R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on 1/25/2016 + 1452 more book reviews

This is an entertaining read and I plan to read the others in the trilogy. The historical background is wonderfully detailed as were the views of Russian society, family life, the military background and the battles. The poetry by Pushkin added depth and interest and made me want to go back and read Pushkin again. The Nazi sieges on Moscow and Leningrad were so graphic that I found myself wondering how many of the characters would survive and, of course, so many did not.

I liked the hero and heroine but I felt that the 800+ pages should have been edited. Too much time was spent in setting the stage, on the early character interactions and with the sexual scenes between Tatiana and Alexander. I plodded through early parts and skimmed a number of the sexual romps.

As I reflect on this book, I realize that it's hard for us in our land of plenty to truly understand what the people Leningrad and other Russian cities had to endure just to survive during WWII. So little food, no heat, bombs to dodge, death and the chaos of it all. And, of course, danger came from the NKVD as well as the Germans. The author helps us understand that conflict brings out the best in some of us and the worst in others as demonstrated by the actions of Alexander and Dimitri. So, what is true bravery? Perhaps it's the courage to just get through each day during the chaos of war doing the best we can.

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