'Before Tatiana and Alexander...before Leningrad and Lazarevo... before everything, there was Gina Attaviano, who came from Belpasso to Boston's Freedom Docks seeking a new and better life. There she meets Harry Barrington. Their bond is instantaneous, urgent...but so are the forces against them.
At the turn of the century and the dawning of the modern world, the fortunes and future of the Barringtons and Attavianos become intertwined, on a collision course between the old and the new, between what is expected and what is desired, what is chosen and what is bestowed, what is given and what is taken away. As America races headlong into the future, much will be lost and much will be gained for Gina and Harry, and for a nation and a people that have the blessing and the curse of unrivaled opportunity...and unlimited potential.
My thoughts:
I've heard great things about Paullina Simon's Bronze Horseman series and I saw that this was supposedly the 'prequel' to that series, I decided to scope it out and see if this was something I would like. Sad to sad, that I was immensely bored with this one. It started off well, following Gina's family as they arrive in Boston after leaving their native Italy to start a new life in America. Gina is wide-eyed and astonished by the sights and sounds of the big city and hates the idea that she will have to move to a sleepy small town when she would love to stay in the big city. Gina knows she is beautiful and uses her womanly wiles to make men do things for her. She is keenly aware of her presence and the stir she creates among men and she will use it to accomplish any means possible.
What I didn't enjoy about this book, was the last quarter or so seemed like it was rushed. It was jumbled, confusing and didn't reflect the beginning of the novel. At times there was an anarchist speech mixed in with the story and it just didn't flow well and it was overly weird. I had a hard time staying focused at the end and was a little disappointed with the overall quality of this book. Whether this is a sign of what the Bronze Horseman series is like, I can't tell, but if the rest of the series is anything like this then it is something I will probably skip. I have heard great things about this series, so it really does make me wonder if this was just an oddball attempt at a prequel and that the rest of series shouldn't really suffer because of it.
I did enjoy seeing America through the eyes of an Italian immigrant with opportunity and abundance so foreign of a nature used to them. It was also interesting to see how politics and women's suffrage was handled at the turn of the century. However, the negatives outweigh the bad in this case and the book really suffers. It could have been something worth reading, but sadly the confusing mash up of an ending really takes away from the story and it was just a mediocre type of read for me. Most definitely not impressed at all.
Overall Rating: 2
Title: Children of Liberty
Author: Paullina Simons
Series: Bronze Horseman Prequel
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: February 26, 2013
Pages: 421
Genre: Historical Fiction
Get It: Amazon; Barnes & Noble
Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.