BBC: The Bronze Horseman (Day 3)
Now that our discussion is picking up (those who are sleeping, wake up!!! LOL), here’s our next question:
- The human suffering, death and disease caused by the siege are vividly shown in The Bronze Horseman. Is this more shocking for the reader when Tatiana herself is appalled, or when she has become immune to the horror of the situation? How do you feel about the hunger of the Metanova family?
Leningrad 1942
Russian nurses
Summer GardenTomorrow we will be posting some pics of women who could be Tatiana, and then Friday for Alexander. For the record, I think I’ll hate it if TBH is adopted into a movie. :/ There’s only so much a film can deliver.
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Labels: bitches book club, the bronze horseman’s harlot
Peace on Earth...
4/26/2006 03:12:00 PM
When I finished the book, just three days after starting it I felt such a connection to these people that I even noticed a sense of disillusionment with my own present life and longed to be in 1941 war ravaged Leningrad, of all places! Anything to feel closer to these characters and to understand their experiences. Yet, for all the soaring emotion this book invoked in me, I also strongly appreciated the honesty which kept Alexander and Tatiana rooted to one another and to reality. The fact that their lives converge during a time of war leaves no room for pretenses and the need for sincerity as strong as the hunger that killed 2 million of Leningrad's inhabitants during the siege of that city. The descriptions of a starving Leningrad and it's fiercely patriotic "comrades" unfold WWII Russia to me in a very personal and powerful way. This book is truly an inspiration and should not be missed!
4/26/2006 04:47:00 PM
It is definately more shocking when Tatiana becomes immune to the horros of war. Nobody should ever just accept what happened. The Metanova family had no choice about the starvation. Rations are rations. You can't get more food unless you steal. Like I said before I don't understand why Tataina didn't search the dead for ration cards. They would have helped. But I'm glad the family died because they were so mean to Tatiana... I know that is mean but FUCK THEM!
4/26/2006 05:03:00 PM
KC, you had to go and register in person each month to get ration cards and if you were found with someone elses rations cards you could be shot on the spot. Despite the conditions people were still particularly fearful of the authorities.
4/26/2006 05:19:00 PM
I love books about epic dramas that happen alongside war. So from FAREWELL TO ARMS to BIRDSONG, i've read a lot about the WWII. But seeing it through Tatiana's eyes, it has the most effect on me. Especially when one as young as her becomes immune to the horror it brought. They were talking about people dying, seeing dead on the streets like it's the most normal thing in the world. For me, not caring is always more devastating than not.
I've never felty hunger like the Metanovas did so i can't really relate. But, it's still shocking the way people would do because of hunger, like eating boards, glue, and don't even think there's nothing wrong with that--and that it tastes good! And to think i whine when i can't have Nutella. :S Also, i felt angry when Marina ate all their bread. She knew her cousin was starving and still she didn't share.
The realization of the war made me look at my own life differently. Especially how i took for granted many things, such as food, my home, my freedom. It makes me wonder, if the things taht happened to Tatiana happen to me, will i survive too?
4/26/2006 05:34:00 PM
The book combines a very moving love story with riveting scenes from the history of World War II. Based on the true experiences of the author's grandparents, it brings to life the awful horror of the siege of Leningrad, when millions of the city's inhabitants starved to death due to military action by Germany. The will to survive and the compelling love of the two main characters is the main focus of the book, but along the way you learn what happened when the food stores were burnt down, how families stuck together, how people simply collapsed and died as they walked along the street. This is gripping stuff. You can learn so much about the past when you immerse yourself in the lives of these characters.
4/26/2006 05:35:00 PM
Hello Abigail and Hamilton. Welcome :D Glad you joined us!
4/26/2006 08:19:00 PM
interesting blog.
4/26/2006 10:40:00 PM
Harlot, I love those types of books too. I recently read The Siege by Helen Dunmore, and whilst it pailed in comparison to TBH, it shed more light on the hardships for those in Leningrad, down to the fact that they even boiled leather manicure cases to get the goodness out, along with the terrible bread and eating boiled up wallpaper paste. I can't imagine being anywhere near that hungry!
4/26/2006 10:40:00 PM
Yikes :S
So Marg, this book THE SIEGE, is it good? Am not sure i want to read about people boiling leather for food though.. :S
Also, does it have any love story in it? LOL I have to have some laving in my books as i tend to get bored without them. :P
4/27/2006 02:11:00 PM
I was hooked from the start by the author's delightful characterisation of Tatiana and her descriptions of wartime Leningrad. The war seen through Tatia's naive yet enquiring eyes was brought home all the more powerfully to me because of her simple way of looking at things. I thought Ms Simons's writing reached its zenith during her descriptions of the Siege of Leningrad and I was moved beyond telling by the tired and matter of fact way the deaths of the people in the streets was told from Tatiana's POV. She had seen and suffered so much by that time that finding the postmaster dead at his desk or stepping over people frozen on the stairs had become almost routine. This made it all the more shocking.
4/27/2006 04:31:00 PM
Harlot, The Siege paled in comparison to TBH. Would I have enjoyed it if I hadn't read TBH first. Maybe. There's a review on my blog! There is meant to be some romance but IMO it's not a focus. I am interesting in getting hold of Madonnas of Leningrad
4/27/2006 04:57:00 PM
Thanks, Marg. I'll look into it. But.. no romance? :S I think i can take eating leather but not something without laving. LOL
4/27/2006 10:01:00 PM
I love these pictures. Harlot and VT, I got swept on the TBH bandwagon through Kiki, Linka, and Gina from the Heartland on the JMBB. I'm glad taht I let Kiki bend my fingers backwards. This is now my all time favorite book. I went on ebay and amazon and bought all 3 books (my original TBH was a library loaner). I also got the first version of T&A- The Bridge to Holy Cross which I'm reading right now. I'm thoroughly enjoying this discussion and the one that we've been having on the JMBB.
5/04/2006 12:14:00 AM
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