Firstly, I'm kind of a WWII nut, so if YOU have any good recommendations I would love to hear them. Doesn't have to be romance. (I already have Verity on hold)
I know I've said this before, because I pimp this to everyone who ever asks me about good books. The Bronze Horseman (and sequels) by Paullina Simons. It takes place during the 1941 siege of Leningrad, where a young woman falls in love with a Red Army officer garrisoned in the devastated city. Romance aside (and the romance is ungghh) it is a fantastic WWII drama that shows the ugliness of war at the ground level, the so-called 'collateral damage' upon the civilian population. It's also a really interesting glimpse into Russian culture and life in the Soviet Union.
Tatiana and Alexander are not perfect specimens of gender enlightenment; they are products of the time and culture in many ways. She doesn't wear an obvious feminist-superheroine cape. But she is incredibly brave and smart and does and gets what she wants, rules be damned. And that is exactly why he falls in love with her. They aren't perfect and they do stupid things to each other like real couples do, and you get so invested in them that it's really a kick in the gut when they do. It is probably my favorite literary romance of all time.
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timeasmymeasure
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I know I've said this before, because I pimp this to everyone who ever asks me about good books. The Bronze Horseman (and sequels) by Paullina Simons. It takes place during the 1941 siege of Leningrad, where a young woman falls in love with a Red Army officer garrisoned in the devastated city. Romance aside (and the romance is ungghh) it is a fantastic WWII drama that shows the ugliness of war at the ground level, the so-called 'collateral damage' upon the civilian population. It's also a really interesting glimpse into Russian culture and life in the Soviet Union.
Tatiana and Alexander are not perfect specimens of gender enlightenment; they are products of the time and culture in many ways. She doesn't wear an obvious feminist-superheroine cape. But she is incredibly brave and smart and does and gets what she wants, rules be damned. And that is exactly why he falls in love with her. They aren't perfect and they do stupid things to each other like real couples do, and you get so invested in them that it's really a kick in the gut when they do. It is probably my favorite literary romance of all time.