BBC: The Bronze Horseman (Day 4)
After some thought, instead of extending it till tomorrow, I’ve decided today is going to be our last TBH discussion. Why? Well, ask your lazy selves!!! :P
Don’t worry, dear readers, after all, this is only our first time. *wink* Trollop and I will be changing our BBC rules. People are more compelled to talk about a book when they have just finished it, so we are considering some options that would suit everyone who wants to participate in their own time. For those who have some ideas as to how we could improve our BBC, please feel free to speak up; we are open for suggestions.
Now, together with our last question, here are some pictures of a guy I think could be Alexander (he’s Russian, btw). Enjoy!
Related:
Don’t worry, dear readers, after all, this is only our first time. *wink* Trollop and I will be changing our BBC rules. People are more compelled to talk about a book when they have just finished it, so we are considering some options that would suit everyone who wants to participate in their own time. For those who have some ideas as to how we could improve our BBC, please feel free to speak up; we are open for suggestions.
Now, together with our last question, here are some pictures of a guy I think could be Alexander (he’s Russian, btw). Enjoy!
- What do you think Alexander is trying to say to Tatiana the last time she leaves him at the hospital? What does he mean by “Remember Orbeli...?” Does the book come to a suitable conclusion?
Related:
Labels: bitches book club, fuckalicious, the bronze horseman’s harlot
Hey HM :D
Yes, LOL all the same guy. That's the yummy Marat Safin, former World #1 tennis player. He won the US Open 2000 and Australian Open 2005. He's one of the best, and he's known for his aggressive powerstyle. Oh man, think of all that stamina.. *drool* LOL
I don't think i have full-body pics of him, but i do have videos LOL. One of which he was playing without a shirt on. Yep. ;) You want a copy? LOL
4/27/2006 01:57:00 PM
This book invites you into a time and place so engrossing, I couldn't put it down and couldn't stop thinking about the characters. The dialogue makes these people "real". I honestly felt as if I were there. I got hungry and cold right along with Tatiana.
One major problem though: what is up with the end? What happens to Alexander? What do they mean that her baby was born in June but not due until August but was full term? How did that happen? I couldn't believe I read 637 pages (hardcover) in 2 days only for that ending! I truly feel as if I am left hanging.
4/27/2006 03:35:00 PM
Anon, I was with you. I wanted to know what happened next. Need to get to a bookstore and get the second book!
4/27/2006 04:54:00 PM
Oh, nice choice! He is a good pick for Alexander, as I imagine Alexander as dark and tall and built! (in the last book, The Summer Garden he really bulks up, due to working as a builder LOL).
4/27/2006 06:09:00 PM
My initial reaction was "wait...what? no...what happened? Oh my god! ugh!", but upon remembering that there was a sequel, I calmed down! Even if there wasn't a sequel I think that I would have come to terms with that ending. His words offered the reader a sense of hope. The uncertainty that Simmons leaves the reader with parallels the uncertainty about all the other events in the rest of the book.
4/27/2006 07:20:00 PM
with the ending we were left with... i was about ready to take a pen and write my own damn ending... sequel or no.... I...WANTED...TO...KILL....SOMETHING! I was one pissed off cookie... haha... but with the last words, I think that he wanted her to be able to recognize him when they met up. I could be completely off base with that too.... ignore me please... haha
4/27/2006 09:11:00 PM
--> Tatiana instantly reacted to his face. What could make a man look this way? He was standing next to the back of a military truck, watching young men carry wooden crates down the ramp from the Winter Palace. It was these crates the man looked at with such profound heartbreak, as if they were his vanishing first love.
"The curator of the Hermitage."
"Why is he looking at the crates that way?"
Alexander said, "They are his life's sole passion. He doesn't know if he is ever going to see them again."
Tatiana stared at the man. She almost wanted to go and comfort him. "He's got to have more faith, don't you think?"
"I agree, Tania." Alexander smiled. "He's got to have a little more faith. After the war is over, he will see his crates again."
I love this Orbeli thing, it has a lot of things behind it. Even without knowing if he'll be able to see his beloved paintings again, Orbeli made an unselfish sacrifice and sent them away. He'd rather loose them, not being able to see them again, as long as they'll be safe. It's hard to let go of some things, esp those you really love. As Alexander has said: "They are his life's sole passion." I think Alexander did the same thing with Tatiana, his life's sole passion. But at the same time, he wanted her to have more faith, and that he would do anything to be with her again.
--> "What's that in your eyes?"
"I'm watching all my wooden crates descend the ramp from the Winter Palace," she whispered.
"Got to have a little more faith, my wife." Alexander raised his shaking right hand to his temple, to his lips, to his heart.
4/27/2006 09:28:00 PM
After i read TBH, my first reaction about the ending was WTF? It can't be jsut that!!! (especially at the time, i didn't know that there's actually a sequel)
But after i thoguht about it, i believe the ending was perfect. It couldn't have a "happy" ending because, in the first place, TBH is not a "happy" book. Also, one of the themes that run strong in the book is the sacrifices you make for those you love. Alexander sacrificed his life to give Tatiana and their child a chance for a new life, a better life in America.
4/27/2006 09:41:00 PM
Tart, a builder? LOL I have to get my hands on a copy. :P
4/27/2006 10:04:00 PM
Harlot, you said it all so well!
4/27/2006 11:17:00 PM
I too love the whole Orbelli thing, and without giving too much away, when Tania works it out in the sequel it was a very emotional moment for me anyway!!!
4/28/2006 02:45:00 AM
Paulina Simmons book was discovered to me by chance. Mainly because I enjoy historical dramas especially russian ones. However, this novel surpasses specific tastes. Simmons has taken the world war 2 genre of novels and turned it into something else. Her detail into the war machine and starvation of the people cannot be faulted. But this is not merely a war account. She includes such human traits in her characters that you cannot help but love them or hate them. They are faced with challenges that in the modern day we would find difficult to comprehend, and through this all she show us the love between Alexander and Tatiana. The sacrifices and decisions they are posed with leave you turning each page frantically and wanting more. At times the intensity is difficult to cope with and you are transformed to a different time and place. You truly can forget where you are. In conclusion whether you go for love stories or war stories or neither this book is about human compassion and downfall. You will wish it never ended.
4/28/2006 11:57:00 AM
when are we having the pics of Tatiana posted?
5/04/2006 12:17:00 AM
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