Reviews

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

maggytoilee's review against another edition

5.0

Simons literally transported me into 1940s Soviet Russia... Leningrad and it's Nevsky Prospekt, Lazarevo, Luga, Moscow... Communal housing. Fried potatoes, borscht, oats, butter, BLACK BREAD, VODKA. Pushkin. Field of Mars. And war.

I found myself googling WW2 and the Red Army, the Leningrad Blockade. What a history lesson! I am now more than ever inspired to visit Russia and especially Saint Petersburg to stand at the feet of Peter the Great. Could not put this book down :0

meganharnett's review against another edition

5.0

This book has been on my TBR forever and I was hesitant to read it because Russian stories can be dull sometimes for me. I am so glad I finally read this book! The love story in it between Tatiana and Alexander was so great it broke my heart at times. This book was hard to read at time because it is about Lenigrad Russia in the height of World War II. There is lots of death and hard times throughout this book but through it all two young people find the love of their lives. I am anxiously awaiting to read the next book in the series!

lsmith725's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I have extremely mixed feelings on this one.  I did enjoy my reading experience, except for the length.  (It did drag on a bit.)  However, I pretty much disliked both main characters.  Alex is controlling and forceful.  Tatiana is whiny and has no personality outside of loving Alexander.  The spice was enjoyable at times, and the slow burn romance was done well.  What wasn't enjoyable was how we had to read of eating the same meals, everyone being hungry, walking the same streets, getting the same rations over and over again.  If you like a slow-paced romance where you get extreme levels of details about daily life, this is for you.

rumsey's review against another edition

5.0

Brilliant historical romantic novel

shaydelayed's review against another edition

5.0

If love like this truly exists, how could anyone settle for anything less? I am blown away by the beauty of this love story. The writing had me captivated. I felt every emotion possible while engulfed in the roller coaster that is Tatiana & Alexander. I kept fawning over Shura's love and sacrifice for Tiasha, but at the end, I was beyond moved by her love for him. I had to take several breaks because I didn't think I could take more of what these characters had to go through. This was some heavy stuff. I don't even know when I'll be able to start book 2 because I just want to skip to the end. I desperately just want to get to a happily ever after. There better be a HEA!!!

sarahdennis203's review against another edition

2.0

I have tried to read this 4 times, I get 200 - 300 pages in I cannot enjoy it.

notesonbookmarks's review against another edition

3.0

This one is hard to rate. I kept going through all 700ish pages, but it's not some serious issues. Tatiana is a young girl when we start and I feel like I had heard this was YA, but holy basics the sex scenes are... Wowzers. And then all the abuse by family members and the way Alexander and Tatiana relate to each other (her as someone who seems incapable of saying no to anything anyone asks, him as her life saving prince). It was just. A lot.
Death and sex and hunger and cold and "omg, you're gonna love this!" Who am I?

tjlitzi's review against another edition

5.0

This was just so good, I have to read the next two even if they aren't as good as this one.

isabellegfr's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 ⭐️ brb crying. This book was absolutely devastating. But also so lovely. And I’m obsessed with Alexander. I will say, while I loved it, it had no business being 800+ pages. And emotionally exhausting.

kimberly_b's review against another edition

5.0

This was one of the most addicting books I've read recently--I couldn't put it down!! :) Although the story is absolutely incredible, it would have been even more so had there been less repetition and if the sex wasn't quite so OTT at times (I'm fine with sex scenes and all but some of it didn't mesh with the rest of the book). Simon's editor didn't do her justice. That being said, I loved the story and I'm STILL on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens in [b:Tatiana and Alexander|83143|Tatiana and Alexander (Tatiana and Alexander, #2)|Paullina Simons|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171036640s/83143.jpg|594714]! Simons certainly knows how to torture her readers ;)

Oh, how to rate this one? The story is 5 stars, but the editing is nearly non-existent. In the end, I'm settling for 4.5 stars rounded to 5.