Never in my life have I been more grateful to finish a book. It dragged on and on - 200 pages of it could easily have been edited out and nothing would have been lost. I found myself wishing half-way through the book that Alexander would just die so that the wretched thing would come to an end. As to the ending [SPOILER ALERT] ... having made an implausible escape from a Soviet prison camp our two delightful protagonists decide to have sex rather than continue their escape. And Alexander seemed like a misogynist pig in the way he dealt with women - something that really came to light in the way he spoke to Tatiana after their reunion. Dear God, the woman should have married Edward and had those daughters she had envisaged. I only found out towards the end of the reading journey that this was book 2 of a series. I won't be going back for more.

While this is also a love story, it is overwhelmingly a war novel describing the horrors of WW II from the perspective of a Russian soldier who finds that his country has turned against him. He is forced to the front lines of a battle with German troops who outnumber he and his men and imprisoned several times. His experiences are wretched and grueling, and yet he survives. Through it all, it his memories of the young women he fell in love with and married that sustain him.

I read this without first reading The Bronze Horseman , and it was fine as a standalone novel. I’m not sure if I’ll read the first in the series later or not. I thought that the scenes of Tatiana and Alexander’s lovemaking were just a little bit over the top. TMI for me. Also, the conclusion comes very quickly after all that has happened prior. I’d bet that Simons picks up from there in the last book in the series, The Summer Garden.

Alexander Anthony Barrington was born in America to American parents, but his father was overcome by a belief that a communist society was ideal. “His father thought the Soviet Union was the place where they would finally belong, where Alexander would not be laughed at, where they would be welcomed and admired instead of shunned and ridiculed”. So, before Alexander reached his teen years his parents and he emigrated to Russia. When he was sixteen, he was conscripted into the Red Army, and eventually rose through the ranks to become a major. He met Tatiana Metanova, they fell madly in love with each other, married, and she became pregnant. Alexander is accused of treason and is discovered by the Red Army around this time. To save Tatiana, Alexander convinced her to escape the country. She fled to New York, where she and Alexander’s son was born. As a nurse at Ellis Island, she is constantly searching the faces of strangers, hoping to see her husband’s countenance among the masses. While they are thousands of miles apart, Alexander and Tatiana are constantly in each other’s thoughts.

* edit
Re read 1/25 audiobook


So much I missed it don’t remember.
Hmm… Still love their story. I hate the time that elapses, I get it but it doesn't make me like it any more. The back and forth of youth and adulthood of Alexander wasn't my favorite. But we did get to know a lot of his background.
It is really quite amazing that Alexander survived through all that he did. Yes he is changed but still alive. He was in work camps, prison camps, faced a firing squad persay. He was shot, injured, starved and whatever else you could imagine. Him finding Pasha and later having to bury him was so sad. He always stayed true to Tania, though towards the end his hope definitely waned.
Once again, Tania who really deserves to cry 'whoa is me, feel sorry for me,' never does. She keeps trudging ahead, hoping and caring for everyone she comes across. And little Anthony is too precious.
It's a happy-ish ending but their road ahead will be filled with bumps.

5+ Stars!

4.5 stars

I am going to have to keep this short because I need to start reading book #3 immediately.

This book, the second in The Bronze Horseman trilogy, was another heartbreaking installment in the EPIC love story of Tatiana and Alexander. This book fills in some of the gaps from the first book and then continues with Tatiana and Alexander's stories. This book was so very good, but just not quite as stunning as the first one for me. That may have had something to do with

Spoiler

Tatiana and Alexander being apart for most of the book.

I am so anxious to find out what happens next, so I'm starting the next book as soon as I click the "save" button for this review. And I am really hoping for a happy ending for these two!

Not as good as the first book.

Not as great as the first one and a bit less realistic, but still a solid epic historical love story. Do not read this series out of order!

I loved this tragic romance. Gritty and real, there aren't many romance novels with the quality of this trilogy.