4.0
The House of Special Purpose
ByPublisher Description
From the author of The Heart’s Invisible Furies and The Absolutist, a propulsive novel of the Russian Revolution and the fate of the Romanov family.
Part love story, part historical epic, part tragedy, The House of Special Purpose illuminates an empire at the end of its reign. Eighty-year-old Georgy Jachmenev is haunted by his past—a past of death, suffering, and scandal that will stay with him until the end of his days.
Living in England with his beloved wife, Zoya, Georgy prepares to make one final journey back to the Russia he once knew and loved, the Russia that both destroyed and defined him.
As Georgy remembers days gone by, we are transported to St. Petersburg, to the Winter Palace of the czar, in the early twentieth century—a time of change, threat, and bloody revolution. As Georgy overturns the most painful stone of all, we uncover the story of the house of special purpose.
Part love story, part historical epic, part tragedy, The House of Special Purpose illuminates an empire at the end of its reign. Eighty-year-old Georgy Jachmenev is haunted by his past—a past of death, suffering, and scandal that will stay with him until the end of his days.
Living in England with his beloved wife, Zoya, Georgy prepares to make one final journey back to the Russia he once knew and loved, the Russia that both destroyed and defined him.
As Georgy remembers days gone by, we are transported to St. Petersburg, to the Winter Palace of the czar, in the early twentieth century—a time of change, threat, and bloody revolution. As Georgy overturns the most painful stone of all, we uncover the story of the house of special purpose.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe House of Special Purpose Reviews
4.0
“First, John Boyne can write a grocery list and I’m gonna give it 5⭐️. “Bread, milk, eggs” = 5⭐️
But OMG 😱 OMG 😱 OMG 😳!! If you have ANY interest in the Russian Revolution, you MUST read this book! The audio is AMAZING!! Seriously! I absolutely loved this beautiful story! I will be revisiting many, many times! ❤️💔❤️💔”“Predictable and a bit long towards the end but still good nonetheless. I’m always a sucker for a John Boyne book tho”
“3.5 🌟
A book that is a bit out of my comfort zone but was recommended by a friend so I really wanted to give it a go. Very happy to say, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it!
I really liked the authors way of telling the story, the time jumps scrambled me at first but then I felt they helped contribute to the storyline well.
Loved Georgy, such an interesting character. No big plot twists that I didn’t expect but overall a fun yet emotional read.”
“peaceful in the knowledge that a long and happy relationship negates the need for constant chatter. Zoya and I had long perfected the art of sitting silently in each other’s company for hours on end, while never running out of things to say.”
Recalling his life, as his wife Zoya is dying, Georgy takes us from a drab, grey, bleaky village somewhere deep in Russia to the glittering halls of the winter palace and the court of the Russian tsar.
'The House of Special Purpose' is a beautiful, sweeping epic tale where we get historical facts and a thrilling story interwoven in each other.
This is John Boyne at his best, his writing style is enthralling. The story gripped me and never let me go. I was actually quite sad to let the winter palace go and return to the real world.
<i><b> “It's enough to make me laugh. I close the door behind me and sit down again, considering this, and truly, I find it so funny that I laugh until I cry.
And when the tears come I think aah...
So this is what it means to be alone.””
About John Boyne
John Boyne was born in Ireland in 1971 and is the author of twelve novels for adults, most recently the New York Times bestseller The Heart’s Invisible Furies, A Ladder to the Sky, and A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom as well as six novels for teens and young adults including the #1 New York Times bestselling The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
Other books by John Boyne
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