Review: Children of Liberty

Children of Liberty by Paulina Simmons
Series: The Bronze Horseman (Prequel)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 418
Source: TLC Book Tour
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Description:

At the turn of the century and the dawning of the modern world, Gina from Belpasso comes to Boston's Freedom Docks to find a new and better life, and meets Harry Barrington, who is searching for his.  The fates of the Barringtons and Attavianos become entwined, on a collision course between the old and the new, between what is expected and what is desired, what is chosen and what is bestowed, what is given and what is taken away.  As America races headlong into the future, much will be lost and much will be gained for Gina and Harry, whose ill-fated love story will break your heart.

My Rating:

My Review:

Children of Liberty is the Prequel to the Bronze Horseman series.  It focuses on the lives of Gina and Harry and their love story in the midst of a growing America where Henry Ford is building horseless carriages, Americans debate the wisdom of the Panama Canal, and immigrants pursue the American dream.  It is during this time that Gina and Harry slowly find each other despite life's obstacles.

I've heard so much about The Bronze Horseman and I've been meaning to read the book for sometime.  So when the opportunity to read the prequel arose, I jumped hoping it would motivate me to read The Bronze Horseman as well.  I didn't read The Bronze Horseman and Children of Liberty was a disappointment.  The first half of the book describes Gina and her family's arrival to America.  She is young and quickly falls for Harry.  Harry is twenty-three to Gina's fifteen years and knows Gina only as the girl his best friend, Ben, foolishly falls for despite the age difference.  The second half of the book finds Gina much older and Harry near a major life event and Harry is suddenly in love with Gina but there are many obstacles in the way.

The first of the book was quite boring and I didn't like Gina much.  I found her to be manipulative and selfish.  I thought Harry and his friends to be boring.  When the story focused on Gina, it focused on her love for a boy that barely knew she was alive.  When the story focused on Harry, it focused on the politics of the times.  The politics would be more interesting if it was connected to more than conversation and debates between the characters.  The second half of the story focuses on Harry falling completely for Gina.  While this half was much better than the first.  I never could understand the sudden interest in Gina.  I also thought Harry's inability to make decisions and lack of self-awareness to be quite irritating.

Maybe I'd enjoy this story if I read it after completing the series.  So I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say it isn't for me at this point in time.