beginning of an epic love story like you can’t even imagine. So much happens in the book that I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that this was just one book; it feels like I’ve lived this life. Was it really just one tiny book I read? Alexander and Tatiana’s romance is complicated a great deal when they realize that Tatiana’s older sister has actually been seeing Alexander for some time, even before Tatiana and Alexander met, and the sister is in love with him. Tatiana therefore feels it’s wrong of her to want Alexander, and this brings on a whole new dimension of heartbreak like I have never experienced before. Tatiana and Alexander were obviously meant for each other, but so many things stood in their way and it was heartbreaking! The book spans over 2 years, from when Tatiana is about to turn 17 until her 19th birthday. And so much happens during these two years. In the beginning, the war is far removed from Tatiana’s life, but it gets closer and she experiences the war at it’s very worst, but she also experiences joy like no other. Her joy made my heart swell out of my chest!

"I really am all right without you," she said. "I can manage." "What about the ravenous boys who follow you home?" Tatiana warmed her eyes, so she could look at him with the truth that was inside her. "I really am not all right without you," she said. "I can't manage." "I know," Alexander said.

Tatiana is the heroine of the story. She develops a lot throughout, and she becomes stronger and more mature, but she still has some characteristics that are distinctly hers. Such as never listening to a word anybody tells her, no, she never does that, and she never learns! When Tatiana meets Alexander, she is a child who doesn’t know what it is she is feeling when she walks beside him, however, as her feelings for Alexander grow; she grows. In the end she is closer to becoming a grown woman. She is fearless when it has to do with war and protecting the ones she loves, but this also makes her stubborn as hell, and it annoyed me a bit to be honest. She never listens to anything, and she has no sense of self-preservation and it made me so frustrated with her. But I also liked Tatiana, she is a nice, loyal and strong girl who loves fiercely.

“Tatiana, I love you. Do you hear me? I love you like I’ve never loved anyone in my whole life. Now, get up. For me, Tatia. For me, please get up and go take care of your sister. Go on. And I’ll take care of you.” His lips kissed her cheek.

Alexander is the hero of the story, and he is a wanted man! All the ladies love him, which is totally understandable, because He. Is. Yummi! He is 22 years old and a lieutenant in the Red Army. He is noble, a gentleman and handsome. However, Alexander isn’t all that he seems, he is in reality an American, which is why he doesn’t quite speak like and look like all the other Russian guys. So to Tatiana, Alexander is truly special. He does everything he can to help Tatiana survive the war, and I mean really everything. He has such a big heart, and he is clearly a man in love. Alexander has quickly become one of my all-time favorite male leads in a book, and I can’t wait to see who is going to play him in the up-coming movie (which I am really excited for), but I feel kind of bad for that poor actor who is going to play him, because he has big shoes to fill. Alexander is perfection.

"God, what a blessing." Pulling away, Alexander took her hands. "Tania, you are my miracle, you know that, don't you? You are the one God sent me to give me faith." He paused. "He sent you to redeem me, to comfort me, and to heal me - and that's just so far," he added with a smile.

The Bronze Horseman is an amazing book, and I loved almost everything about it. The reason why it gets 4.5 stars, and not 5, is that it got a bit too repetitive at times, especially during the blockade in Leningrad, and after reading about their suffering and hunger for 200 pages I was like: ALL RIGHT, I get it! Please, move on. And yeah, it was very slow paced, and I really prefer books that are fast paced. I quickly become bored with the book if it’s too slow paced. If the book had been 600 pages instead of 810 it would have been a 6 ++ star read. So it’s really too bad, it was so close to being my first 6 ++ read, but it’s still a new favorite, because I learned to look past the pace.

They had no past. They had no future. They just were. Young in Lazarevo.

I can never do this book justice. The characters are amazing, the story is perfection and the romance is epic. Trust me when I say you will not regret reading this book. I understand that people, like me, is a bit wary of the length of the novel and maybe even the genre, but seriously, read it anyway and just take your time with it. It has imprinted itself on my heart, and I can’t get it out of my head, it is going to be permanently stuck there, and I am so thankful that I still have two books left to read in this amazing series. I’m rereading the billion quotes I have highlighted while reading and it makes me want to experience this wonderful journey again, but I’ll wait a bit because I need a breather after such an intense, heartbreaking and heartfelt rollercoaster.

“I love you.” She hugged him. “I love you breathlessly, my amazing man.”