Booktopia Comments
This title is also known as "Tatiana and Alexander"
Product Description
The Bridge to Holy Cross is a powerful story of love and hope - a passionate and epic love story from the Russian-born author of The Bronze Horseman.
Tatiana is 18 years old and pregnant when she miraculously escapes war-torn Leningrad to the West, believing herself to be a widow. Her husband, Major Alexander Belov, a decorated hero of the Soviet Union, has been arrested by Stalin's infamous secret police and is awaiting imminent death as a traitor and a spy.
Tatiana begins her new life in America. In wartime New York City she finds work, friends and a life beyond her dreams. However, her grief is inescapable and she keeps hearing Alexander calling out to her.
Meanwhile, Alexander faces the greatest danger he's ever known. An American trapped in Russia since adolescence, he has been serving in the Red Army and posing as a Soviet citizen to protect himself. For him, Russia's war is not over, and both victory and defeat will mean certain death.
As World War Two moves into its final violent phase, Tatiana and Alexander are surrounded by the ghosts of their past and each other.
They must struggle against destiny and despair as they find themselves in the fight of their lives. A master of the historical epic, Paullina Simons takes us on a journey across continents, time and the entire breadth of human emotion, to create a heartrendingly beautiful love story that will live on long after the final page is turned.
Industry Reviews
'This has everything a romance glutton could wish for: a bold, talented and dashing hero, a heart-stopping love affair that nourishes its two protagonists even when they are separated and lost, a long and bitter military campaign, plus personal excavations into the past. It also has -- thank goodness -- a welcome sense of humour and discernable characters rather than ciphers.' Victoria Moore, Daily Mail 'There is substance behind the romantic love story: a strong sense of compassion for her fellow Russians who lived bravely through protracted grim times' The Age The Bronze Horseman 'Pulling off the passionate love story embedded in a truly epic narrative is a difficult thing to do. Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind remains the blueprint for the genre, while Tolstoy's War and Peace carries off the literary honours ! it's quickly apparent that the Russian-born author Paullina Simons has the measure of this kind of epic romantic saga ! She is able to make some powerful statements about the durability of the human spirit, but never at the expense of descriptive passages refulgent with power and beauty' Barry Forshaw, amazon 'This is a story that grabs you from the first and doesn't let go at the last. Superb' Weekend Australian The Summer Garden 'Simons has written a book that is high on feeling and suspense' Sydney Morning Herald
