It has been a long time since I posted a book review, but recently I finished reading a book that I think would appeal to people who enjoy historical fiction. The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne. The 469 page book published by Other Press is narrated by the main character, Georgy Daniilovich Jachmenev, and opens with him reminiscing from his home in London in 1981 near the end of his life.
Born in rural Russia, the son of a peasant farmer, Georgy’s life takes a dramatic turn after a bizarre incident that brings him to St. Petersburg to serve as a friend and bodyguard to the Tsar’s only son, Tsarevich Alexei. The narration vacillates between life in Russia and his emigration to London via Paris after escaping his home country with his wife, Zoya.
Beautifully written, I found it difficult to put the book down. Although the twist that Boyne slowly gives away is easy to figure out, it doesn’t diminish the tale. I found myself totally absorbed by his descriptions of what it was like growing up in Tsarist Russia and during the Bolshevik Revolution. Additionally, his description of what it was like living in London during World War II was hard to stop reading and kept me up very late reading for more than one night.
If you are looking for a book to read and this appeals to you, go to your local bookstore or you may purchase it here on Amazon.
Earlier this week I was pleasantly surprised when Blake Little’s book, Manifest, arrived at my house. The coffee table book has 100+ pages of men from coast to coast photographed by Blake Little. As Nick Offerman says in the foreward “These people look like men, like real men.” Clearly my weekly Furry Friday posts have found new found inspiration in Blake’s collection.
BosGuy 