SALE ON NOW! PROMOTIONS
Paullina Simons was born in Leningrad in 1963. As a child she emigrated to Queens, New York, and attended colleges in Long Island. Then she moved to England and attended Essex University, before returning to America. She lives in New York with her husband and children.
Leningrad, June, 1941. Germany invades Russia and the lives of the seven members of the Metanov family, living in a two-roomed apartment, change forever. Only the youngest, 17-year-old Tatiana, will survive the siege of the city. Along with having to endure the cold, hunger and illness, she is bearing a secret; the love between her and the boyfriend of her older sister, Daria. Meeting the soldier, Alexander, by chance in the street, their instant attraction for each other is concealed, at Tatiana's insistence. Only when Daria dies can their love be enjoyed, but even then, the lovers' survival depends on the secret of Alexander's family background never being revealed; a secret known only to themselves and to the jealous, unreliable fellow soldier, Dimitri. Simons was praised for her debut novel Tully in 1995 and for her subsequent books. At over 600 pages there might be a better, shorter novel buried somewhere inside this book but in spite of that, if you have room in your luggage for such a weighty tome, this will make a superior beach read. (Kirkus UK)
