Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

It is 1941 in Leningrad and the ideals of Communism are not quite living up to their promises. For Tatiana Metanov and Alexander Belov, the realities of life in the Soviet Union will have serious consequences for each of them and will profoundly change their lives. On a beautiful June day, the Germans invade Russia and seventeen year old Tatiana (Tania) meets Alexander, a lieutenant in the Red Army who is totally captivated by her. But they soon discover a problem: it seems Alexander has been seeing Tatiana’s sister (Dasha) and Tatiana refuses to “step on her sister’s heart”.

Through the siege of Leningrad, Tania and Alexander struggle to hide their true feelings for each other. Alexander also struggles to maintain a secret that, if revealed, will cost him his life. The first half of the book concentrates on the lives of Tania and her family during the siege. Simons very vividly describes the shortages of food, the ration lines, the selling of family valuables to buy overpriced food and supplies, the people dying in the streets and the desperation that comes from slowly starving. Time after time it is Alexander who comes to Tania’s rescue and he makes her promise to do whatever she has to do to stay alive for him. Finally, he is able to get Tania and Dasha out of Leningrad and they plan to go live with their grandmother in the east. Sick and weak from TB, Dasha dies before they can get there.

For six months, Tania and Alexander hear nothing from each other. No longer able to stand the not knowing, Alexander gets 30 days leave and goes to try and find them as he can not imagine a world without Tania. A good portion of the second half of the book is Alexander and Tania in bed. This became somewhat annoying after a while - I mean how many times can these two have sex in a day? But then again, when you are young and in love, how else should you spend your time. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought even though I was annoyed.

Alexander and Tania are both equally stubborn and despite her promise to Alexander to stay with her family, she follows him to Leningrad when his leave is over. Once together again, their lives quickly take several turns that will lead them on a desperate attempt to leave the country and force Alexander to let Tania go without him.

Tania is a likeable young girl who carries the weight of her family on her small shoulders. She never complains and she never asks for anything for herself. Sometimes, she was a little too good to be true. Alex is not the perfect hero. He angers quickly especially when Tania has done something that he fears will put her in danger. His need to protect her is all-consuming – but I found myself forgiving him for it considering the events from his past.

It is a little out the "norm" for me, but I had heard so many good things about it that I really wanted to read it. It is a little too romancey for me at times (especially the above mentioned second half) but at it's core, it is a story about war; about sacrifice; about hardship; and about love. Most of the time, I didn't want to put it down, although there were a couple of instances where I wanted to throw it against the wall!!

Words to live by – if you find yourself in a war: "Buy food like you will never see it again." Alexander to Tania as her family decides how much of their savings to spend for food when the war breaks out.

Significance of the books' title: The Bronze Horseman is a poem written by Russian Alexsandr Pushkin in 1833 about the great statue of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg (Leningrad). Considered to be one of the most significant works of Russian Literature, its subject is the conflict between the needs of the state and the needs of its citizens. Both Tania and Alex love the poem and a copy of it plays a significant part in their lives and provides a connection between them. There is a fascinating legend about the statue you can read about here in Wiki.

Rating: Excellent

The story of Lady Jane Grey has to be one of the most tragic in English history. The Nine Days Queen is a non-fiction book that tells how the young teen became a pawn in the political and religious scheming of her own family and suddenly, found herself Queen of England.

Jane’s claim to the throne was firmly written in the will of Henry VIII – if all three of his children died without heirs then the crown was to pass to the descendents of his sister Mary (with her husband Charles Brandon). Jane’s mother is Frances Grey (the oldest daughter of Mary and Charles) and her father is Henry Grey (whose father was the son of Elizabeth Woodville and her first husband). Frances is a selfish and bitter woman who takes her disappointment in bearing only daughters out on young Jane. As a result of her mother’s harsh and critical treatment, Jane is shy, apprehensive and uncomfortable with adults.

But there is one place Jane thrives – in the classroom. Her studies become a refuge from the cruelty of her parents and she becomes extremely well educated in languages and religion. The Greys follow the “new religion” seemingly more for political purposes than religious ones, but not Jane. She is about as “Protestant” as they come.

Due to her royal blood, Thomas Seymour tries and later, John Dudley succeeds in exploiting Jane to increase their own power. Playing on the young and sick Edward VI, Dudley convinces the king to change the order of succession (favoring Jane) as the only way to keep England a Protestant country. Getting the nobility to go along with the plan is fairly simple as they profited greatly from the dissolution of the Catholic Church. But what Dudley failed to take into consideration was the common Englishman – many of whom were still really Catholic at heart – and Mary Tudor’s popularity.

Upon Edward’s death, Dudley moves quickly to crown Jane who is bewildered and does not want to be Queen. Dudley and her parents convince her that she should honor Edward (and God’s) wishes. But the people are not happy as it is obvious what Dudley has done and within days, many of the nobles realize supporting Dudley’s plan was a mistake and Mary is proclaimed Queen.

Mary is no fool and she knows that Jane was only a pawn in Dudley’s quest for continuing power. It seems, that really should have been the end of it and Jane allowed to live out her life in exile. But once again, Jane's life (literally) was secondary to her family's ambitions and Mary had little choice but to sign her death warrant. I cried my eyes out while reading the last few chapters as Jane prepares for her death with a calmness and dignity much beyond her seventeen years.

I enjoyed this book. There were a few times when it was a little slow, but overall I found it fascinating and heartbreaking. It also demonstrates how in the mid-1500's, religious politics had become as important as religion itself. In order to gain power and prestige at court, people attached themselves to whatever religion was in favor at the time. It seemed somewhat like walking a tightrope without a net! The author also included information on many of the characters and their life after Jane's execution. I often wonder what happens to some of the lesser known individuals and I thought this was a nice addition to the book.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the book cover. My copy was published in 1986 and the portrait on the front was I believe one of the only known portraits of Jane. But recently, historians have determined that it is instead, Katherine Parr.

Rating: Good

Since I just finished reading The Nine Days Queen by Mary Luke about Lady Jane Grey (hope to have the review posted by tomorrow), I would have liked to do today's mosaic on Jane. However, the most widely used and recognized portrait of Jane (and the one that is on the cover of my book) has recently been determined to not be of Jane at all, but rather of Katherine Parr. So instead, I'm using this painting by Paul Delaroche from 1833. For the mosaic to turn out, I had to cut some of the other people out of the background. I think it really does convey the tragedy of her story.

Both Kailana and Literary Feline presented me with a "Rockin' Girl Blogger" award - thanks guys! I'm always amazed at how many hits my blog gets every day and that people seem to like it. For me, it's a way to be a little creative, keep track of my books and make some new friends. I'm supposed to pass the award on to 4 more bloggers which is really hard since I think all of the blogs I read regularly (listed in the side bar) totally rock! Plus, I'm sure there are many more out there I haven't even found yet and I love to add to my list. It is so hard to pick 4, but here it goes:

The gals over at the new blog Historical Tapestry. Since it's all about my favorite - historical fiction- , of course I think they rock!

Marg at Reading Adventures. Since she's also on the team over at Historical Tapestry, that makes her a double winner! This gal is a reading machine and she always writes such great reviews.

Margo's Book Shelf. I love the little paragraph at the beginning of her blog about how she didn't read much as a child and is now making up for lost time. You go Margo!! Plus she helped me with my new 3 column layout which I love.

Susan (a/k/a BoswellBaxter) at Reading, Ranting and Raving by a Historical Fiction Writer. Susan cracks me up with some of her posts and she definately has a talent for taking even the most serious historical scenes/characters and making them hilariously funny! Many of her posts just make my day.

This week's Booking Through Thursday:

1. Okay, love him or loathe him, you’d have to live under a rock not to know that J.K. Rowling’s final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, comes out on Saturday… Are you going to read it? Probably not. I haven't read any of the books so I'm guessing reading the 7th book in a series is not the way to start. But I pre-ordered it for my daughter.

2. If so, right away? Or just, you know, eventually, when you get around to it? Are you attending any of the midnight parties? My daughter will probably read it right away although she's talked about re-reading the whole series again before she reads the new book. She's only on the second book so we'll see if she sticks to that once the books arrives!

3. If you’re not going to read it, why not?
You know, I'm really not sure. I've seen a couple of the movies and enjoyed them (wouldn't say they were my favorite movies though), but so far, the books just haven't appealed to me. Maybe that will change someday.

4. And, for the record… what do you think? Will Harry survive the series? What are you most looking forward to?
I'm probably not really the person to answer this question, but just based on what I know, I think Harry will survive. In general, I think the series has been great for kids and gotten many of them interested in reading. Hopefully, they will continue to read other books and enjoy the pleasure of reading a good story!

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

Born to an Irish chieftan along the western coast of Ireland, Grania O Malley prefers life at sea and defies the traditional role of women. To the men under her command, she projects a confidence and vitality that makes them believe that the impossible can be done. Attributes that will be needed as she takes on the might of England and Elizabeth I.

For years, England has had only nominal control over Ireland and the English nobility who settled in Ireland over the centuries had for the most part taken on the countries language and customs. But that is about to change as Elizabeth I seeks to make its neighbor part of an empire. Grania realizes that the English are determined to overthrow everything the Irish hold dear and she is disturbed that the force behind it is a woman. But she feels a certain “kinship” with Elizabeth of Clan Tudor thinking that they have much in common.

Grania’s success at trading and pirating bring her many followers which begin to cause the English some concern and her potential to raise a rebellion is labeled as dangerous. Through two marriages, a couple of prison stays and a back and forth peace with the English, Grania displays an enormous amount of character and an unbending will to survive. To Grania, her strength comes from her inconsistency. “I am happiest when people do not know what to expect of me; it gives me an advantage”. When backed into a corner which threatens her clan’s ability to support themselves, she takes a chance and appeals to Queen Elizabeth in person.

Both Grania and Elizabeth are near 60 years old when they meet. Always seeing Elizabeth as her counterpart, Grania refuses to bow or kneel to Elizabeth. During the meeting she comes to pity Elizabeth as being a captive to her power, while Elizabeth admires Grania and her ability to survive. In the end, recognizing another woman such as herself, Elizabeth gives Grania everything she asks for – one she-king to another.

Through Grania’s story you learn of the struggles of a proud people under England’s increasing dominance and how their inability to put aside their clan warfare was used to conquer them. This is the first book by Morgan Llywelyn that I have read, but I have others and am looking forward to reading them.

Words to live by: "Everything hurts. All the time. Start with that and life won’t be able to disappoint you." Grania to a young boy on one of her ships.

"All of life is a matter of adjusting to the unexpected." Grania observing the trouble her daughter is having adjusting to life with her mother (after being fostered by another clan from an early age).
Rating: Good

Today's Booking Through Thursday goes to the movies:

1. In your opinion, what is the best translation of a book to a movie?
I would say The Color Purple or The Lord of the Rings movies.

2. The worst?
Only because I can't think of anything else at the moment, I'm going to say the British adaptation of Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl. I think it was shown on TV there and was included as a bonus feature on a DVD about Henry VIII's six wives which is one of the reasons I bought the newer release of the DVD. I was really disappointed and hope the new movie version coming out later this year is better.

3. Had you read the book before seeing the movie, and did that make a difference?
I think usually, I've seen the movie first and then read the book, but I can't think of any instance where that has really made a difference. If the movie is poorly done I won't like it even if I loved the book (see answer to number 2!!), but a well made movie doesn't depreciate my enjoyment of the book and may in fact, enhance it.

I will admit to not having read any of the Harry Potter books, so I can't say about those.

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

I've seen a few fun things around on people's blogs the last few weeks, so I thought I would try a couple of them. Here is my blog rating:

This was apparently based on the presence of the word "bastard" 9 times, "death" 3 times, and "kill" 2 times.

The second looks at how addicted you are to blogging:

64%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

I really thought my addiction would be higher. Guess I don't spend as much time blogging (and reading other blogs) as I thought I did!

Having finshed Plaidy's The Sun in Splendour in which Elizabeth Woodville plays such a central role, I thought I would see what all the fuss was about. I suppose compared to pictures I have seen of other women at the time, she was fairly attractive. My understanding is that women plucked out their hair in front in order to set their hairline back on their head to make themselves more attractive. I think it gives them a little bit of an "alien" look. Plus it hurts bad enough to pluck your eyebrows - can't imagine doing the whole front part of your head!

Today's Booking Through Thursday:

What with yesterday being the Fourth of July and all, I’m feeling a little patriotic, and so have a simple question: What, in your opinion, is the (mythical) Great American Novel? At least to date. A “classic,” or a current one–either would be fine. Mark Twain? J.D. Salinger? F. Scott Fitzgerald? Stephen King? Laura Ingalls Wilder?

It doesn’t have to be your favorite book, mind you. “Citizen Kane” may be the “best” film, and I concede its merits, but it’s not my favorite. You don’t have to love something to know that it’s good.

Now, I know that not all of you are American–but you can play, too! What I want from you is to know what you consider to the best novel of YOUR country. It might be someone the rest of us haven’t heard of and, frankly, I think we’d all like to get some new authors to read.

In fact, while we’re at it–I’m curious about the geographical make-up of this meme. So, while you’re leaving your link to your post, tell us where in the world you are! (I live near Indianapolis, Indiana, USA).

OK. This is really bad. I don't know. I seriously have not read that many "classic" books and those that I had to read in school, I have really long forgotten about. I keep meaning to do something about that, but just haven't...

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

I think one of the fascinating components in the story of William the Conqueror is the creation of the Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidered piece of linen 70 yards long that tells the story of the invasion of 1066 and the events leading up to it. Below is a picture from the tapestry representing William himself. For more information about the Bayeux Tapestry, here is a great web site about it.

Written in 1966 (but recently reissued), Wife to the Bastard details the life of Matilda of Flanders and her marriage to William the Conqueror. Matilda is a pretty young girl with a touch of arrogance, a clever mind, an ambitious nature and a secret. She initially refuses William’s offer of marriage on the basis that as a bastard, he is too far beneath her. William is of course offended – but Matilda soon has a change of heart when she considers the type of man he is and figures together, there is nothing they can’t accomplish.

The marriage is a happy one, even though it is rather one-sided. William truly loves his wife. So much so that it is many years before he ever takes a mistress and only when even Matilda can not blame him. While Matilda admires and respects her husband, an event from her past leaves her heart cold and unable to love any man. But she loves her children dearly – especially her oldest son Robert and her oldest daughter Cecilia.

It is Matilda who pushes William to claim his right to the English crown but in doing so she unleashes a ruler who becomes increasingly brutal at those who oppose him. When you consider his childhood, it is a little understandable. As the only son of the Duke of Normandy, his father’s unexpected death makes William (at 8 years old) an easy target for those who don’t want to see the Duke’s power go to his bastard son. William and those close to him are constant targets and they are often forced to run from castle to castle in the middle of the night in order to avoid being killed. As a result, William seems paranoid about losing anything that he has and he uses whatever methods he thinks are necessary in order to maintain his fragile hold on Normandy and England.

William’s cruelties combine with his dismal treatment of Robert and Cecilia to push Matilda further and further away from him. The sad part is, Matilda is so good at playing her role that he doesn’t even seem to realize it is happening. By the time he does, it is too late – the distance between them is too great for them to repair.

The writing is a little formal – much like I remember Anya Seton’s Katherine being written. Lewis also tends to overuse the exclamation point and at times, Matilda’s feeling sorry for herself was rather annoying and overdone. It was also a little slow in a few places. But I did much prefer this version to Plaidy’s The Bastard King. Wife to the Bastard tackles the building up and tearing down of what was considered to be the marriage of the time, how a secret revealed ( but denied) can change a relationship and how external forces can cause people – and relationships- to change.

Words to live by: Be strong always; be truthful when you can; be cruel when you must; be generous when there's need. Robert, Duke of Normandy to his young son William before he leaves to join the Crusade (where he is killed).

Rating: Good