The Bronze Horseman (Paperback)

The romantic element of the novel excels, as I have said, because of the two central lovers. They are complemented by a surrounding cast of believable and carefully drawn characters, who make the whole personnel of the story very convincing. The plot is also very well crafted, and while it does dwell significantly on the very dark days of the Leningrad siege, it also includes a period of almost idyllic escapism which tempers and balances the horrors of the depiction of the war. Both elements are essential to the story being told, and give excellent structure to the plot. The story of the war and in particular the siege of Leningrad are, in my opinion, what makes this novel stand out above any other I have read in recent years. Many readers will have been unaware of the historical event taking place in the novel, but they have been carefully researched and are retold with a high degree of historical accuracy. It is clear that many first hand accounts have been used to give authenticity to the unfolding events, and perhaps it is this weaving of fact into the fiction that make this novel stay so much in the mind, even months after finishing it. I know of a number of people who, having read this book, have wanted to find out more of the real life events of the time - any reader of this review wanting to do this could use as a starting point Harrison E Salisbury's 'The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad". I can highly recommend this to any reader who wants to find out more about the events of "The Bronze Horseman".

If you love intelligent, satisfying fiction with real depth of plot and characterisation, you must buy and read this book! It should be a best seller and a prizewinner, and you will never forget it.

Tatia is an amazing young girl hopelessly in love with Alexander, as will you be too. Not being one for romantic novels - I was truely surprised, such a gritty heart wrenching tale of un-selfish un-dying love and passion throughout the second world war.

As a fan of war novels I was particuarlly impressed with the attention to detail and the perspective of seeing the war as it was in communist Russia.

Tatia is adorable, one of the only Simmons lead characters who is. All the expected Simmons vilians are there, but taken to a whole new level. I thought Red Leaves was the best Simmons book to date - but I was mistaken - this bok had me crying into the pages, desperate for Tatianas life to be the happy, harmonious one she deserves. I felt like I knew this girl, I wanted to know this girl, she has inspired me to be a better person - this novel is truely powerful - I can't believe it's fiction!!!

Congratualtions to Ms Simmons for her most outstanding book to date, roll on Bridge to Holy Cross if this epic is anything to go by. I can't say enough about this masterpiece of a story, but I don't want to give anything away.

Enjoy reading this and prepare to never want to put it down. Want to know how it ends, but be prepared to be devistated when it's finished, as when you finish you feel that something is missing. Never have I read a book that captivated me in such a way. Make it a film, blow Titanic out of the ocean, but hollywood boffs - if you make it don't ruin it - stay true to the story word for word - it simply can not be improved upon, and Simmons will be hard pushed to do better.

WOW!! This is a book dying to be read. A classic for the 21st Century.