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همسر پنهانی
كتاب «همسر پنهانی» داستانی از دو زمان متفاوت را روايت كرده و به هم پيوند می‌زند كه يكی از سال ۱۹۱۴ و در دورانی آغاز می‌شود كه روسيه‌ی تزاری در كشمكش جنگ و آشوب و در آستانه‌ی سقوط قرار دارد و در اين گير و دار «تاتيانا»، دوشس بزرگ رومانوف، دلباخته‌ی افسر سواره نظام می‌شود. و از سوی ديگر ماجرايی را در سال ۲۰۱۶ نقل می‌كند كه «كيتی فيشر» بعد از پی بردن به خيانت همسرش به كلبه‌ای كه پدر جدش به او به ارث رسيده پناه می‌برد تا افكارش را مرتب و آرام كند، اما به طور اتفاقی گردن‌آويزی را می‌يابد كه او را به سوی رمزگشايی از رازی فراموش شده و خانوادگی هدايت می‌نمايد. اين كتاب داستانی سرشار از عشق، فقدان و تلاش برای رسيدن به معشوق را بيان می‌كند كه ماجرايی لذت‌بخش و فراموش نشدنی را برای خواننده به ارمغان می‌آورد؛
496 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2016
About the author
Gill Paul
52 books1,722 followersGill Paul is the international bestselling author of thirteen novels, many of them reevaluating extraordinary twentieth-century women whom she believes have been marginalized or misjudged. Her novels have reached the top of the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Toronto Globe & Mail charts, and have been translated into twenty-three languages.
Her latest novel, Scandalous Women (2024), is about trailblazing authors Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann battling their way to the top in the misogynous boys' club of 1960s publishing. A Beautiful Rival (2023) is about the infamous feud between beauty tycoons Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. Jackie and Maria (2020) was longlisted for the Historical Writers’ Association Gold Crown. The Collector’s Daughter (2021) was named a Times ‘historical novel of the month’ and The Manhattan Girls (2022), was reviewed in The Sun as a “sweeping, evocative tale” and in The Book List as “Witty, emotional and intelligent”.
Gill also writes historical non-fiction, including A History of Medicine in 50 Objects and a series of Love Stories. Published around the world, this series includes Royal Love Stories, World War I Love Stories and Titanic Love Stories.
Gill lives in London where she swims year round in a wild pond, and speaks at libraries and literary festivals on topics ranging from Tutankhamun to the Romanovs.
Her latest novel, Scandalous Women (2024), is about trailblazing authors Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann battling their way to the top in the misogynous boys' club of 1960s publishing. A Beautiful Rival (2023) is about the infamous feud between beauty tycoons Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. Jackie and Maria (2020) was longlisted for the Historical Writers’ Association Gold Crown. The Collector’s Daughter (2021) was named a Times ‘historical novel of the month’ and The Manhattan Girls (2022), was reviewed in The Sun as a “sweeping, evocative tale” and in The Book List as “Witty, emotional and intelligent”.
Gill also writes historical non-fiction, including A History of Medicine in 50 Objects and a series of Love Stories. Published around the world, this series includes Royal Love Stories, World War I Love Stories and Titanic Love Stories.
Gill lives in London where she swims year round in a wild pond, and speaks at libraries and literary festivals on topics ranging from Tutankhamun to the Romanovs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,118 reviews
August 2, 2017
'The Secret Wife' was a nice, enjoyable historical fiction/romance. Although it lacked the "wow" factor, I found it to be a good story overall. It was interesting and I enjoyed the details related to the time period. However, given the subject matter, the book lacked the suspense that I would have expected.
The story alternates timeframes, as well as locations. In 2016, Kitty Fisher discovers that her husband is having an affair. She has recently inherited a cabin in the United States from a great-grandfather that she never knew existed. Given the recent revelations about her marriage, she packs her bags and leaves her home in London, setting out for the cabin at Lake Akanabee.
Soon after her arrival, Kitty discovers some old writings in the cabin. She becomes consumed with uncovering the story of her great-grandfather, Dmitri Malama. The more she unearths, the more apparent it becomes that Dmitri's life was anything but unremarkable.
Through the writings, a new look at Russia in 1914 and the downfall of the Romanov family is offered. Unlike many other stories centered on the Romanov family, which tend to speculate about Anastasia's fate, this book focuses on Tatiana Romanov. I found this part of the story to be fascinating and highly entertaining. I lavished in every detail of this era in Russian history.
Dmitri was a cavalry officer who meets Tatiana when he is injured. Tatiana volunteers at the hospital where he is sent for treatment. The two fall in love, only to be separated thereafter by the overthrow of the Russian Tsar and the subsequent restrictions placed on the Romanov family.
Even after the reported murder of the Romanovs, Dmitri holds out hope that Tatiana is alive. Eventually, he gives up hope. He goes on to start a family of his own and relocates to America.
However, things aren't always what they seem. When fate thrusts Tatiana back into his life, Dmitri is forced to make some very hard choices. Can he reconcile his love for Tatiana with the new life that he has made for himself and the wife that has stuck by his side throughout the years?
All things considered, I expected this to be a much more emotional read. Instead, it felt sweet and maybe even a little sad. Even with Tatiana's reappearance, the story failed to elicit the tremendous emotional highs and lows that I expected. Things just fell together too perfectly.
Dmitri's wife was just too accepting and almost complacent. I even felt the same way about how things worked out for Kitty and her husband. It was like these characters had been given a heavy dose of a sedative. Where was the anger and sense of betrayal?
Overall, it ended up being a good but not great type of story for me. It had a lot of unrealized potential. I needed more emotion and a stronger connection to the characters. It felt kind of "flat" to me, for lack of a better descriptor.
Check out more of my reviews at www.bookaddicthaven.com
The story alternates timeframes, as well as locations. In 2016, Kitty Fisher discovers that her husband is having an affair. She has recently inherited a cabin in the United States from a great-grandfather that she never knew existed. Given the recent revelations about her marriage, she packs her bags and leaves her home in London, setting out for the cabin at Lake Akanabee.
Soon after her arrival, Kitty discovers some old writings in the cabin. She becomes consumed with uncovering the story of her great-grandfather, Dmitri Malama. The more she unearths, the more apparent it becomes that Dmitri's life was anything but unremarkable.
Through the writings, a new look at Russia in 1914 and the downfall of the Romanov family is offered. Unlike many other stories centered on the Romanov family, which tend to speculate about Anastasia's fate, this book focuses on Tatiana Romanov. I found this part of the story to be fascinating and highly entertaining. I lavished in every detail of this era in Russian history.
Dmitri was a cavalry officer who meets Tatiana when he is injured. Tatiana volunteers at the hospital where he is sent for treatment. The two fall in love, only to be separated thereafter by the overthrow of the Russian Tsar and the subsequent restrictions placed on the Romanov family.
Even after the reported murder of the Romanovs, Dmitri holds out hope that Tatiana is alive. Eventually, he gives up hope. He goes on to start a family of his own and relocates to America.
However, things aren't always what they seem. When fate thrusts Tatiana back into his life, Dmitri is forced to make some very hard choices. Can he reconcile his love for Tatiana with the new life that he has made for himself and the wife that has stuck by his side throughout the years?
All things considered, I expected this to be a much more emotional read. Instead, it felt sweet and maybe even a little sad. Even with Tatiana's reappearance, the story failed to elicit the tremendous emotional highs and lows that I expected. Things just fell together too perfectly.
Dmitri's wife was just too accepting and almost complacent. I even felt the same way about how things worked out for Kitty and her husband. It was like these characters had been given a heavy dose of a sedative. Where was the anger and sense of betrayal?
Overall, it ended up being a good but not great type of story for me. It had a lot of unrealized potential. I needed more emotion and a stronger connection to the characters. It felt kind of "flat" to me, for lack of a better descriptor.
Check out more of my reviews at www.bookaddicthaven.com
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2021
1.5 Stars
Dear Book
I feel we have come so far in our relationship that I can now be honest with you.
I think it is time we parted company, despite our mutual friend pairing us together with the hope that our relationship would be the one that would be the talk of 2017. You probably think I am going to say the usual " it's me and not you". But let me assure you it's all "YOU". Despite your handsome facade, you just don't have any depth or knowledge that I require for a long term relationship. In fact I found you rather twee and your lines cliched and wasted on me. Despite the many lovers you boast about I certainly will not become a dog ear on your page. I know you will find many more admirers more deserving of your romance than me therefore I don't feel so bad parting on bad terms. I have my standards and you just don't meet them. My words may seem harsh as many of your previously lovers raved about you but I feel honestly is the best policy and I know you will be partnered with someone else who will appreciate your romantic lines much more than me. Xx
Dear Book
I feel we have come so far in our relationship that I can now be honest with you.
I think it is time we parted company, despite our mutual friend pairing us together with the hope that our relationship would be the one that would be the talk of 2017. You probably think I am going to say the usual " it's me and not you". But let me assure you it's all "YOU". Despite your handsome facade, you just don't have any depth or knowledge that I require for a long term relationship. In fact I found you rather twee and your lines cliched and wasted on me. Despite the many lovers you boast about I certainly will not become a dog ear on your page. I know you will find many more admirers more deserving of your romance than me therefore I don't feel so bad parting on bad terms. I have my standards and you just don't meet them. My words may seem harsh as many of your previously lovers raved about you but I feel honestly is the best policy and I know you will be partnered with someone else who will appreciate your romantic lines much more than me. Xx
March 22, 2017
The Secret Wife by Gill Paul is a 2016 Avon publication.
This book is an amazing, epic love story, unlike any I’ve read in a long time!
When Kitty Fischer makes a shocking discovery about her life and marriage, she flees England in search of the property in the Adirondacks she recently inherited. The place is in horrible disrepair, but she sets to work restoring it, while searching out her personal connection to her great-grandfather, Dmitri, the original owner of the property. This is a journey that will take the reader all the way back to 1914 where Dmitri is recovering from a war wound, and meets the great love of his life, Tatiana Romanov.
Like most of you, I have heard stories about the Romanov family. Most of us are familiar with Anastasia, but this novel features her sister, Tatiana, which is a refreshing change of pace. I have not thought about the Romanov family in a very long time, and for some reason, books based on the family or this period in history never seems to show up on my radar. So, because it was so unlike other historical fiction, I normally read, this one really captivated me.
While Kitty does the research into her family tree and discovers the shocking truth about her grandfather, she is feverishly restoring the cabin she inherited, and avoiding contact with her husband until she figures out how to get her life back on track. Her story is the contemporary thread that links the past with the present, but it’s Dmitri and Tatiana’s story that held me prisoner, and broke my heart into a million pieces.
The author obviously did a great deal of painstaking research, providing incredible and lush details that put me right there in the midst of royal opulence, only to later find myself experiencing the fall of the Tsar and the horrors of war, right along with Dimitri and Tatiana. We follow their tragic, but, powerful love story, and Dmitri’s years following the war. I was absolutely on the edge of my seat, riveted, and mesmerized!
I also enjoyed Kitty’s personal growth, her journey toward self-discovery, her awakening, so to speak. Although, she could have worded it a little better, I was happy she decided to use a negative experience as a chance to take stock of her life and made something good come from something bad.
Those of you who have followed my reviews, know that on occasion, I whine about the demise of the sweeping romantic historical sagas of old, so you can imagine how very much I loved this story!
The only thing left to say is: READ THIS BOOK!!
5 stars!!
This book is an amazing, epic love story, unlike any I’ve read in a long time!
When Kitty Fischer makes a shocking discovery about her life and marriage, she flees England in search of the property in the Adirondacks she recently inherited. The place is in horrible disrepair, but she sets to work restoring it, while searching out her personal connection to her great-grandfather, Dmitri, the original owner of the property. This is a journey that will take the reader all the way back to 1914 where Dmitri is recovering from a war wound, and meets the great love of his life, Tatiana Romanov.
Like most of you, I have heard stories about the Romanov family. Most of us are familiar with Anastasia, but this novel features her sister, Tatiana, which is a refreshing change of pace. I have not thought about the Romanov family in a very long time, and for some reason, books based on the family or this period in history never seems to show up on my radar. So, because it was so unlike other historical fiction, I normally read, this one really captivated me.
While Kitty does the research into her family tree and discovers the shocking truth about her grandfather, she is feverishly restoring the cabin she inherited, and avoiding contact with her husband until she figures out how to get her life back on track. Her story is the contemporary thread that links the past with the present, but it’s Dmitri and Tatiana’s story that held me prisoner, and broke my heart into a million pieces.
The author obviously did a great deal of painstaking research, providing incredible and lush details that put me right there in the midst of royal opulence, only to later find myself experiencing the fall of the Tsar and the horrors of war, right along with Dimitri and Tatiana. We follow their tragic, but, powerful love story, and Dmitri’s years following the war. I was absolutely on the edge of my seat, riveted, and mesmerized!
I also enjoyed Kitty’s personal growth, her journey toward self-discovery, her awakening, so to speak. Although, she could have worded it a little better, I was happy she decided to use a negative experience as a chance to take stock of her life and made something good come from something bad.
Those of you who have followed my reviews, know that on occasion, I whine about the demise of the sweeping romantic historical sagas of old, so you can imagine how very much I loved this story!
The only thing left to say is: READ THIS BOOK!!
5 stars!!
February 17, 2024
به این کتاب امتیاز ۴ دادم ولی واقعا نمی‌دونم چرا! به نظرم همه چیزش درست بود احتمالاً مرض دارم که ۵ نمی‌دم. داستان در دو زمان متفاوت به طور متناوب تعریف میشه. یکی از سالهای جنگ جهانی اول و آشوب‌های روسیه‌ی تزاری شروع میشه و بستری شدن دیمیتری در بیمارستان و پرستاری دوشس رومانف‌ها از اون و تا سال‌ها بعد ادامه پیدا میکنه. و داستان دوم در سال ۲۰۱۶ شروع میشه جایی که کیتی از خیانت شوهرش مطلع شده و بی‌خبر از لندن به کلبه‌ای در آمریکا سفر کرده که اخیراً به ارث برده. این دو داستان در هم تنیده میشه تا انتها به هم برسه. این که نویسنده یک سری حقایق تاریخی رو با تخیل مخلوط کرده و چنین داستانی با تم عاشقانه نوشته واقعا برام جذاب بود. هیچ موضوع حل نشده‌ای در آخر داستان باقی نموند و این هم یک امتیاز مثبت برای کتابی با این موضوع بود. از خوندنش لذت بردم.ه
September 7, 2017
Great book!!! "Something" in this book didn't sit well with me. I was going to knock off a star as soon as I came across "it". My mind was made up however my opinion changed towards the end. I'm not saying "it's" okay but I understand. The heart wants what it wants!!!!
August 28, 2017
I had already decided that this was a book that I really wanted to read before I got an email about participating in a blog tour for the book. I been interested in the Romanovs for years and reading a mystery book about Grand Duchess Tatiana was too tempting to resist. I was especially thrilled about reading about Tatiana instead of Anastasia who otherwise seems to be the most popular sister to write about.
The Secret Wife has two storylines. One in the present time with Kitty leaving her husband in London settling in her great-grandfather's remote cabin in America. There she discovers that her grandfather was a writer and she finds a pendant that once belonged to a dog whose owner was a Russain Grand Duchess. And, in the past storyline, we get to met her young grandfather when he wounded is taking care off by a very special nurse.
This is a what if story. What if Dmitri and Tatiana had really fallen in love and what if he had tried everything to save her life? What would be the consequences? I looked up Tatiana and Dmitri on Wikipedia and was surprised to learn that Dmitri really had existed and that Tatiana had nursed him when he was wounded. So, even thou the book is fiction, does it have some historical bearing. I especially like that the story took some surprising turns, that it turned out to be darker and sadder story than I had expected when I started to read the book. The people in this book make rash decisions and some decisions will have ramifications years later.
This is a book where both storylines are good. I liked reading about how Kitty discovered more about her great-grandfather life and thus learning more about her family. And, Dmitri's storyline is just as intriguing.
The Secret Wife has two storylines. One in the present time with Kitty leaving her husband in London settling in her great-grandfather's remote cabin in America. There she discovers that her grandfather was a writer and she finds a pendant that once belonged to a dog whose owner was a Russain Grand Duchess. And, in the past storyline, we get to met her young grandfather when he wounded is taking care off by a very special nurse.
This is a what if story. What if Dmitri and Tatiana had really fallen in love and what if he had tried everything to save her life? What would be the consequences? I looked up Tatiana and Dmitri on Wikipedia and was surprised to learn that Dmitri really had existed and that Tatiana had nursed him when he was wounded. So, even thou the book is fiction, does it have some historical bearing. I especially like that the story took some surprising turns, that it turned out to be darker and sadder story than I had expected when I started to read the book. The people in this book make rash decisions and some decisions will have ramifications years later.
This is a book where both storylines are good. I liked reading about how Kitty discovered more about her great-grandfather life and thus learning more about her family. And, Dmitri's storyline is just as intriguing.
April 8, 2017
This is a big ... fat ... preposterous ... WHAT IF. But a good read nevertheless.
A mystery built around the Romanovs of Russia. A fantasy built around one of the daughter's, Tatiana's, romances with a soldier. And then it becomes a story within a story when Kitty Fischer, one of the descendants, inherits a remote cottage at a lake and tries to find out more about her great-grandfather. Decide on the Romanoff connection as the axle, and then add the rest of the story in the American idiom, and you get this book. Relationships run parallel and wisdom from the past solve the problems of the present.
The novel is what it is. I enjoyed it as such. Some little peeves got me into sleuth-mode. For instance: 'Dmitri had lost touch with his daughter Marta when he died and I have no idea why.’ Huh? Perhaps he was too dead to get in touch with her? **laughing here**. Oops!
(Shouldn't the sentence read: 'Dmitri had lost touch with his daughter Marta LONG BEFORE he died ...?)
Another one: Kitty's computer sent an email from her drafts ... No m'am it ain't gonna happen, unless someone is lying, or it is a novelist fantasy like this one. :-))
Aside from that, it was a good read, for those who did not know much about the Romanovs. A light-ish kind of read, with serious, serious, shocking, brutal undertones. It gives the story substance. Lots of it. And yes, a perfect example of successful modern polygamy. Endearing and heart-breaking.
This story is written in the same style as The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. So yes, try it on for size. It's gripping and relaxing in the almost chick-lit style, but absolutely and definitely worth it.
A mystery built around the Romanovs of Russia. A fantasy built around one of the daughter's, Tatiana's, romances with a soldier. And then it becomes a story within a story when Kitty Fischer, one of the descendants, inherits a remote cottage at a lake and tries to find out more about her great-grandfather. Decide on the Romanoff connection as the axle, and then add the rest of the story in the American idiom, and you get this book. Relationships run parallel and wisdom from the past solve the problems of the present.
The novel is what it is. I enjoyed it as such. Some little peeves got me into sleuth-mode. For instance: 'Dmitri had lost touch with his daughter Marta when he died and I have no idea why.’ Huh? Perhaps he was too dead to get in touch with her? **laughing here**. Oops!
(Shouldn't the sentence read: 'Dmitri had lost touch with his daughter Marta LONG BEFORE he died ...?)
Another one: Kitty's computer sent an email from her drafts ... No m'am it ain't gonna happen, unless someone is lying, or it is a novelist fantasy like this one. :-))
Aside from that, it was a good read, for those who did not know much about the Romanovs. A light-ish kind of read, with serious, serious, shocking, brutal undertones. It gives the story substance. Lots of it. And yes, a perfect example of successful modern polygamy. Endearing and heart-breaking.
This story is written in the same style as The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. So yes, try it on for size. It's gripping and relaxing in the almost chick-lit style, but absolutely and definitely worth it.
April 7, 2017
I could not get into this story at all. It felt like there was no character development and because of that the story felt completely fake and made the characters unlikable. Not to mention the fact that the characters in this story said and did things that seemed so out of the norm of what any rational person would do or say. I had to force myself to finish this book.
Read
November 20, 2016Oh dear, this is one of those books that everyone seems to love, and that simply didn't work for me. Since I skim-read the vast majority of it, I can't rate it but I'll try to explain why.
Basically, I liked the premise, I usually like Richard and Judy recommendations, having just finished Simon Sebag Monefiorie's brilliant Romanovs, I was ready for a time-slip involving one of the grand duchesses. But...
Firstly, I simply couldn't buy the premise. Rightly or wrongly, Tatiana seemed all wrong compared to what I've read of her, and she didn't come to life at all in the book.
Ms Paul is clearly a huge fan of the history of the period, and she's read masses. It shows, though for me not in a good way. There was way, way too much of the history put in there in a factual and very passive way. For example, lots of details about WWI battles 'read' from newspapers that was pretty unnecessary to the story. And lots of little snippets that were tell don't show - one that comes to mind is the comment about Catherine's dead dogs being buried in a garden. These are the kind of things almost every other reviewer seems to have enjoyed but for me they jarred, they read like the author had so many facts at her fingertips she wanted to put them all in. And although we definitely needed history for context, in my view, we didn't need so many lectures.
Next up was the modern character of Kitty. I absolutely loathed the woman. She discovers her husband has been playing away in a horrible way. She confronts her best friend, who knows about it but she then runs away from her and from her husband. She doesn't really seem to care much for her husband, but then she becomes like a dog with a bone - she doesn't want anyone else to have him, so she wants him back. But does she do anything about it? Nope, she just hides, and hides, and hides. And does she really love him - frankly I didn't buy that at all. When finally this part of the story is resolved, Kitty goes back to London, meets up with Tom for a night, they talk about what she's been doing, she decides she's going to be a carpenter - and that's it!!!! No discussion of their relationship, no discussion of the effect each other's behaviour had on the other, just - okay, it's done now, we really love each other, now let's get on. As I said, I skim read much of this, so this might be a complete mis-interpretation, but it's how it came over to me.
In a timeslip, one of the conventions is to draw parallels between the front and back story. It's one of the things I really enjoy about the genre, how history teaches us. I didn't feel that it worked in this story. Maybe my expectations were wrong.
And finally, something I've already touched on, was the very passive narrative style. Again, I can't find any other reviewers who commented on this, maybe it's just a bugbear with me, but I found it distanced me from all of the characters, and I'm afraid I didn't even empathise with poor Tatiana.
I'm a lone voice. Just ignore me, and try this one for yourself.
Basically, I liked the premise, I usually like Richard and Judy recommendations, having just finished Simon Sebag Monefiorie's brilliant Romanovs, I was ready for a time-slip involving one of the grand duchesses. But...
Firstly, I simply couldn't buy the premise. Rightly or wrongly, Tatiana seemed all wrong compared to what I've read of her, and she didn't come to life at all in the book.
Ms Paul is clearly a huge fan of the history of the period, and she's read masses. It shows, though for me not in a good way. There was way, way too much of the history put in there in a factual and very passive way. For example, lots of details about WWI battles 'read' from newspapers that was pretty unnecessary to the story. And lots of little snippets that were tell don't show - one that comes to mind is the comment about Catherine's dead dogs being buried in a garden. These are the kind of things almost every other reviewer seems to have enjoyed but for me they jarred, they read like the author had so many facts at her fingertips she wanted to put them all in. And although we definitely needed history for context, in my view, we didn't need so many lectures.
Next up was the modern character of Kitty. I absolutely loathed the woman. She discovers her husband has been playing away in a horrible way. She confronts her best friend, who knows about it but she then runs away from her and from her husband. She doesn't really seem to care much for her husband, but then she becomes like a dog with a bone - she doesn't want anyone else to have him, so she wants him back. But does she do anything about it? Nope, she just hides, and hides, and hides. And does she really love him - frankly I didn't buy that at all. When finally this part of the story is resolved, Kitty goes back to London, meets up with Tom for a night, they talk about what she's been doing, she decides she's going to be a carpenter - and that's it!!!! No discussion of their relationship, no discussion of the effect each other's behaviour had on the other, just - okay, it's done now, we really love each other, now let's get on. As I said, I skim read much of this, so this might be a complete mis-interpretation, but it's how it came over to me.
In a timeslip, one of the conventions is to draw parallels between the front and back story. It's one of the things I really enjoy about the genre, how history teaches us. I didn't feel that it worked in this story. Maybe my expectations were wrong.
And finally, something I've already touched on, was the very passive narrative style. Again, I can't find any other reviewers who commented on this, maybe it's just a bugbear with me, but I found it distanced me from all of the characters, and I'm afraid I didn't even empathise with poor Tatiana.
I'm a lone voice. Just ignore me, and try this one for yourself.
August 15, 2017
3.5 I gulped this down faster than an ice cold beer on a hot summer day stars.
Those poor Romanovs! Aren't we ever going to let their souls rest in peace? However, just likeThe Tsarina's Daughter I couldn't help but get swept up in a huge historical "what if?" The whole premise is a dual narrative. The first, takes place in Russia/Germany/America between 1914-1986 and introduced readers to soldier, Dmitri Malama, who meets the Grand Duchess, Tatiana, daughter of Tsar Alexansr. The two fall in love, but history is about to play its hand. Or will someone in the Romanov family escape their fate?
The contemporary storyline, takes place in 2016 and centers around Dmitri's great grandaughter, Kitty. Kitty flees her cheating husband in England and heads to America and Dmitri's cabin. Soon she will stumble upon a long buried family secret.
Gosh, I just couldn't put this bloody book down. Highly readable even if the "romance" is so cheesy and the dialogue a bit like a 70's romance. But I loved this cotton candy for my brain!
Perfect read for a getaway to the cottage or lounging on the beach.
Those poor Romanovs! Aren't we ever going to let their souls rest in peace? However, just likeThe Tsarina's Daughter I couldn't help but get swept up in a huge historical "what if?" The whole premise is a dual narrative. The first, takes place in Russia/Germany/America between 1914-1986 and introduced readers to soldier, Dmitri Malama, who meets the Grand Duchess, Tatiana, daughter of Tsar Alexansr. The two fall in love, but history is about to play its hand. Or will someone in the Romanov family escape their fate?
The contemporary storyline, takes place in 2016 and centers around Dmitri's great grandaughter, Kitty. Kitty flees her cheating husband in England and heads to America and Dmitri's cabin. Soon she will stumble upon a long buried family secret.
Gosh, I just couldn't put this bloody book down. Highly readable even if the "romance" is so cheesy and the dialogue a bit like a 70's romance. But I loved this cotton candy for my brain!
Perfect read for a getaway to the cottage or lounging on the beach.
August 31, 2016
Having loved Gill’s previous book (No Place For a Lady) I was very much looking forward to reading this and I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve always had a fascination for the Russian Romanov family and it’s well documented in history how they met their fate. What the author has done with The Secret Wife, and so very well, is to combine fiction with fact to make a spellbinding tale of love and loss.
I love dual narrative and timeslip but quite often prefer one period to another – as I thought would be the case here. Initially, I thought that Kitty’s story would be the weakest of the two but as the story progressed and her investigations led to more being known about the later years of her long lost relation together with the discovery of family secrets, I found that I enjoyed both timelines equally. Although Kitty was mainly the vehicle for the telling of her great-grandfather’s story, she became a stronger character in her own right. I was very impressed with her carpentry skills whilst repairing the remote lakeside cabin that she inherited!
The story primarily focuses on cavalry officer Dimitri Yakovlevich Malama and his love for The Grand Duchess Tatiana. Although he had been an Imperial Guard for the family, their most personal encounter was in a converted hospital ward at the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoe Selo when Dimiti, aged 23, was recovering from injuries suffered during the fighting at the front between the Russians and Germans. Tatiana together with her sister Olga and their mother were helping to tend the wounded and the brief times that Dimitri and Tatiana spent together was the beginning of a love that would be both wonderful and the cause of so much heartache and danger.
This is a story spanning the years from 1914, including the Bolshevik revolution in 1918 and then in later years up to 2016. The research has been meticulous and the setting, the characters and the turmoil and brutality of the revolution were all bought to life. From the extravagance and opulence of the Tsar and his family – they gave each other Faberge eggs as presents and, later, with the Romanov women sewing their precious jewels in their underclothes for safekeeping; to the dreadfully harsh conditions suffered by the poorest of Russian citizens giving rise to the revolution and then the cruelty and determination of the Red Army to take control and to rid Russia of the wealthiest and most hated families – particularly the Romanov Royal family.
I became completely absorbed in the lives of Dimitri and Tatiana. Dimitri was a brave soldier but with an impulsive nature who was later to regret certain decisions he had made. Tatiana we knew slightly less about although she appeared to be a very brave and resilient young woman if a little naive and unworldly due to her family’s extreme wealth. Reference is made to her mother’s (Alexandra, the Tsarina) dependence on the healer and mystic, Rasputin, and the influence he had over the family. With her husband, the Tsar, away commanding his army, she was left in control. Because of her German ancestry, she was regarded with suspicion and thought by some of being a traitor during Russia’s war with Germany.
I don’t want to go into too much detail about the rest of the story and risk spoiling it but I absolutely loved The Secret Wife and it will be on my top books of the year list for 2016. This is only the second book I have read by Gill Paul but what I love about her writing is the way her vivid descriptions bring the story alive, you can’t help but be pulled into the story and feel an emotional attachment to the characters.
The Secret Wife is a captivating and often emotional story of a fascinating and brutal period in history. Gill Paul has woven into history her own view of events. I would love to believe that her version is the true one.
I love dual narrative and timeslip but quite often prefer one period to another – as I thought would be the case here. Initially, I thought that Kitty’s story would be the weakest of the two but as the story progressed and her investigations led to more being known about the later years of her long lost relation together with the discovery of family secrets, I found that I enjoyed both timelines equally. Although Kitty was mainly the vehicle for the telling of her great-grandfather’s story, she became a stronger character in her own right. I was very impressed with her carpentry skills whilst repairing the remote lakeside cabin that she inherited!
The story primarily focuses on cavalry officer Dimitri Yakovlevich Malama and his love for The Grand Duchess Tatiana. Although he had been an Imperial Guard for the family, their most personal encounter was in a converted hospital ward at the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoe Selo when Dimiti, aged 23, was recovering from injuries suffered during the fighting at the front between the Russians and Germans. Tatiana together with her sister Olga and their mother were helping to tend the wounded and the brief times that Dimitri and Tatiana spent together was the beginning of a love that would be both wonderful and the cause of so much heartache and danger.
This is a story spanning the years from 1914, including the Bolshevik revolution in 1918 and then in later years up to 2016. The research has been meticulous and the setting, the characters and the turmoil and brutality of the revolution were all bought to life. From the extravagance and opulence of the Tsar and his family – they gave each other Faberge eggs as presents and, later, with the Romanov women sewing their precious jewels in their underclothes for safekeeping; to the dreadfully harsh conditions suffered by the poorest of Russian citizens giving rise to the revolution and then the cruelty and determination of the Red Army to take control and to rid Russia of the wealthiest and most hated families – particularly the Romanov Royal family.
I became completely absorbed in the lives of Dimitri and Tatiana. Dimitri was a brave soldier but with an impulsive nature who was later to regret certain decisions he had made. Tatiana we knew slightly less about although she appeared to be a very brave and resilient young woman if a little naive and unworldly due to her family’s extreme wealth. Reference is made to her mother’s (Alexandra, the Tsarina) dependence on the healer and mystic, Rasputin, and the influence he had over the family. With her husband, the Tsar, away commanding his army, she was left in control. Because of her German ancestry, she was regarded with suspicion and thought by some of being a traitor during Russia’s war with Germany.
I don’t want to go into too much detail about the rest of the story and risk spoiling it but I absolutely loved The Secret Wife and it will be on my top books of the year list for 2016. This is only the second book I have read by Gill Paul but what I love about her writing is the way her vivid descriptions bring the story alive, you can’t help but be pulled into the story and feel an emotional attachment to the characters.
The Secret Wife is a captivating and often emotional story of a fascinating and brutal period in history. Gill Paul has woven into history her own view of events. I would love to believe that her version is the true one.
December 23, 2018
Σε δυο ταμπλώ η ιστορία…
στο σήμερα όπου η Κίττυ ανακαλύπτει πως τρώει ‘κέρατο’ από τον σύζυγο και αντί ψυχοθεραπείας, αποφασίζει να πάει στη λίμνη Ακανάμπι όπου ο προπάππους της, της έχει κληροδοτήσει μια παράγκα…
στο μακρινό χθες… στην προεπαναστατική Ρωσία, στο σπίτι, λέμε τώρα σπίτι, των Ρομανώφ… κι ενώ έχουν γραφτεί πολλά κι έχουν ειπωθεί ακόμα περισσότερα για την τελευταία κόρη των Ρομανώφ, την Αναστασία (μέχρι και παιδική ταινία έχει γυριστεί), εάν γλίτωσε ή όχι… πολύ λιγότερα είναι γνωστά για την Τατιάνα (τη δεύτερη κόρη του τσάρου)
Πάνω σε διάφορα ιστορικά γεγονότα και ακόμα περισσότερες ιστορικές υποθέσεις, χτίζει η συγγραφέας τις δύο ιστορίες… που φυσικά κάπου κάπως κάποτε ενώνονται…
Οι Ρομανώφ στον Α’ Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο, οι Ρομανώφ φυλακισμένοι, οι Ρομανώφ κάτω από το χώμα, οι φήμες για τους Ρομανώφ αν νεκραναστήθηκαν…
Πάθη, μυστικά, τύψεις, ψυχολογικές καταρρεύσεις… ενδιαφέρον ανάγνωσμα χωρίς να απογειώνεται αλλά δεν μετάνιωσα που το διάβασα… Καλή σύν��εση των δύο ιστοριών, τα ιστορικά στοιχεία δεν κουράζουν, δένονται ωραία με τη μυθοπλασία τόσο ώστε κάποια στιγμή μπορεί και να πιστέψεις πως όντως έτσι έγιναν τα πράγματα…
Μου κέντρισε πάντως το ενδιαφέρον να διαβάσω και κάτι πιο ιστορικόν για τον τελευταίο τσάρο της Ρωσίας…
στο σήμερα όπου η Κίττυ ανακαλύπτει πως τρώει ‘κέρατο’ από τον σύζυγο και αντί ψυχοθεραπείας, αποφασίζει να πάει στη λίμνη Ακανάμπι όπου ο προπάππους της, της έχει κληροδοτήσει μια παράγκα…
στο μακρινό χθες… στην προεπαναστατική Ρωσία, στο σπίτι, λέμε τώρα σπίτι, των Ρομανώφ… κι ενώ έχουν γραφτεί πολλά κι έχουν ειπωθεί ακόμα περισσότερα για την τελευταία κόρη των Ρομανώφ, την Αναστασία (μέχρι και παιδική ταινία έχει γυριστεί), εάν γλίτωσε ή όχι… πολύ λιγότερα είναι γνωστά για την Τατιάνα (τη δεύτερη κόρη του τσάρου)
Πάνω σε διάφορα ιστορικά γεγονότα και ακόμα περισσότερες ιστορικές υποθέσεις, χτίζει η συγγραφέας τις δύο ιστορίες… που φυσικά κάπου κάπως κάποτε ενώνονται…
Οι Ρομανώφ στον Α’ Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο, οι Ρομανώφ φυλακισμένοι, οι Ρομανώφ κάτω από το χώμα, οι φήμες για τους Ρομανώφ αν νεκραναστήθηκαν…
Πάθη, μυστικά, τύψεις, ψυχολογικές καταρρεύσεις… ενδιαφέρον ανάγνωσμα χωρίς να απογειώνεται αλλά δεν μετάνιωσα που το διάβασα… Καλή σύν��εση των δύο ιστοριών, τα ιστορικά στοιχεία δεν κουράζουν, δένονται ωραία με τη μυθοπλασία τόσο ώστε κάποια στιγμή μπορεί και να πιστέψεις πως όντως έτσι έγιναν τα πράγματα…
Μου κέντρισε πάντως το ενδιαφέρον να διαβάσω και κάτι πιο ιστορικόν για τον τελευταίο τσάρο της Ρωσίας…
September 25, 2016
Childish tosh.
March 18, 2017
A good idea, but poorly executed
The story regarding the Romanov's, somewhat held my interest, but I didn't care about the modern day characters. When a woman apologizes
to her husband for writing an ugly email, upon learning of his affair, it's just not plausible in my world. I just don't think they're too many women out there who would apologize for giving their husband a little grief after finding naked pics of another women on his cell phone. She continues to chastise herself and I'm thinking I would have been giving him hell. Then among the historical characters there is a women Dimitri uses to console himself while he pines away for another, but no worries she's perfectly ok with that. It's really hard to believe a woman wrote this book.
The story regarding the Romanov's, somewhat held my interest, but I didn't care about the modern day characters. When a woman apologizes
to her husband for writing an ugly email, upon learning of his affair, it's just not plausible in my world. I just don't think they're too many women out there who would apologize for giving their husband a little grief after finding naked pics of another women on his cell phone. She continues to chastise herself and I'm thinking I would have been giving him hell. Then among the historical characters there is a women Dimitri uses to console himself while he pines away for another, but no worries she's perfectly ok with that. It's really hard to believe a woman wrote this book.
April 17, 2018
Fascinating historical fiction
This was one of those "can't put it down until it's finished" books. The story of the last Tsar of Russia and his family has always been completely fascinating to me - from their early lives of unbelievable wealth, to their brutal slaughter after the revolution. But could any of them have survived? One possible answer to this mystery is imagined by the author in a beautiful, heartbreaking story about Grand Duchess Tatiana and the soldier she falls in love with shortly before the revolution.
This was one of those "can't put it down until it's finished" books. The story of the last Tsar of Russia and his family has always been completely fascinating to me - from their early lives of unbelievable wealth, to their brutal slaughter after the revolution. But could any of them have survived? One possible answer to this mystery is imagined by the author in a beautiful, heartbreaking story about Grand Duchess Tatiana and the soldier she falls in love with shortly before the revolution.
September 4, 2016
Wow! I adored this book! I studied A Level History as a teenager and since then have had a real fascination with Russia and Russian history, so I jumped at the chance to read this book. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to describe just how much I enjoyed it!
The Secret Wife has a dual storyline and is set in Russia from 1914 onwards and present day America. Told through the eyes of Kitty Fisher, who has fled from Britain to her great-grandfather’s cabin in America following relationship difficulties, and Dmitri Malama, a Russian cavalry officer, who is in a military hospital during the first world war.
Kitty’s side of the story centres around her coming to terms with her relationship difficulties and her finding out more about her great-grandfather, who she previously knew nothing about. I loved the genealogy aspect of the story and the unfolding of Kitty’s family secrets.
Dmitri’s side of the story tells the tale of his love affair with Grand Duchess Tatiana Romanov against the backdrop of the political instability of Russia at that time. This is the start of a beautiful but tragic love story that had me in tears by the end of the book.
Gill’s characterisation is fantastic, Dmitri is portrayed wonderfully. He is heroic and brave with the melancholia often associated with the Russian character. His passion and deep love for Tatiana is beautifully described and portrayed by Gill and you cannot help but adore him and go through his emotions with him.
It is clear that a lot of research has gone into The Secret Wife. Gill provides an accurate portrayal of Russia at this time. The difficulties faced by the Russian troops against the Germans despite their large size, the feelings of discontent towards the Romanovs who lived in luxury while their people struggled and lived in poverty, the build up to the revolution and the dire consequences of it’s success. The brutality in the way the Red Army dealt with the Romanov family is distressing but historically accurate. Gill has made this fascinating period in history understandable and interesting.
Kitty’s story is equally enjoyable. The profound impact the discovery of her great-grandfather’s life has on her is touching. Hers is a tale of learning to understand relationships, how they change with time and how to nurture them.
The Secret Wife seamlessly moves between the centuries, and as the past and present come together, you cannot help but be moved. Gill is an extremely talented writer, she has brought the story of the Romanovs vividly to life. I love the slant she has taken, drawing on past actual claims that some of the Romanov children where still alive, it really sets your imagination on fire.
I highly recommend this book. It is beautifully written, fascinating, largely historically accurate and leaves you with the thought ‘what if…?’
A huge thank you to Gill Paul and Helena Sheffield from Avon Books for the copy in exchange for my opinion.
Published 25 August 2016 by Avon Books.
The Secret Wife has a dual storyline and is set in Russia from 1914 onwards and present day America. Told through the eyes of Kitty Fisher, who has fled from Britain to her great-grandfather’s cabin in America following relationship difficulties, and Dmitri Malama, a Russian cavalry officer, who is in a military hospital during the first world war.
Kitty’s side of the story centres around her coming to terms with her relationship difficulties and her finding out more about her great-grandfather, who she previously knew nothing about. I loved the genealogy aspect of the story and the unfolding of Kitty’s family secrets.
Dmitri’s side of the story tells the tale of his love affair with Grand Duchess Tatiana Romanov against the backdrop of the political instability of Russia at that time. This is the start of a beautiful but tragic love story that had me in tears by the end of the book.
Gill’s characterisation is fantastic, Dmitri is portrayed wonderfully. He is heroic and brave with the melancholia often associated with the Russian character. His passion and deep love for Tatiana is beautifully described and portrayed by Gill and you cannot help but adore him and go through his emotions with him.
It is clear that a lot of research has gone into The Secret Wife. Gill provides an accurate portrayal of Russia at this time. The difficulties faced by the Russian troops against the Germans despite their large size, the feelings of discontent towards the Romanovs who lived in luxury while their people struggled and lived in poverty, the build up to the revolution and the dire consequences of it’s success. The brutality in the way the Red Army dealt with the Romanov family is distressing but historically accurate. Gill has made this fascinating period in history understandable and interesting.
Kitty’s story is equally enjoyable. The profound impact the discovery of her great-grandfather’s life has on her is touching. Hers is a tale of learning to understand relationships, how they change with time and how to nurture them.
The Secret Wife seamlessly moves between the centuries, and as the past and present come together, you cannot help but be moved. Gill is an extremely talented writer, she has brought the story of the Romanovs vividly to life. I love the slant she has taken, drawing on past actual claims that some of the Romanov children where still alive, it really sets your imagination on fire.
I highly recommend this book. It is beautifully written, fascinating, largely historically accurate and leaves you with the thought ‘what if…?’
A huge thank you to Gill Paul and Helena Sheffield from Avon Books for the copy in exchange for my opinion.
Published 25 August 2016 by Avon Books.
April 6, 2024
خودخواه تر از شخصیت اصلی این کتاب ندیدم تاحالا!!!
October 24, 2018
You know… this is a hard book to review. On one hand, I want to give it five stars, just because it introduced me to the wonderful (horrible) lives of the Russian Romanovs, and their tragic execution in 1918. This is a family – and an event – that is entirely new to me. Sure, I’d heard of the Imperial Family before, and I knew they’d come to a bloody end at some point, in some place, for some reason. But I didn’t know any specifics, and this book pulled me into their world and story. I have this author to thank for getting me interested in them and making me want to read more novels about these fascinating characters! However, the other part of me struggled through a lot of this story, because the main character, Dmitri, is a complete tool (NO, you won’t convince me otherwise, I’m sorry). Other reviews on here, saying that he’s SO romantic and sweet, and you can’t possibly help but fall in love with him yourself… I just don’t understand you. Dmitri was an unlikable character (in my opinion) from the get-go, and he only became worse and worse as the book went on. I literally could not root for him as a character, and that killed a lot of the book for me.
In essence, this novel is a gigantic “what if”, and that’s fun in a historical fiction work. What if Grand Duchess Tatiana – second daughter of Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra – survived the grisly execution of her entire family, because her true love gallantly rescued her? What if she went on to live decades and decades longer, finding actual happiness after escaping such a tragedy? This is an interesting story line (and a controversial thought, since – until relatively recently – it was considered possible that at least one of the Romanov children might have avoided execution). The author has done some impressive research, by using Tatiana’s real “relationship” with a man named Dmitri, whom she tended as a nurse during WWI, before the height of the Russian Civil War. Using real diary entries written by Tatiana herself, this author created a true, all-consuming romance between the two characters – and this factual element is the best part of the whole book. The fact that Tatiana and Dmitri really DID know each other is fascinating (he even appears on her Wikipedia page).
Cue the fictional element of the story: Dmitri attempts to save Tatiana from the Ipatiev House where her family is held captive by the rebel government. He does heroically plan to save the rest of the family as well, but Tatiana is the priority. Well, she escapes – yet she’s soon separated from Dmitri, and her entire family is executed as a result of Dmitri’s plot. Now he’s apart from Tatiana, AND he’s caused the Imperial Family’s destruction. Yikes.
I won’t give too much away, but let me fast-forward to why and when this book went way downhill. In this novel, Dmitri hardly knows Tatiana. I’m sorry, he DOESN’T. They’ve spoken for like 5 minutes (a slight exaggeration, but not by much). He fell in love with her in about 2.5 seconds, and became weirdly obsessive and borderline creepy in his jealousy over her right from the beginning (not romantic). Now that they’re separated and Dmitri is in the midst of escaping Russia during this horrible political upheaval, he holds onto this obsession and “true love”... even when he meets another woman in Germany and gets her pregnant.
Dmitri: You don’t know if Tatiana is even still alive. You barely know her. Now you have a family and a woman who truly loves you (and only wants you to love her back more than anything in the world), yet you refuse to ever show her any kind of real emotion. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?
Of course, this is a “romance” novel, so we haven’t seen the last of Tatiana and Dmitri. At this point, I feel it’s important to yell at Dmitri that ADULTERY IS NOT ROMANTIC. This dumb man throws every good thing in his life away because he’s held onto this obsessive love that took approximately 2 seconds to develop FORTY YEARS AGO. No wonder he runs into so many problems as the story continues. He deserves them all.
I have no sympathy, and that kills this story for me. While I really did appreciate the amount of research put into this book, and I loved the subject matter of the Romanovs, I just hated where it went. I found myself completely disengaged by the end, and feeling like I really didn’t care what happened to Dmitri.
All in all, while some people might find this to be incredibly romantic, I found him and his outlook on life to be disrespectful, selfish, and obsessively creepy. This book warrants 1 star for content/characterization, but a solid 3-4 for research. Therefore, I’m settling on 2.
In essence, this novel is a gigantic “what if”, and that’s fun in a historical fiction work. What if Grand Duchess Tatiana – second daughter of Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra – survived the grisly execution of her entire family, because her true love gallantly rescued her? What if she went on to live decades and decades longer, finding actual happiness after escaping such a tragedy? This is an interesting story line (and a controversial thought, since – until relatively recently – it was considered possible that at least one of the Romanov children might have avoided execution). The author has done some impressive research, by using Tatiana’s real “relationship” with a man named Dmitri, whom she tended as a nurse during WWI, before the height of the Russian Civil War. Using real diary entries written by Tatiana herself, this author created a true, all-consuming romance between the two characters – and this factual element is the best part of the whole book. The fact that Tatiana and Dmitri really DID know each other is fascinating (he even appears on her Wikipedia page).
Cue the fictional element of the story: Dmitri attempts to save Tatiana from the Ipatiev House where her family is held captive by the rebel government. He does heroically plan to save the rest of the family as well, but Tatiana is the priority. Well, she escapes – yet she’s soon separated from Dmitri, and her entire family is executed as a result of Dmitri’s plot. Now he’s apart from Tatiana, AND he’s caused the Imperial Family’s destruction. Yikes.
I won’t give too much away, but let me fast-forward to why and when this book went way downhill. In this novel, Dmitri hardly knows Tatiana. I’m sorry, he DOESN’T. They’ve spoken for like 5 minutes (a slight exaggeration, but not by much). He fell in love with her in about 2.5 seconds, and became weirdly obsessive and borderline creepy in his jealousy over her right from the beginning (not romantic). Now that they’re separated and Dmitri is in the midst of escaping Russia during this horrible political upheaval, he holds onto this obsession and “true love”... even when he meets another woman in Germany and gets her pregnant.
Dmitri: You don’t know if Tatiana is even still alive. You barely know her. Now you have a family and a woman who truly loves you (and only wants you to love her back more than anything in the world), yet you refuse to ever show her any kind of real emotion. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?
Of course, this is a “romance” novel, so we haven’t seen the last of Tatiana and Dmitri. At this point, I feel it’s important to yell at Dmitri that ADULTERY IS NOT ROMANTIC. This dumb man throws every good thing in his life away because he’s held onto this obsessive love that took approximately 2 seconds to develop FORTY YEARS AGO. No wonder he runs into so many problems as the story continues. He deserves them all.
I have no sympathy, and that kills this story for me. While I really did appreciate the amount of research put into this book, and I loved the subject matter of the Romanovs, I just hated where it went. I found myself completely disengaged by the end, and feeling like I really didn’t care what happened to Dmitri.
All in all, while some people might find this to be incredibly romantic, I found him and his outlook on life to be disrespectful, selfish, and obsessively creepy. This book warrants 1 star for content/characterization, but a solid 3-4 for research. Therefore, I’m settling on 2.
April 6, 2024
O carte ce mi-a amintit cumva de Sașenka, o carte pe care am citit-o cu sufletul la gură!
”Să simți că o altă ființă înțelege cu adevărat esența ființei tale și că iubește ceea ce vede, în timp ce și tu simți același lucru pentru ea-aceasta era cea mai grozavă senzație.”
”Comunicarea sinceră era singurul mod de a traversa un impas emoțional. Cugetarea sumbră nu ajută pe nimeni să se vindece, dar vorbitul, da.”
”Să simți că o altă ființă înțelege cu adevărat esența ființei tale și că iubește ceea ce vede, în timp ce și tu simți același lucru pentru ea-aceasta era cea mai grozavă senzație.”
”Comunicarea sinceră era singurul mod de a traversa un impas emoțional. Cugetarea sumbră nu ajută pe nimeni să se vindece, dar vorbitul, da.”
February 25, 2024
جوری که نمیشه این کتاب و زمین گذاشت.
در نگاه اول از اسم داستان فکر میکنید یه رمان خیانت محوره اما اشتباه میکنید چون این کتاب شگفت زدتون میکنه.
خوب.....
حالا قضیه از چه قراره؟؟
این رمان در دو بازه زمانیه: جنگ جهانی اول و زمان حال.
گذشته: تاتیانا فرزند دوم تزار روسیه نیکلاس دوم، عاشق افسر روس در زمان جنگ جهانی اول میشه و این عاشقانه تا پایان کتاب با بسیار فراز و نشیب و ناکامی رو به رو میشه.
زمان حال: زنی به خیانت همسرش پی میبره و برای پیدا کردن آرامش به کلبه ای میره و با داستان گذشته پیوند میخوره.
(این کتاب رو به عاشقان ادبیات روس و خوانشگران رمانهای عاشقانه تراژدی پیشنهاد میکنم)
در نگاه اول از اسم داستان فکر میکنید یه رمان خیانت محوره اما اشتباه میکنید چون این کتاب شگفت زدتون میکنه.
خوب.....
حالا قضیه از چه قراره؟؟
این رمان در دو بازه زمانیه: جنگ جهانی اول و زمان حال.
گذشته: تاتیانا فرزند دوم تزار روسیه نیکلاس دوم، عاشق افسر روس در زمان جنگ جهانی اول میشه و این عاشقانه تا پایان کتاب با بسیار فراز و نشیب و ناکامی رو به رو میشه.
زمان حال: زنی به خیانت همسرش پی میبره و برای پیدا کردن آرامش به کلبه ای میره و با داستان گذشته پیوند میخوره.
(این کتاب رو به عاشقان ادبیات روس و خوانشگران رمانهای عاشقانه تراژدی پیشنهاد میکنم)
February 9, 2022
The Secret Wife is fabulous!
Fast paced, gripping, romantic and perfectly balanced placed into the historic timeframe.
It is well researched and beautifully written. The characters are crafted and relatable.
Great story!
Fast paced, gripping, romantic and perfectly balanced placed into the historic timeframe.
It is well researched and beautifully written. The characters are crafted and relatable.
Great story!
April 3, 2019
So good to read it. It had all the ingredients for an astonishing book: war, love, royalty, friendship, betrayal, betrayal, drama and the list still continues.
The story intersects to different storylines which, at the end, interconnect. It is the wonderful love story, so pure and fort, magical and grateful between Tatiana Romanov, the second daughter of the Tsar, and Dmitri, a soldier who was shot in the first days of the First World War. She, as a sister of charity, took care of him and they discovered that they had the same visions of life, tastes and feelings. They fell in love with each other. Their love is so pure and strong and they have to fight a lot in life, take different ways, live separately, have their own experiences before they have the chance to meet again and to have an idea of "what if". Both with their own regrets, with their own backgrounds and life, will take the chance of knowing each other and to complete a marriage made decades ago.
The second plan of the story is about Kitty, who, deceived by her husband, runs away to the USA, to the chalet that her grate-great-father, the same Dmitri, let her. During the month she discovers step by step the life of her ancestor and, lead by her feelings, she will discover the story of her family. She learns about Dmitri and Tatiana, about her grandmother, and somehow, on this path, she learns about herself and her own marital life. She discovers herself and her lost love for her husband.
I really like happy ends.
I didn't approve Dmitri's double life, but (and there is always a but in life) I can understand his love for those wonderful women (each one in her way). I have a big respect for Rosa - I felt that her love was so complete. To agree to share the man you love, because you understand his life and the entire life situation...
This fictional history mixes real events (as you can read at the end of it) with a good imagined story about "what if...".
I recommend this reading to everybody and I give it 5 stars with all my heart.
The story intersects to different storylines which, at the end, interconnect. It is the wonderful love story, so pure and fort, magical and grateful between Tatiana Romanov, the second daughter of the Tsar, and Dmitri, a soldier who was shot in the first days of the First World War. She, as a sister of charity, took care of him and they discovered that they had the same visions of life, tastes and feelings. They fell in love with each other. Their love is so pure and strong and they have to fight a lot in life, take different ways, live separately, have their own experiences before they have the chance to meet again and to have an idea of "what if". Both with their own regrets, with their own backgrounds and life, will take the chance of knowing each other and to complete a marriage made decades ago.
The second plan of the story is about Kitty, who, deceived by her husband, runs away to the USA, to the chalet that her grate-great-father, the same Dmitri, let her. During the month she discovers step by step the life of her ancestor and, lead by her feelings, she will discover the story of her family. She learns about Dmitri and Tatiana, about her grandmother, and somehow, on this path, she learns about herself and her own marital life. She discovers herself and her lost love for her husband.
I really like happy ends.
I didn't approve Dmitri's double life, but (and there is always a but in life) I can understand his love for those wonderful women (each one in her way). I have a big respect for Rosa - I felt that her love was so complete. To agree to share the man you love, because you understand his life and the entire life situation...
This fictional history mixes real events (as you can read at the end of it) with a good imagined story about "what if...".
I recommend this reading to everybody and I give it 5 stars with all my heart.
November 29, 2023
داستان هایی که توی دل یه واقعه تاریخی روایت میشن خیلی برام لذت بخشن
واقعا کیف کردم از خوندنش
اگه کتابی مشابه خوندین بهم پیشنهاد بدین خوشحال میشم
واقعا کیف کردم از خوندنش
اگه کتابی مشابه خوندین بهم پیشنهاد بدین خوشحال میشم
September 21, 2019
Sotia secreta mi-a placut surprinzator de mult. Am inceput-o fara a avea prea multe pretentii de la ea, doar pentru ca s-a anuntat aparitia celei de-a doua carti a autoarei tradusa in limba romana. O aveam de mult in biblioteca, dar titlul nu prea ma indemna sa o aleg.
Mi-a placut mult cum au alternat planurile, intre prezent, unde o sotie inselata pleaca din UK sa isi revendice mostenirea, si Rusia anilor 1917-1918 si inlaturarea țarului. Misterele care inconjoara disparitia Romanovilor nu vor inceta sa atraga atentia scriitorilor, iar aceasta fictiune istorica mi-a placut. Mi-a placut si nota de final a autoarei, care explica ceea ce este veridic din roman si unde incepe fictiunea.
Autoarea a ales-o pe Tatiana Romanovna sa fie eroina acestei carti si a inzestrat-o cu multe calitati care o fac sa supravietuiasca macelului care a pus capat imperiului.
Mi-a placut mult povestea de dragoste dintre Tatiana si Maluma si mai ales finalul.
Mi-a placut mult cum au alternat planurile, intre prezent, unde o sotie inselata pleaca din UK sa isi revendice mostenirea, si Rusia anilor 1917-1918 si inlaturarea țarului. Misterele care inconjoara disparitia Romanovilor nu vor inceta sa atraga atentia scriitorilor, iar aceasta fictiune istorica mi-a placut. Mi-a placut si nota de final a autoarei, care explica ceea ce este veridic din roman si unde incepe fictiunea.
Autoarea a ales-o pe Tatiana Romanovna sa fie eroina acestei carti si a inzestrat-o cu multe calitati care o fac sa supravietuiasca macelului care a pus capat imperiului.
Mi-a placut mult povestea de dragoste dintre Tatiana si Maluma si mai ales finalul.
July 8, 2017
The Secret Wife is a brilliant historical fiction romance that kept me up and reading way past my bedtime!
It is the fascinating story of what could have happened, had one of the Romanov’s children managed to escape their captors and flee Russia. I love how the author used several real characters and events as the basis for her characters and plot line, then created an alternative reality that seemed truly authentic.
The politics, struggles between social classes and daily life in Russia during the 1900s are also well described and interesting. This novel must have been a joy to research and the author’s diligence to details and astute observations about this turbulent time lends credibility to her story.
There is a mystery in the past and present that needs to be solved. Only in the final chapters are the connections between the two eras and story lines united. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen next, the author proved me wrong.
I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to historical fiction buffs.
It is the fascinating story of what could have happened, had one of the Romanov’s children managed to escape their captors and flee Russia. I love how the author used several real characters and events as the basis for her characters and plot line, then created an alternative reality that seemed truly authentic.
The politics, struggles between social classes and daily life in Russia during the 1900s are also well described and interesting. This novel must have been a joy to research and the author’s diligence to details and astute observations about this turbulent time lends credibility to her story.
There is a mystery in the past and present that needs to be solved. Only in the final chapters are the connections between the two eras and story lines united. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen next, the author proved me wrong.
I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to historical fiction buffs.
June 28, 2017
The Secret Wife by Gill Paul is a romantic historical fiction novel about the Romanov family. This intriguing novel revolves around Tatiana, the second daughter of the Tsar Nicholas and Dimitri Malamn, a cavalry officer. Even though I personally knew little about the Romanov family or Russian history, I found the plot, setting and characters well researched. There have been many speculations as to their fate and this is another. Highly enjoyable and I look forward to reading mire books by this author.
January 6, 2018
Дефинитивно на самиот почеток на 2018, ова е мојот роман на. годината!!! Без пардон...
February 5, 2019
Romanul lui Gill Paul are la bază întrebarea „Ce-ar fi fost dacă?„. Ea și-a închipuit cum a luat naștere povestea de dragoste dintre Tatiana (Romanova) și Dmitri și a dezvoltat-o. I-a împins dincolo de probabilități și le-a oferit o șansă, șansa pe care în realitate nu au avut-o. Acela a fost momentul ��n care autoarea s-a îndepărtat de cursul istoriei tragice și a sădit o sămânță a speranței. Cum ar fi fost dragostea lor? Pe unde i-ar fi purtat pașii și care ar fi fost urmările? Rezultatul a fost unul excepțional. Eu am fost întru totul cucerită de poveste. Când nu am citit m-am gândit într-una la ea și mi-am creat tot felul de scenarii. E ciudat cum mintea umană se agăță de un fir atât de subțire de speranță chiar și atunci când știe că istoria nu poate fi schimbată în niciun fel.
Recenzia integrala: http://momenteinviata.ro/sotia-secret...
Recenzia integrala: http://momenteinviata.ro/sotia-secret...
June 23, 2018
9,5 de 10*
Fiquei totalmente rendida a este livro! Com uma escrita de qualidade e uma narrativa muito bem construída, a imaginação da autora complementou as falhas na História conhecida dos Romanov criando um livro que será, seguramente, um dos melhores deste meu ano literário!
Comentário completo em:
https://abibliotecadajoao.blogspot.co...
Fiquei totalmente rendida a este livro! Com uma escrita de qualidade e uma narrativa muito bem construída, a imaginação da autora complementou as falhas na História conhecida dos Romanov criando um livro que será, seguramente, um dos melhores deste meu ano literário!
Comentário completo em:
https://abibliotecadajoao.blogspot.co...
August 29, 2016
Originally posted on This Chick Reads
* Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Oh god, THIS book! Just so many feels!
The Secret Wife is a book that made me realize two things:
1) I really should read more historical fiction, and
2) I MUST check Gill Paul's previous books as I TOTALLY loved this one!
The Secret Wife is one of these beautifully written, exceptional books you just don't know how to review. I love it so much I fear no matter what I say it won't do the book justice. But I'm willing to try anyway.
The Secret Wife is a wonderful historical novel with plot that spans for a bit over a century. Going back and forth, from 1914 to 2016, and traveling different locations (Russia to America) we follow two stories. The first story is about the famous family of Romanovs, their rise and fall on the night of 16/17 July 1917. Through the love story of Tatiana (the second of the duchesses) and Dmitri Malama (a Russian soldier) we follow the life of the Romanovs in a very turbulent Russia. Tatiana and Dmitri meet after he's been shot and brought to the hospital, where Tatiana and her older sister, Olga are helping out as nurses. From the moment they meet, they feel an instant chemistry between them. Now I have to say that after reading about 20% of the book I immediately had to check (advise google) about how much of the historical facts were interwoven in Gill's story. And you should have seen my surprise when I did find a picture of Tatiana and Malama online (wikipedia) which only made this story even more enjoyable and amazing.
Fast forward 100 years and we meet Kitty who's having a bit of a rough time in her relationship and finds out she's inherited a cabin on the shores of Lake Akanabee. The cabin seems like the perfect place to hide and heal and she's off from London to America on what will surely be a surprising adventure. What is the connection between Kitty and Tatiana or Dmitri? As you continue to read you'll see the link and feel the romance of Tatiana and Dmitri unfolding before your eyes.
There's so many things about this book which make it a must read. The past and present are beautifully blended, as well as fiction with the historical facts. To be honest, I haven't read that many books on one of the most famous Russian families, but this book did feel like a short course on that historical period. Gill's writing is so beautiful I was in awe of her talent and knack for keeping me totally engrossed in the story. As you can see, it's not a short book, on the contrary there's quite a bit of pages, but I swear I've never read a book faster.
In a way, The Secret Wife reminded me of the great Russian Classics, but not because of the topic it exploits. Strong feelings of undying love, that great love that inspires and doesn't leave you to rest, even feelings of melancholy, they're all perfectly blended making this book a true masterpiece.
As I was reading about Dmitri's numerous attempts to free Tatiana and his hope to one day be reunited, I couldn't help but feel goosebumps. I won't lie, there were parts that brought a tear to my eye and got me so emotional I had to put the book down and calm down. Yes, this is one of these books you'd be crazy not to read and it's also one of these books I can't imagine anyone not loving. It's that brilliant! Wonderful, emotional and exceptionally written, The Secret Wife is definitely one of the best books I've ever read and easiest 5* I've ever given.
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