Tender and compelling, a fascinating and engrossing story that make me grateful for historical fictional novels The House of Special Purpose Just the book I needed to take me out of my reading slump 5??????????

John Boyne is one of Ireland’s most diverse and creative writers and I absolutely love when he has a new book published however when I am awaiting his next book release I have to make do with a re-read and when my bookgroup chose The House of Special Purpose as our monthly read I really was thrilled at the opportunity to take this one off my real life book shelf and turn the pages once again.

An historical fiction novel set in St Petersburg in the early 20th Century, George Jachnenev a 17 year old boy and son of a common labourer in the small town of Kashin , steps in front of an assassin’s bullet which was intended for The Tsars Uncle, as a reward For Georgy’s heroism he is favoured with a position as companion to Tsarevich Alexei which changes his life forever.

Extremely well written and while I have read numerous non fiction accounts of this time in history I am always up for a fiction account and have no issue with the author taking liberties with facts to Create a moving and entertaining story as long as the author is sensitive to the time and events in history.

John Boyne has a remarkable way with words and his books are memorable and vivid and I look forward to seeing where his next novel takes me.

For lovers of historical fiction who enjoy a twist in the tale. For readers who enjoy a more comprehensive history of the time check out
Nicholas and Alexandra

The Romanovs: The Final Chapter
or The Romanovs: 1613-1918 5-star favorites historical-fiction ...more120 s Debra2,695 35.7k

So enjoyable!

It is always quite enjoyable to read a book which is so well written and engaging. This book of historical fiction brings one man's past and present together. Eighty-year-old Georgy Jachmenev is currently living in England with his wife Zoya. His wife is ill and as he reflects on their life, it is evident that their life was not as common as their friends believed. Georgy Jachmenev's life began in Russia and as he looks back on his life, we learn about his ties to Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Tsarina Alexandra and their five children Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei. Through an act of heroism, he is brought into the world of the Romanov's during the time of the Russian Revolution.

I really d the alternating timeline story telling. This book begins toward the end of a man's life and weaves its way back to the beginning of his tale. It was a nice way to bring the story full circle and back to that fateful day in the House of Special Purpose. It is obvious that the Author did a lot of research for this book. He tells one man's story of survival, hope, love, resiliency, pain, and heartache while keeping with the historical events leading up the execution of the last czar of Russia(and his family).

I have read a couple of stinkers lately and it was a breath of fresh air reading such a finely crafted book. Extremely well written. This book is a slow burn -it's not a page turner but I felt myself seeping into this story. This book is interesting, thought provoking, and riveting.

See more of my at www.openbookpost.com


117 s B the BookAddict300 755

A story of escape, exile, survival and love which spans nearly eighty years and three continents.

Georgy finds the course of his life is altered when he becomes the young bodyguard to Prince Alexei Romanov. I is here that he also finds the love of his life. It is a time of growing unrest in Russia and fate steps in to shape their lives in a way they never expected. Once the Bolsheviks have taken control of the Palace, the outcome for the Romanov family was a fait accompli. It is no place for Romanov supporters either and the two protagonists must act accordingly. Georgy and Zoya flee to Minsk, then Paris and finally settle in London to share a life of love but one tinged with loss. A life always spent looking over their shoulders. The story shifts around in time, from 1981 back to 1917, the 1940s and 50s as Georgy at Zoya’s hospital bedside remembers their life together, their daughter, their work and their constant fear.

What an enthralling, fascinating and totally satisfying read. John Boyne has obviously fully researched the last Tsar in Russia and his family and the Russian revolution. Boyne faithfully portrays the historical events taking place in Russia 1915 – 1917, but with an interesting take on one particular aspect. But it’s in the telling that he weaves a delicious story of exile, survival and a deep and abiding love, which never devolves into melodrama.

Everything this author touches turns to gold. 4? Most Highly Recommendedhist-fact-fiction68 s Liz2,345 3,187

I’ve been a big fan of John Boyne’s recent works and have been trying to work my way through his earlier works. While this book has none of what I consider his later trademark humor, it’s still a moving, character rich story. The House of Special Purpose covers the last years of the Russian Imperial family, the Romanovs. The story follows a nonlinear timeline. In the “present day” of the 1980’s, Georgy is an 85 year old retired librarian in London. His wife, Zoya, is dying of cancer. But in his youth, despite being a common farm boy, he was picked to be the companion to Tsarevich Alexei, the young son of Tsar Nicholas II. Jumping around the decades, we see his exit from Russia, his role in the Second World War, the abdication of the Tsar, the death of the royals and their time in Paris during the 1920s.
The Romanovs have been portrayed numerous times. Here, the Tsar is painted as a warm man, one who doesn’t stand on ceremony. His wife, Tsarina Alexandra, is the opposite. Georgy develops a romantic relationship with the young Anastasia.
This is an atypical historical fiction. It doesn’t hew to the facts and takes various licenses with the truth. It includes various myths, Rasputin being impervious to poison. It’s much more a character study than a history lesson.
It’s also a slow moving story, with not much happening for the first third as it introduces us to the various characters. Boyne’s writing is a treat and it is easy to envision the scenes he depicts. It was obvious from early on what the surprise was meant to be. But that didn’t dampen my enjoyment of the story.
I both read and listened to this. Stephan Rusnicki was the narrator. His Russian accent was perfect, not too thick to impede my understanding.
audio book-clubs70 s Megan94 22

This might be the most perfect book I have ever read.

I picked it up at a library book sale because I couldn't walk out without buying something, and I recognized the title referring to Ipatiev House from my long-term obsession with the Romanovs and Imperial Russia. Within the first half dozen pages, I found out the main character is a librarian at the British Library; I thought, wow, this was a better find than I was expecting--I just got my library science degree, and special collections the BL are near and dear to my heart. Other little personal touches kept popping out at me the whole time, and even though I've said before I never know if I a book until the last page, this one was a consistent 5-stars for me from page one.

Georgy Daniilvech Jachmenev is an 80-year-old retired librarian living in London and trying to come to grips with the fact that his wife is dying. Before that, he was a peasant farmer in a tiny Russian village; accidentally saving the life of a member of the Imperial family, he is whisked away to glamorous St. Petersburg to become the bodyguard to the most important person in Russia: Tsarevich Alexei Romanov.

The book also utilizes one of my favorite storytelling methods, too: mixing up the timeline. It starts near the end, with the narrator as an old man in London; the second chapter goes into his boyhood in Russia at the end of the last century. Every other chapter, then, moves the "present" part back a decade and the "past" part forward a couple of years until they join up.

Honestly, everything about this book was perfect, and it wasn't just the subject matter, because I generally don't even try fiction about the Romanovs. But I don't mind telling you, I cried through the last three chapters, and that was a good, good thing.

My favorite way to read a book is to know as little as possible about it going in, so that's all I'm going to say about the plot--I think that knowing absolutely nothing about the book made it a better experience for me, and so I think your experience will also be better if you don't know any more. If this makes you want to read it, then it's enough. Go enjoy this book! fiction owned russia-russian ...more59 s NILTON TEIXEIRA1,032 451

4.5 stars rounded to 5.
For the prospective readers, please be warned: this is a work of fiction. If you need historical accuracies this book is not for you. If you are looking for an action book, this is not for you.
Now, if you just want to be entertained with a good romanticized drama or a good storytelling, then this is a perfect choice.
In the beginning I had doubts that I was going to enjoy this book, because it didn’t grab me right away.
Fortunately things changed and I just did not want to stop reading it.
The writing is superb and the author’s imagination is terrific!
His talent as a storyteller is awesome. And he knows how to add emotion in depth (well, some readers may consider it melodramatic).
I absolutely loved the storyline, which include recounts of the Romanov family and Rasputin. It’s quite remarkable and I absolutely loved the structure. The timeline was skillfully done, mixing the past and the current time going backwards (from 1981 to 1918 and the last chapter being 1981).
The description of the Winter Palace was so vivid that it brought back memories of my visit to the Hermitage Museum, where I was totally mesmerized by its size and (sickening) opulence.
The small scenes with Rasputin were so powerful (in my opinion) that I was fascinated and repulsed and at the same time I wanted to be physically touched. I really believed that I was in his presence.
That’s a talent that this author has.
This is my 7th book by John Boyne, who once again impressed me. Only recently I heard about this book, which was released back in 2009.
A big thanks to Jane Upshall for mentioning this book!
I can hardly wait for his new book coming next month (the ARC is available now, but I’d rather wait for the final product).my-5-stars my-author-of-2020-john-boyne43 s Rob511 139

A stand alone novel by John Boyne published 2009.

As with every John Boyne book I have read this is, again, something special.

This is a love story with the Russian revolution as a backdrop.

For all the horrors that surround the Russian revolution there is a grace and gentility here that is quite uplifting.

A young man, Georgy, is removed from his hard working, impoverished life and dropped right into the middle of opulence that he found hard to comprehend. The opulence is so over whelming its being in the middle of a dream.
This is what life is in the household of the Romanov’s. To make matters worse when Georgy see the Princess Anastasia for the first time he knows that his life will never be the same.
We join the story during the First World War where the Russians are loosing their young men at an alarming rate. The Tsar doesn’t know it yet but there is about to be a revolution and he and his family will be put in front of a firing squad. But for the meantime it’s life as usual.
Jump to the 1960’s. Georgy and his wife Zoya have been living in London for forty, something, years and Zoya is near to death. The story then goes slowly backwards and along the way we discover what the circumstances were that lead Georgy and Zoya to be living in London.
I know that this will sound the blurb on the cover but this truly is an epic tale of love on a grand scale. The hardships faced by two young people trying to make a life for themselves amongst the blood and horror of war and revolution is monumental.

John Boyne is one of those few authors who, in my mind, just can’t do a thing wrong, so once again its 5 stars from me.
2020-reads fiction historical-fiction43 s Holly1,470 1,352

3.5 stars

I still rank The Heart's Invisible Furies and A Ladder to the Sky as my favorite books by this author (and some of my favorite books in general, go read them!). However, this is still pretty good and renewed my faith in Boyne's writing after reading his somewhat lackluster latest release, A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom.

This book is a fictional account of the ill-fated Romanov family, but delivered by a character/narrator that is outside of the royal family. This new view point and some twists to the actual historical events keeps the plot fresh. I also thought it was interesting how the book jumps around in the timeline, giving sneak peeks into things that happened in the past that were yet to be told. Some people might not that lack of continuity though, so fair warning. Also if you are a stickler for historical fiction staying true to the actual events, this book will not be for you.2020-read audiobook historical-fiction40 s Belinda1,331 203

4,25 sterren - Nederlandse paperback - met dank aan minibieb Venlo
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