There is no way that two normal people could possibly survive impossible obstacle after impossible obstacle. Everything from an unfortunate age difference, being promised to other people, war, starvation, death, fear of capture Please, God, Alexander prayed. Let her not love me anymore, but let her live. Alexander is a soldier in the Red Army, fighting for a country he does not belong to. Tatiana is an innocent child, serving all those around her who would take advantage of the girl with a never ending supply of compassion.
Be prepared for having your heart ripped out over and over. This is not an easy story to read, but it is a story well worth following. The details of living among war are not pretty. You will read about people fighting through injuries and deaths of loved ones and holding on after going weeks on end without but a scrap of food. If you thought that the starvation was hard to read about in Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter , consider that instance to be a walk in the park compared to this one.
The strength of spirit from our main characters is incredible to watch. The sacrifices that people make for one another in the name of love is so incredibly emotional to watch. Under a black smoky sky, amid burning woods, Alexander carried Tatiana on his back six kilometers to the next station.
This is not a one-sided relationship. The care that Tatia gives her Shura in return is just as much of an effort. This is a tale of how the heart will fight for what it wants the most. I have nothing left to say. Just read this book.
There's no way for me to sell it other than to say that if you know how picky I am, this book must be extra special to earn such high praise from me.
If you love historical fiction, read it. If you love epic war-time love stories, read it. How can we have such a connection? Right from the start. We don't have a connection. We have communion. View all 69 comments. Re-reading and I will post a new review!!! View all 48 comments. It's a journey - painful and sometimes frustrating, but totally worth it!!!
View all 22 comments. Aug 29, Aldi rated it did not like it Shelves: wartime , history-huh , loathed-with-the-power-ofsuns , overrated , so-bad. Contains spoilers, capslock and adjective abuse, and lots of swearing :p Right. Read The Siege by Helen Dunmore. It's gorgeous and devastating and everything this book was trying to be but miserably failed at. The story is set in WW2 Russia. That is the single solitary semi-interesting thing about it, and it promptly gets smothered under several dozen truckloads of purple prose and then thoroughly erased by the overwhelmingly infuriating presence of the main characters.
Meet Tatiana. Tatiana is seventeen and lives in a communal apartment in Leningrad with her cartoonishly terrible and terribly cartoonish family self-absorbed, lazy, flighty older sister, uncaring parents, wise doting grandparents. Tatiana is constantly belittled and mocked by all because she is a precious flower that thrives on adversity.
Or something. Reasons for mocking her seem to include the facts that she likes to read, faints a lot, and her hair is long and blonde and flowing, all items very near the top of the Annoying Fake Flaws list in The Universal Mary Sue Handbook. War, pfffft, fiddle-de-dee. Yes, soldiers. Enter Alexander Belov, our, uhm, hero. They proceed to troop all over the city in search of the food for her family that Tatiana totes forgot to buy.
Alexander, where are we going? Tatiana, are you feeling all right? I faint all the time, Alexander. Tatiana wants him to not tell Dasha anything of the sort and to keep on dating Dasha, because Tatiana is Cinderella and must selflessly martyr herself for no good reason whatsoever. After a lot of back and forth, Alexander agrees.
Somewhere early on, Tatiana also finds out that Alexander is originally American and his parents moved to Communist Russia when he was little. This titbit of portentous info tries very, very hard to make Alexander more interesting, and also to shove the plot along a little. Spoiler: It fails.
Time passes. War happens. The war stuff would be interesting but NO, we cannot focus on that! Not when there is self-imposed angst and ludicrously unnecessary deception galore! In between all that, some small and insignificant stuff happens: people die, Leningrad gets the shit bombed out of it, rations get smaller and smaller, more people die.
More people die! Tatiana is silent and suffering and meek and selfless and feeds everyone! She learns to cook in 2 minutes flat. She buys their rations every day. She does all the work. Everyone else wails and complains. Tatiana suffers silently and meekly. Alexander is disproportionately ANGRY about her silent suffering and threatens to beat somebody up every two minutes for mistreating her.
Le sigh. More people die. Tatiana cries and starves and suffers nobly. Alexander goes off for brief periods and fights in the war. The idiot charade goes on. Good for Dasha. She cooks, she cleans, she slaves.
Eventually he tracks her down anyway. A lot of yelling ensues about her not fucking writing to him and about him really loving Dasha because he played along like Tatiana told him to. It literally went in circles for pages and pages with the exact same phrases repeating over and over and I guess at some point my eyes glazed over because when I clawed my way back towards active focus, Tatiana and Alexander are fucking.
Like rabbits. A lot. I like me some smut, but holy crap, this was painful. Sometime before the fuckfest, they get married. Sometime after the fuckfest, Alexander goes back to the front.
He makes Tatiana promise not to come along. Tatiana promises, then follows him anyway. He finds out. Lots of over-the-top rageyness ensues. As in, actual, physical rageyness, because Alexander is such a charmer.
At some point he throws a heavy bag at her head, and punches through the wall next to her head. Truly, he is one dream of a mancake. He screams at her that she promised. She makes dewy eyes and earnestly tells him that she always does whatever he wants, i.
Because theirs is a stalwart, precious, perfect love. That is built on, uhm, trust and understanding. The plot still… puddles along pathetically. Alexander gets shot. This is later mentioned as a supposedly tearjerking demonstration of her undying holy love for him. Because she is a treasure of selflessness and nothing but their love matters. I kept a puke bucket permanently on hand by this point.
They plot to escape to America via Scandinavia. To the surprise of utterly no one at all, Alexander is about to be arrested because he is American and the enemy or something , but he cleverly?? Against her best efforts, she is forced by the Tragic Survivor Fairy to make it to America anyway, where she promptly pops out their tragic bundle of joy and names it for his tragically not-deceased dad.
It is not poignant, meaningful, well-crafted, or moving. No matter what I write for this book it won't be enough. The bronze horseman is definitely a unique book. The soldier turned away from her and walked toward it. Tatiana watched him. Even his walk was from another world; the step was too sure, the stride too long, yet somehow it all seemed right, looked right, felt right. It was l No matter what I write for this book it won't be enough.
It was like stumbling on a book you thought you had lost. Ah, yes, there it is. Tatiana is a 17 year old Russian girl who has the misfortune to experience war. Along with war she also meets her only love , Alexander. He is the soldier who steals her heart from the first minute that she lays her eyes on him. Their love is skinny , innocent and strong. The first book takes us to the beginning of the war and when they meet each other.
We get to know how these two heroes will outlive the destructive and heartless war. It's very emotional to know how people were trying to survive during a blockade. I was never bored with the details ex their bread rations on the contrary I was curious to know more. It was amazing and heartbreaking. War is difficult but when you have a reason to live you can survive everything. In the second book we read how these two young people will try to find the happiness that they both deserve so much.
In the past they had been sabotaged but now nothing can stand against their love. People have to accept that they are meant for each other. Tatia always belonged to Alexander and he always belonged to her. All the lies that were told in the first book will stop now. Apart from some tensed moments , the beginning is really smooth and so swoon worthy. I want to quote all their conversations. The way they love each other will tear you apart.
I swear I dont think I have ever read a stronger love story than this one. All the other stories sound lame in comparison to this book. These two will fight everything and everyone to be together.
Tania will always be his guardian angel , she will always save him. I want to say more but I'll stop here. The truth is that I'm such a slow reader and it took me a while to finish it but I never regret reading it.
It's a heartwarming book that will take you over the moon. You will swoon , cry and even laugh with Tatia's jokes. I only warn you that there is an evil cliffhanger. I hate it! I cant read the second book right away , I need a break but I'll definitely read it.
I want to know the rest of the story. View all 55 comments. I just have no accurate words to describe how I'm feeling right now after reading this book. Saying I adored this book is not really enough. It was such a surprise for me, such an emotional and heart-breaking read, a complete roller-coaster of all existing human emotions.
I know who I am, she thought, taking his hand and turning to the altar. Time just froze for me while I read this book.
Reality seemed to stop existing for me because all I could think about was what will Tatia and Shura have to go through next. I just needed to read more, and how not to when you get right into Russia at time of war, while the city where the main characters live gets surrounded by an enemy who will not let them get out of it, who will not let food get inside it, a city where bombs explode every single day right next to them You just can't help getting hooked as if your own life depends on it.
This read completely took the floor from under my feet, my heart was being squeezed so harshly that I just couldn't breath normally. I have cried, yes, but I have never felt so heart-broken and painfully aware of the characters and their actions. This read will torture you, but at the same time it will give you such tender and lovely moments that you just can't help but keep reading.
It was real, It was everlasting, it was everything I picture as ideal. The time and space might not have been the greatest, but that only made the romance stronger because despite everything the main characters went through their love for each other never stopped existing.
View all 39 comments. Alexander and Tatiana are, hands down, the greatest hero and heroine I've come across. Alexander is the usual gorgeous, possessive male but he has so much more; he is faithful and unconditionally honorable.
And Tania is the strongest, sweetest, most selfless heroine I've ever come across. I'm head over heels in love with them both and I've never hurt more for any characters as I have for them. The writing in this book is exquisite. The tragedy seems relentless, but it is war. Alexander and Tania's unyielding love for each other is like no other- rivaling even Romeo and Juliet. I must admit to feeling like I was drowning in a sea of sadness most of the time while reading this, and just when I'd come up for air, another horrific event would pull me back under.
It was not an easy read, but its strength and beauty pulled me forward. I was amazed. I was scared. I was deeply saddened. I was mortified. But above all, I was hopeful On to book 2!
Sweet, innocent, strong heroine. View all 79 comments. They kissed. You alive, under me. Tania, touch me. Put your hands on me. Seeing him was a profound shock to her. Feeling him was entirely too much. Open your legs.
Of course I had to know what they were all talking about so I bought it… months ago like in.. November before I knew it January, February came and gone and I still did not read it.
March then April, still it sat in my Kindle.. Next thing I know my friends Chiqui and Atran double teamed me. Okay so I have to be honest.. I surprisingly enjoyed it! A LOT! I say surprisingly because when I first started it I did not like the heroine Tatiana but she slowly proved everything I thought about her wrong she is one of the best heroines I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
And Alexander is her other half he matches her in intelligence, strength, determination, and faith. The main story lies in the romance with Tatiana Metanova and Alexander Belov.
A love that seems impossible for them to have due to the circumstances they both find themselves in. And no I am not talking about the war. When Tatiana and Alexander meet they have no idea that they share a common denominator. When the book starts it is the summer of The announcement that World War II has hit Russia, Tatiana is sent out to the market for food and so my dislike for her initially began. She came off as extremely immature to me and her lack of…her lack of will to get her family food on the one task she was asked to fulfill irked the living daylights out of me.
Eventually I chalked her lack of will up to ignorance; the young girl simply did not understand what it truly meant to be at war. And I soon forgave her because that ignorance caused her path to cross paths with 22yr old Red Army soldier Alexander Belov. Later that same day Tatiana learns that Alexander, the soldier she is beyond smitten with is the same one her older sister Dasha has fallen in love with.
Tatiana decides to put her feelings aside and she asks correction no she begs Alexander to stay with her sister. And so he does. Stupid stupid stupid. Most of all you will experience heart ache of EPIC proportions. As the war progresses and makes it way to the borders of Leningrad; we watch the Metanova family go through extreme changes and through it all Alexander remains in their lives through it all.
It took for me to read almost half of the book for my dislike for Tatiana to finally dissipate. As her maturity increased so did her will. I began to see her in a different light eventually her strength and determination caused me to see only the woman she became right before my eyes and not the young ignorant child she once was. When she and Alexander finally get to have each other and become one it is beautiful Their first time along with every time after..
And not just sexually… It is beautiful in every way. But let me tell you they have a whole lot of sex to make up for lost time! It's gritty, with a lot of history intertwined in to the story. The war also brings out all of the characters by enhancing what you will love and hate about them. And the characters in this book are very colorful trust me you will get a little bit of everything.
She and Pasha ate out of the same bowl together. Dasha prepared and served them that bowl. If You are there somewhere, please teach me how to hide what I never knew how to show. She needed just one thing now— to lay her eyes on the boy who had breathed the same air as her for seventeen years, in the same school, in the same class, in the same room, in the same womb.
She wanted her friend and her twin back. I thought that was your rifle. Do you hear me? Now, get up. For me, Tatia. For me, please get up and go take care of your sister. Go on. And one way or another we will fix this. You and I will fix this together.
Thou shall not be afraid for the terror by night… nor for the arrow that flieth by day… nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near thee. The plot is meaty, well done, flavorful, a little tough to chew on but very filling. Now go forth and read. Then come tell us about it on Goodreads! View all 71 comments.
I'm going to begin with the things I liked: the world building for the historical setting, pretty much any of the parts about Tatiana and her family dealing with the hardships of war, and the writing. I loved getting to know this Russia, seeing the struggles of Tatiana's family and everyone else in Leningrad, and it was just overall really interesting being thrust into t [2. I loved getting to know this Russia, seeing the struggles of Tatiana's family and everyone else in Leningrad, and it was just overall really interesting being thrust into this time period.
I also think that Simons's writing is really great. I felt like I flew through the book extremely quickly even though it was over pages long. All of that being said, this book seriously outraged me. Do you want to know why it outrages me: the characters and the romance.
I would consider this book to pretty much be an epic romance. Most of the plot elements have to do with the romance and the two main characters' relationship.
Essentially the plot is the romance and the romance is made up of interactions between the two main characters.
The problem was that the two main characters were kind of terrible and therefore made the romance and the plot equally unappetizing. Alexander is emotionally abusive, physically abusive at times, overly controlling, and really manipulates Tatiana's emotions for his own selfishness. Tatiana on the other hand is incredibly naive, is so selfless that she doesn't care about anything but Alexander, and is overtly virginalized in this book to the point where it seemed at times that Alexander was just using her and being a bit creepy.
Sure both of the characters have their good moments like when Alexander helps take care of Tatiana's family, but their overall actions made me feel a bit sick. This also effected the plot because most of the book was the two characters running around in circles over each other. Even though I flew through the book, it definitely could have been shorter.
Also, there could have been less sex because it takes up about a quarter of the book and honestly is just a bit boring and "too much" if you know what I mean.
I know romance in books is a bit of a touchy subject, but I just wanted to get my opinion out there. Alexander is just not the kind of person I think needs to be romanticized. View all 5 comments. Shelves: stars , books. G Every once in awhile a book enters our life that changes the way we think and feel. Reading this book but felt like watching a WW2 documentary that included a love story. The Bronze Horseman could be categorized as a realistic historical fiction.
The whole scenario felt real. When the characters suffered I suffered along with them in my everyday life. Watching this family struggle to survive in Russia during the winter while a war has taken over their city and one soldier making it his mission to save them had me inconstant emotional turmoil.
Being able to see the war through the eyes of a soldier and the citizens made the story come alive right before my very eyes. The beauty of the Bronze Horseman is it leaves you realizing to never take important things in your life for granted.
It's rare when a book can make you reevaluate your life and makes you want to change for the better. One word is so powerful that I get chills thinking about it now - Orbeli. I won't say anymore as not to ruin the power behind this word. After you're done with this book and realize what it means and you'll be awestruck.
A couple questions get asked when reading this book - 1. Love triangle? More of a forbidden love where in their culture it would have been frowned upon.
Here's what is written at the end of the book, hide spoiler ] view spoiler [ "The book is a tragedy; therefore it does not have a happy ending, though it has a fitting end.
Knowing that- I will keep it in mind as I read the next two books. Also lots of people love this series so it must end with an HEA. I have a short attention span but not once was I bored. The writing and storytelling was amazing and kept me captivated the whole time.
Must be read in order. Novellas: 0. View all 92 comments. I can't remember the last time I felt so connected to a story. This book, in fact all three books, are not for everyone. This is a forbidden and angsty read, with many moments that will make you feel many sad and angry feelings, but the story is contrasted with some of the most beautiful and wonderful, fulfilling moments that I have ever had the pleasure to read in my life.
The story of Tatiana and Alexander begins in in Leningrad, and on the day that war is declared, Tatiana an innocent girl of 17, and Alexander a young soldier in the Red Army, cross paths unaware of how much their lives and future plans will change. This book was everything to me, I loved so many things about it.
I was absolutely engrossed in the setting, as although I don't read historical romance very often, this is definitely the first time I have read a book set in WW2 Russia, it was extremely eye-opening to view this important part of history from a different POV than what I have experienced before.
I could die any minute a thousand different ways to Sunday. This might be the last minute we will have together. Tatiana may have been a young and innocent girl at the beginning, but the horrors of war and all of the loss and devastation soon ages her, but her pure and caring character was completely endearing to me.
Alexander was pure Alpha Male and his fierce and protective nature was so extremely appealing to me that I forgave his moods, for he came out with some of the most beautiful words, anything could be forgiven.
Tatiana: "Why did we spend two days fighting when we could have been doing this? That was foreplay. The characters went through so much throughout the entire trilogy and I felt so invested in them that I am going to find it very hard to move on to another book.
The Bronze Horseman is without a doubt, a top favourite that will forever live in my heart, and whilst I wasn't entirely enamoured with the second book, Tatiana and Alexander , I was completely won over again with the finale, The Summer Garden. You are the one God sent me to give me faith. Top marks for the whole series, and a million stars to this, The Bronze Horseman. The Bronze Horseman is a historical romance, and the first in the trilogy. Told from dual POV. Images featured in this review were created by me using stock images either purchased from deposit photo or from free stock sites.
View all 32 comments. Aug 14, Sara sarawithoutanH marked it as will-never-read. NOTE: I have not read this book. I will never read this book.
My friend Whitney WhittyNovels has been posting excerpts of this book on Twitter and I'm absolutely shocked and disgusted by what I've seen. There is no way to misconstrue these passages. The cover of this book proudly boasts that it's a love story and none of what I have seen has even a modicum of romance.
What I've seen has left me feeling sick. TW: rape, toxic relationships, mental and physical abuse, and probably much more https: NOTE: I have not read this book. One day, Tatiana's childhood life changes forever and it's not the beginning of the War that I'm talking about. It's the moment she was sitting on a bench in the sunshine eating ice cream, yes Okay, I'm sure you've seen it all before and you've maybe read a few reviews or at least a comment here or there I think it's impossible to not have heard of this book somewhere.
And you've thought, hmmmm I just don't know. Well, I'm here to somehow convince you to just give it a chance! First, I have to give credit where credit is due and thank my wonderful friend, Chiqui , for finally convincing me to read it! I think that's what we all need is just someone to give us that little extra push and I'm sooo happy she did!
Anyway, back to convincing you Need more? Well, I'm sure you've also heard of Outlander , heck, you may even have read it It has all the same elements that you fell in love with in Outlander.
And if you haven't read Outlander and want to but are put off by the length of the series and it not being finished, then, this is the series for you! There are only three books, well, four if you read the prequel but that's it and Still not convinced? It's too long you say? Well, it's only pages and yes, while that is considerably longer than most books, it's only about the size of two regular books and that doesn't take too long to read!
But Sharon, what about the boring history stuff? Okay, that was an issue for me too and while you do get a bit about WWII, it's not laden down with tons of facts. It's more about Tatiana, her family, and what regular people go through during a War. It will make you feel deprived but the real issue is that you will probably gain a pound or two just from the shear need of having to eat whatever your heart desires and to the fullest!
But what about the romance? What about the romance? Not only is there romance but there is every shade of romance ever dreamt of. There is every type of romance ever experienced Silly me Well, let me just tell you this Yes, breast -man Oh no, that would be too trivial I seriously doubt you will be unsatisfied!
How am I doing? Are you at least more interested than before? Well, unfortunately, I can't make you read this but I will tell you that you are making a HUGE mistake if you don't read it. This book will impact you and you'll experience what the Grinch did! And another bonus If I haven't convinced you by now, then I don't think I'm really going to be able to. And yes, I wrote this review the way I did so I wouldn't give anything away besides when they first saw each other.
I hope you go in blind and open yourself up so you can fully experience everything that is Shura and Tania and come away loving it as much as I did.
Except for you, Alexander. Keep you in. Every word, every breath, every smile you took, every kiss you laid upon my body, every game we played, every Bronze Horseman cabbage pie you cooked for me. I remember it all. When the Germans blockaded the city on September 8, , there were two and a half million civilians in Leningrad.
In the spring of a million people remained. It was like being struck by lightning, even if the lightning did strike a thousand times a day. No, it wasn't war that terrified Tatiana. It was the resolute chaos of her broken heart. She had a twin brother and an older sister; they all shared a very small two bedroom home and there was no such thing as privacy. During this thought time Tatiana demonstrated so much strength considering her age. Alexander is twenty two year old soldier who finds himself in the middle of this crazy war but no family or love ones and really nothing to fight for until he meets Tatiana.
The way they met was EPIC. I had so many conflicted feeling after they met because of the love triangle and angst overload. I was mainly upset with Tatiana and then with Alexander and omg the feels were ridiculous.
The Bronze Horseman is a beautifully written historical romance where the readers will suffer great eternal bleeding and stabbing pain to their hearts. All the feels this book delivered was insane and I loved everything about it.
So if you are not a fan of EPIC heavy stories best stay away from this baby. This book absolutely shattered my heart into pieces, it stabbed me in the chest over and over and fucking over, I can't say I regret it because I'd be lying.
This book was amazing, it was loaded with all the feels a person could possibly have. Omg I absolutely love these two, the length and strength of their love was tested million of times during this cold War and they blew my mind away. I loved them so hard it hurts. As if it were always meant to be. As if betrayal, deceit, war, hunger, death - and not just death but the death of everyone else she had ever loved - had been their courtship. I absolutely loved it. If you like a book loaded with feels this one is for you.
You will be angry, sad, happy, basically is a complete emotional roller-coaster ride and I regret nothing. Loved every second of it. The withdrawals are ridiculous and I just can't stop thinking the story and the characters and the beautiful words, and my chest hurts like someone is stabbing me millions of times and is the best hahahah.
I still want to continue the series but I need to prepare myself for the next one until then I'll enjoy this feeling best as I can. View all 20 comments. You want me review this??? Are you kidding me? How the hell do you review a book like The Bronze Horseman?! I read this book until 2. I said to myself, 'I'll read until I finish this book and then I'll sleep.
And I cried. And I tossed and turned and I couldn't help starting book two! And I read that until 4. And then I dreamt about Alexander and Tatiana. And then I woke up at 7am On a Sunday!! And now it's 11am You want me review this??? And now it's 11am and I've pried myself away from my Kindle to write you this review. Sorry that that was long winded, but I just can't explain, any other way, how truly and wholly consuming these books are! You weren't even looking for me.
She is one of my 'go to's I trust her judgement, I love her blog and she raves about these books. I remained sceptical for a time and then mentioned on Facebook that I might give them a try I can see why people are hesitant when it comes to this series.
Lets see It's a historical romance and the large majority of my blog followers, myself included, are contemporary romance fans. The first books is pages long!!! That is a marathon read. If you've read the reviews, you'll see that these are heart wrenching, no-holds-barred, grief laden books. I want you to know that should something happen to me, don't worry about my body. My soul isn't going to return to it, nor to God. It's flying straight to you, where it knows it can find you, in Lazarevo.
I want to be neither with kings no heroes, but with the queen of Lake Ilmen. So, it is only natural to be cautious. With your heart and with your One Clicks. Well, let me say this I strongly suggest your throw caution to the wind, take a big deep breath and launch yourself in, head first! How to go about explaining The Bronze Horseman? No review will begin to prepare you for this book. It is set in 's Russia and follows a whole host of characters through the turmoil of war.
At the centre of the story, are Alexander and Tatiana, and a love story like no other. This book will change the way I view every other book. I just know it.
What previously struck me as 'hardships' that characters endured, now seem like petty, unimportant, childplay. The characters in TBH go through more devastation than you can possibly imagine. War, death, starvation, illness, injury, separation, loneliness, poverty How am I going to take characters seriously, from now on, when they have a silly misunderstanding and throw away a perfectly good relationship I love you like I've never loved anyone in my whole life.
And I'll take care of you. Yes, this book is long. But you will devour every single word, on every single page. And then you will want more! I promise you. If I am to make one small complaint, and it isn't really a complaint, it would be that it took me a little while to feel so wholly immersed in this book. There is a lot of scene setting and explanation to be done, and the story could not be told without this.
And I found myself skimming some of that. But, it takes nothing away from the book whatsoever and is barely even worth a mention. The only reason I've touched upon it is because I wouldn't want anyone throwing the towel in too early on and missing out on this fantastic book.
So, the other issue. It's a historic romance. Truly, historic novels have never ever interested me. But I completely forgot I was reading about the s! It is easy to understand and the dialogue is modern and relateable. Please, please do not let this deter you. Let's talk about Alexander. Or 'Shura'. Oh my goodness. Ladies, a new bar has been set for all alpha males. And Shura has set it, high up, out of reach of most men.
He is just perfect. Completely and utterly perfect. He is everything a man should be. Strong, protective, smart, brave beyond belief, loyal, dignified, proud and he loves fiercely. What kind of girl do you think I am? In , after a personal meeting with Tsar Nicholas I — , Pushkin was released from exile.
This proved not to be the case: Pushkin still had to ask permission before publishing anything or traveling. In , he did, however, receive permission to publish Boris Godunov.
In , Pushkin married year-old Nathalie Goncharova, who was already a socialite renowned for her beauty. They had three children together, although the marriage was not happy. Pushkin experienced financial difficulties during the s, and he wrote less poetry, though The Bronze Horseman is a product of this period.
In , Pushkin founded the literary magazine The Contemporary , which championed among others the work of another Russian literary master, Nikolai Gogol. His wife continued to have many admirers after marriage. Pushkin, Alexander. The Bronze Horseman. Translated by John Dewey. The poem consists of nearly lines and is divided into three sections: an Introduction, Part One, and Part Two.
In the Introduction, an unnamed man later identified as Peter the Great stands on the marshy banks of the Neva River and conceives his desire to build the city of Saint Petersburg.
The man envisions a city that will protect Russia against potential enemies such as Sweden; people from all nations will come as guests. A century later, the city has replaced marsh and forest. The city is impressive and architecturally stunning, with large mansions, towers, and a flourishing port where ships from all over the world dock.
The river banks are now encased in granite and edged by bridges and gardens; Saint Petersburg is even more splendid than Moscow. The speaker enjoys sitting in his room at dusk, reading and writing. He loves the cold winter, when he watches the sledges on the frozen river. He loves going to balls or bachelor dinners where the drinks flow freely. He also loves it when the city is on a war footing, and soldiers and horses assemble and flags fly. He loves to hear guns roaring in military salute when the empress gives birth to a son, or when Russia celebrates a war victory.
Addressing the city directly, the speaker tells it to be steadfast so that it continues to subdue the elements, and so that the waters of the Gulf of Finland cannot trouble it. Then he recalls a bad event that happened to the city in the paSaint. In Part One, heavy rain falls on the city one November night. He is a poor clerk who works in an office. That night he lies awake, worried about his financial straits and lack of opportunity—his life is so unlike that of aristocrats, who have wealth and ease even though they do nothing to deserve it.
Yevgeny is also aware that the river is rising in the storm and the city may get cut off, in which case he will not be able to see his girlfriend Parasha.
He dreams of marrying her. Finally, he falls asleep. At dawn, the city floods. People flee their homes as the water rises waist-high.
Houses are ruined and coffins float down the streets, released from the graveyard by the water. Tsar Alexander, in somber mood , surveys the destruction of the city. Even the palace is affected by it, and the tsar sends out men by boat to save as many people as they can. All he sees is water everywhere.
Behind him stands the statue of Peter the Great on a horse. In Part Two, the flood is receding.
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