This book broke my heart in so many ways. Bellagrand is the prequel to The Bronze Horseman, I'm assuming if you're reading this review that you've read The Bronze Horseman.

This is the story about Alexander's parents that spans over four decades. It's the story of a woman who loved a man too much, a man who didn't deserve her love. A man who was selfish, a man who thought only of himself and his goals. A man who was lazy, lived in wealth and never saw the irony of what he was promoting. A man who was given everything, yet turned his back on it. A man who destroyed his family and everything that mattered. While his wife does everything to try to stop it, to protect their son. Harry Barrington never deserved their love.

It's good to get Alexander's back story, it's heartbreaking when you know where it's headed.

This book is good and now I can't wait to re-read The Bronze Horseman. ( )

I'm a massive Paullina Simons, and I was very excited to hear that another installment in the Bronze Horseman series was being introduced. It was a very good read, but unfortunately, I hated the way that Harry acted throughout the book, and that Gina followed his every whim. I spend a large portion of the book willing Gina to come to her senses and leave the selfish Harry. It was very frustrating, however, as I have read how the series continues, I know that it was important for Gina and her son Alexander to follow Harry to the Soviet Union. ( )

I am in two minds as to whether this is a 3 or a 4 star book. I LOVED The Bronze Horseman, but Children of Liberty wasn't so great. Bellagrand was a good read, but it wasn't in the same league of The Bronze Horseman for various reasons. It was supposed to be a love story, but the antagonist was Alexander's father Harry, whose communist ideals were put above his family, his son's wellbeing and above all, his wife - who by the way placed him above all else, despite knowing his limitations. Harry frustrated me because his behaviour was beyond reproach. However, by the end, the person I hated most was Gina, who had a choice to leave Alexander in the US, to save him even if she could not save herself or Harry, but she chose to stand by her husband to the detriment of her son. As a mother I couldn't comprehend that and although she did secretly bring US dollars to the Soviet Union without her husband's knowledge and she did try to go to the American embassy, it was too late then. I guess without the terrible decisions made by Harry and supported by Gina, we would not have had Alexander and Tatiana. It does seem unfair that I am placing so much blame on the mother and not the father in this story, but it was like Harry was out of his mind. He was negligent, both as a father and as a husband, he was pig headed, he was ignorant and he was short sighted. He was everything a good antagonist should be, which is why I thought about giving the book 4 stars. He was a well written character, and I had intense feelings towards him. The reason why it was 3 stars is the love story fell short for me, which was central to the story really. I did like learning about how Alexander became who he was, how he was a soldier even before we met him in The Bronze Horseman, how he took on characteristics of both his mother and his father, and how he rejected others. ( )

I am in two minds as to whether this is a 3 or a 4 star book. I LOVED The Bronze Horseman, but Children of Liberty wasn't so great. Bellagrand was a good read, but it wasn't in the same league of The Bronze Horseman for various reasons. It was supposed to be a love story, but the antagonist was Alexander's father Harry, whose communist ideals were put above his family, his son's wellbeing and above all, his wife - who by the way placed him above all else, despite knowing his limitations. Harry frustrated me because his behaviour was beyond reproach. However, by the end, the person I hated most was Gina, who had a choice to leave Alexander in the US, to save him even if she could not save herself or Harry, but she chose to stand by her husband to the detriment of her son. As a mother I couldn't comprehend that and although she did secretly bring US dollars to the Soviet Union without her husband's knowledge and she did try to go to the American embassy, it was too late then. I guess without the terrible decisions made by Harry and supported by Gina, we would not have had Alexander and Tatiana. It does seem unfair that I am placing so much blame on the mother and not the father in this story, but it was like Harry was out of his mind. He was negligent, both as a father and as a husband, he was pig headed, he was ignorant and he was short sighted. He was everything a good antagonist should be, which is why I thought about giving the book 4 stars. He was a well written character, and I had intense feelings towards him. The reason why it was 3 stars is the love story fell short for me, which was central to the story really. I did like learning about how Alexander became who he was, how he was a soldier even before we met him in The Bronze Horseman, how he took on characteristics of both his mother and his father, and how he rejected others. ( )

*I received this book through GoodReads First Reads.*

First of all, I found this sequel much better that the previous Children of Liberty. That being said, Harry Barrington was a complete jerk throughout the entire novel and I wanted nothing more than Gina to leave him. Gina and Harry only seem to be able to achieve happiness when they don't have to worry about money and when Harry is forced to curtail his radical activities, which doesn't bode well for their relationship. While interesting, reading this novel is like slowly watching a family fall apart...and I almost want to re-read The Bronze Horseman now just to make myself feel better. ( )