"No man is rich enough to buy back his past." ~ Oscar Wilde
I haven't mentioned that I'm reading Children of Liberty because it's a busy time of year for me with school ending...so I don't have a ton of time to read. For some reason, I feel this need to sign up to be a class mom every year...and between Christmas and the end of the school year, it's a wonder I don't have a substance abuse problem.THAT SAID...there is no better feeling than having to put the book down RIGHT AWAY and blog...and I just had that feeling. I can't stop myself, folks. I have to say what's on my mind.
This book is fascinating because I am a sucker for class struggles. And this book has loads of them. There is nothing like a good Paullina Simons period novel to get you wistfully thinking of your grandparents and having an aching in your stomach to have them back again so you could ask them a million questions about their youth.
Having read The Bronze Horseman series, I know what happens to Gina and Harry. That is the main reason I was terrified to read this book. But I am on page 199 and they're nowhere near couple status. Gina's got a crush on Harry...and he barely knows she's alive. (Actually he pushes her, kicking and screaming, out of his head whenever she pops into it...but we won't get into my theories right now.) And so far, although he reads 24/7 and takes political classes at Harvard, he has shown ("shown" being the operative word here) zero interest in politics, let alone Communism. So I am now at the edge of my seat, wondering what is going to happen.
Once Harry decided to help Gina with Salvo's restaurant, I said "Here we go...now we're getting down to brass tacks".
But what made me jump up and grab the computer??
Alice is happy Salvo quit the mill because he was nice to her? Wow. And I get it - it was over a hundred years ago. It wasn't proper for him to smile at her...and she knew he was "interested" (who wouldn't be?) But wow. WOW. He quit! And she doesn't care. And he needs the money. And now he's going to open a restaurant and she's going to find out since Harry is fronting the loan...and she's going to remember Salvo...
Oh this just got completely DELICIOUS!!!!!
And I don't want to cheapen this beautiful story by blurting out my usual "oh no she di'nt" banter.
So I'll just quietly say:
Ho. Ly. Cow.
That's all for now. I have GOT to go read! Popsicles and teacher gifts be damned!
Hi. I'm Andrea. I just found the Bronze Horseman Trilogy 2.5 weeks ago.... and OMG - I don't know what's happened to me - it's invaded my every waking moment! And, now that it's been nearly 1 week since I finished all the books - there's just this void left. So, I keep hunting and reading more blogs, more reviews, anything really, just to get my fix! I've read through all your comments - very insightful thanks. Does this book help? Is it as good? I'd love to read Tatiana's Table, but it's impossible to get hold of one. I wish there was an ebook. I'm from South Africa, which just makes matters worse... humph!
ReplyDeleteAlso thought to mention that TSG left me completely shattered... I realise it's been so long since the rest of you have read it, but for me, it's like they've just been released! I read all 3 in 1 week - sometimes I was so desperate that I even succumbed to reading parts of it on my mobile phone, eek!
Welcome Andrea!! Don't worry - we all totally know what you're going through. TBH series stays with you. I finished it...what...2 years ago? Sheesh I can't even remember...and it stays with me, even today. You won't find much like it out there.
ReplyDeleteThat said - YES - I loved Children of Liberty. I went into it absolutely terrified because I hated Harold Barrington from everything Shura told us about him. This book completely turned me around on that. I love him. I want MORE of him. Bet you can't believe that, can you?
Let me know what you end up doing. And welcome to our little world of Tatia and Shura. :)
PS - Keep looking online for Tatiana's Table. Paullina Simons even had a contest once and they gave away a few copies. Check out her website
when you get a chance!
Thanks for coming back to me Carol! I've decided I'll read it - if Harold is only half the man his son was - then he's easy to love! Except for that one MAJOR slip up, and to me it was very major! That one is still stuck in my throat - excuse then pun - yikes ;-)
ReplyDeleteI was so in love with the idea of Alexander up until that moment, no matter how bad he was, he could almost do no wrong, because he had seriously gotten (?) under my skin, just everything about that boy was a man, so honourable, so courageous, passionate, honest, loving, intense, totally HOT and on an on. Then, all of a sudden, he fell off that pedestal, and surprisingly, I started to question if I could have handled such a control freak (when he found her ruck sack in Lazarevo and took his knife and tore all her clothes to shreds; insisted Tatiana always had to look at him, didn't want her to work, was rather cold to Anthony); but hey - it's a cruel world out there, and even the mighty fall. It was a big blow though (lol), but somehow, I still kept that image of the soldier looking across the road; making her ice-cream, keeping her dress, sacrificing himself for her freedom ...sigh.
I've been to Paullina Simon's website, especially to try and find 'that' prologue to The Bridge to the Holy Cross - that has been mentioned by Hildy in one of her posts (http://paullinasimons.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=556) - keeps saying that board is currently unavailable - such torture. I wonder if that message forum is still live? Plus, I don't think that the fact that I seem to be 2 years behind (what rock have I been lying under??) helps much! These books are getting scarcer and scarcer!
On a totally different note - you have all been talking about Outlander... is it really that good? I feel like I've been spoilt (not spoiled) with these books.
PS: Sorry to ramble on about a topic that has been long buried to most on this forum... but my goodness, that Alexander has just taken me back to when I was 17, where the idea of love is all-consuming; if I'm so smitten now... He's just reminded me of what it was like to fall so deeply in love, all the things you have to overcome, and boy, did Tatiana know how to handle him? :-P
I'm just hoping that by putting it out there, I set him free ;-) Maybe it's being a mother of 3... things just seem a little less wild... less intense, certainly a lot tamer - I guess after so many years, the mystery is no longer mysterious ;-)
Holy cow Andrea - I keep accidentally closing my reply and having to type it all over again! YES! You must read Outlander. You are lucky to have found The Bronze Horseman series first; most people I talk to find Outlander first and are thrilled when I send them to The Bronze Horseman series. You should also consider Paullina Simons' "A Song in the Daylight". It's not historical fiction and it's only one book (not a series) but WOW...that book stayed with me for days.
ReplyDeleteIf you do read Outlander, you can read along with me (I blogged as I read, just like with The Bronze Horseman) over at My Outlander Purgatory. Happy Reading!! :)