Review Detail
Young Adult Fiction
309
To Russia, With Love--Maybe
Overall rating
3.0
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
What I Liked:
The cover for THE BOY ON THE BRIDGE as well as the time period covered is what captured my initial interest. I was in grade school in the eighties and can remember the tension between U.S. and the U.S.S.R. quite well.
I thought the storyline was interesting, American girl goes to Russia, is rescued by a cute guy and despite their two countries being staunch enemies and the language barrier, they fall in love and make plans to live happily-ever-after! *cue the drama* I did enjoy how the author made a point of showing when the characters were speaking Russian and the difficulties everyone had with the translations, some of which were pretty funny. Alexi was the most interesting character and I wanted to believe that he truly was in love with Laura but what unfolds kept me guessing until the last page.
While reading this book, I found myself thinking of my husband's cousin who married her own cute guy from Russia. (They met while on tour with a performing arts group. She sings, he dances.) They too have had to find a way to overcome the language barrier and I'm sure it wasn't easy at first for her parents and siblings when they decided to move to Russia to raise their little family. But they love each other and they find a way to make it work.
What Left Me Wanting More:
I had a really hard time connecting with these characters, and truth be told, Laura annoyed me. I also wanted an epilogue of some kind, not necessarily a happily-ever-after, but closure. This would have been a defining moment in Laura's life and I wanted to know how it affected her in the long term.
Final Verdict:
Not exactly what I was expecting, but still a decent story.
The cover for THE BOY ON THE BRIDGE as well as the time period covered is what captured my initial interest. I was in grade school in the eighties and can remember the tension between U.S. and the U.S.S.R. quite well.
I thought the storyline was interesting, American girl goes to Russia, is rescued by a cute guy and despite their two countries being staunch enemies and the language barrier, they fall in love and make plans to live happily-ever-after! *cue the drama* I did enjoy how the author made a point of showing when the characters were speaking Russian and the difficulties everyone had with the translations, some of which were pretty funny. Alexi was the most interesting character and I wanted to believe that he truly was in love with Laura but what unfolds kept me guessing until the last page.
While reading this book, I found myself thinking of my husband's cousin who married her own cute guy from Russia. (They met while on tour with a performing arts group. She sings, he dances.) They too have had to find a way to overcome the language barrier and I'm sure it wasn't easy at first for her parents and siblings when they decided to move to Russia to raise their little family. But they love each other and they find a way to make it work.
What Left Me Wanting More:
I had a really hard time connecting with these characters, and truth be told, Laura annoyed me. I also wanted an epilogue of some kind, not necessarily a happily-ever-after, but closure. This would have been a defining moment in Laura's life and I wanted to know how it affected her in the long term.
Final Verdict:
Not exactly what I was expecting, but still a decent story.
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