Six Days in Leningrad

Posted on 26 August 2019 by Paullina Simons

The never before told story of the journey behind THE BRONZE HORSEMAN, now in print for the first time.From the author of the celebrated, internationally bestselling BRONZE HORSEMAN saga comes a glimpse into the private life of its much loved creator, and the real story behind the epic novels Paullina Simons gives us a work of non fiction as captivating and heart wrenching as the lives of Tatiana and Alexander.Only a few chapters into writing her first story set in Russia, her mother country, Paullina Simons travelled to Leningrad now St Petersburg with her beloved Papa What began as a research trip turned into six days that forever changed her life, the course of her family, and the novel that became THE BRONZE HORSEMAN After a quarter century away from her native land, Paullina and her father found a world trapped in yesteryear, with crumbling stucco buildings, entire families living in seven square metre communal apartments, and barren fields bombed so badly that nothing would grow there even fifty years later And yet there were the spectacular white nights, the warm hospitality of family friends and, of course, the pelmeni and caviar.At times poignant, at times inspiring and funny, this is both a fascinating glimpse into the inspiration behind the epic saga, and a touching story of a family s history, a father and a daughter, and the fate of a nation Amazing book Thank you Paullina for sharing your experience with us all Kiki, Goodreads New Download [ Six Days in Leningrad ] By [ Paullina Simons ] – kino-fada.fr Before I start my review, I would like to thank Paullina Simons It is not everyday that you get to experience just how one of your most beloved stories of all time came to be Paullina retells her experience of travelling back to her birthplace, Russia, to find inspiration for the book which is now The Bronze Horseman, and then continued on in TBTC and TSG She travels with her Papa What I loved most was Paullina s relationship with her father changing over the course of the 6 days But also I Before I start my review, I would like to thank Paullina Simons It is not everyday that you get to experience just how one of your most beloved s...This is a priceless read for anyone who s read and loved The Bronze Horseman trilogy It wasn t the most glamorous or exciting read a lot of the time, but it was well written, emotional and full of meaning It feels as though we are gazing into the innermost depths of Paullina Simons soul It s such a personal look into her life, I can t help but appreciate it and feel vastly privileged to have been given the opportunity to understa...Oh I just loved this, if like me you have read The Bronze Horseman, fell totally and utterly in love with Alexander and Tatiana and were completely fascinated by the historical events covered by this book then by all means read this, I think its brilliant I had no idea just how much of her life Paullina Simons had poured in to this story but this book was a moving account of her research trip back to her Russian homeland before writing the story She left in 1973 age 10 and returned for the 1st Oh I just loved this, if like me you have read The Bronze Horseman, fell totally and utterly in love with Alexander and Tatiana and were completely fascinated by the historical...Favorite Quotes In my opinion four people were responsible for bringing down the Berlin Wall and Communism Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul II, and my father.My dad picked some cherries off the cherry tree and ate them He gave me five That was my lunch Gratefully I popped them in my mouth There were exquisitely sour When I mentioned this, my dad glared at me, as if I had insulted his cooking.You don t understand, Paullina All the things you want to remember I want Favorite Quotes In my opinion four people were responsible for bringing down the Berlin Wall and C...I was really looking forward to reading this book, mainly because the Bronze Horseman trilogy are some of my favorite books of all times I wasn t too impressed with the start the story of the author traveling from US to Russia and all the nuances of traveling with Russian airline it was cute but not captivating at all Then in Leningrad St Peterburg it gets interesting Being born and raised in Soviet Union myself I could totally connect to how sh...First read October 2013Second read February 2016 Second read comments I ended my first comments with this and I m starting my second comments with it anyone who is a fan of The Bronze Horseman _NEEDS_ to read this book No doubt about it Given the setting of TBH, as a reader, you might be a bit distanced from the reality of life in Leningrad then now as it really hasn t changed PS brilliantly brings every aspect of daily life into sharp focus The communal living, the First read October 2013Second read February 2016 Second read comments I ended my first comments with this and I m starting my second comments with it anyone who is a fan of The Bronze Horseman _NEEDS_ to read this book No doubt about it Given the setting of TBH, as a reader, you might be a bit distanced from the reality of life in Leningrad then now as it really hasn t changed PS brilliantly brings every aspect of daily life into sharp focus The communal living, the poverty, the heavy weig...Finished Six Days in Leningrand, the trip Paullina Simons took back to Russia, the first time since she left with her family for America when she was 10 years old This book is EVERYTHING that I could have ever wanted From before the trip to each day she spent in Leningrand, it is vivid, it is charming, it is mesmerising, it is heart warming but the overwhelming feeling I have is that I shouldn t be reading it It feels so private It feels like this is Paullina laying out he...I love that you gave us this Paullina, thank you Beautiful.After I finished graduate school, I treated myself to a backpacking trip through Europe Communist Russia had always fascinated me I didn t make it to Russia but I went into Eastern Berlin less than two years after the wall was toppled and the Iron Curtain fell, revealing an empire in disrepair, a corrupt government, and a life portrait frozen in time Evidence of Krystalnacht and WWII still littered the landscape The cars were the same color, make and model and none were newer than 25 years After I finished graduate school, I treated myself to a backpacking trip through Europe Communist Russia had always fascinated me I didn t make it to Russia but I went into Eastern Berlin less than two years after the wall was toppled and the Iron Curtain fell, revealing an empire in disrepair, a corrupt government, and a life portrait frozen in time Evidence of Krystalnacht and WWII still littered the landscape The cars were the same color, make and model and none were newer than 25 years Most were no longer running Train lines dead ended before reaching the now non existent wall It was a stark contrast to the bustling Westernized life in western Berlin Yet the people were lovely They were friendly and as helpful and gracious as they could be They were humble and many wanted to help us ...When Paullina Simons was just 5, her father was arrested for anti Communist agitation He was imprisoned, sent to the Gulag and then into internal exile He made use of this time to learn English and after his release asked for permission to emigrate Surprisingly this was granted and the family left for the United States where they settled This book is the story of a trip she and her father made back to Leningrad in 1998, a trip she needed to make for research on her acclaimed novel The When Paullina Simons was just 5, her father was arrested for anti Communist agitation He was imprisoned, sent to the Gulag and then into internal exile He made use of this time to learn English and after his release asked for permission to emigrate Surprisingly this was granted and the family left for the United States where they settled This book is the story of a trip she and her father made back to Leningrad in 1998, a trip she needed to make for research on her acclaimed novel The Bronze Horseman But this was muchthan a research trip For both of them it was a step back into the past an...

English
26 August 2019

Paullina Simons