The House of Special Purpose: A Novel by the Author of The Heart's Invisible Furies Paperback – April 2, 2013

Until 2017, I'd never heard of John Boyne and certainly had never read any of his books. Then I heard about "The Heart's Invisible Furies". I thought it was wonderful -- sweet and tender and sad. On the strength of that book, I read this year's Boyne, "A Ladder to the Sky". It was wonderful, but totally different -- a devilishly amusing book about a completely amoral character. On the strength of THAT book, I went back to look at Boyne's earlier book, and being in the mood (which I always am) for historical fiction, I read "The House of Special Purpose". It's probably not the type of book that appeals to the literati, but it's a fascinating tale of a Russian peasant who finds himself thrust into the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg just as the Russian Revolution is about to destroy that world. Boyne's books are so incredibly, engagingly readable. His characters are so real and never behave, well, out of character. His dialogue is perfect, and his stories are fascinating. So while this book may not be "dazzling", it's great, solid reading. I have the feeling that I'm going to go on a binge of reading his books. I don't recall ever having done that, but it's the least I can do!

After having read several of Mr. Boyne's novels, I thought I would tackle this one believing that I would get more insight into the history of the Romanovs and the Russian Revolution. What I did get was a poignant and enduring love story set amidst the sweeping events leading to the overthrow of the monarchy. The author did manage to keep my interest throughout with Georgy and Zoya's exceptional relationship in spite of just a few highlights of that tumultuous period.It has usually been through perceptive dialogues that this author has let us sense the inner feelings and motivations of his characters. He is singularly adept at this. It was especially evident in his unforgettable, "The Absolutist," where a survivor of the French trenches in the Great War meets with the sister of a particular friend of his who did not survive. In the equally unforgettable, "The Heart's Invisible Furies," the sharp verbal exchanges between Cyril and Alice, the wife he abandoned on their wedding day, are bristling with sarcasm, but also with an undercurrent of love and understanding. In "The House of Special Purpose," we do have some revealing moments with Georgy and Zoya, although much of their dialogue is restrained by the overwhelming awareness of the tragedy they have witnessed and how they try to cope with their memories.There are glimpses of the Romanovs' struggles to come to grips with the upheaval in their world, but it is scant with the exception of Nicholas who confides his innermost thoughts to Georgy, his bodyguard. Rasputin aka Father Gregory is attention-grabbing due to the emphasis on his influence with Alexandra and his degenerate behavior. Ultimately, one must come to terms with what happened in Yekaterinburg at that house of special purpose. One of the puzzling facts surrounding the massacre of the Romanovs and their children is that both Nicholas and Alexandra had relatives in most of the royal houses in Europe. Nicholas II, cousin of King George V and Alexandra, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, had asked for refuge, but it was not offered in England or anywhere else for that matter.

This is another one of his best books ever. I wish this is how the mystery of Anastasia actually ended. Thank you for the great book!

I didn’t want this story to end. A great fictionalized account of what it must have been like in the final days of the last Tsar of Russia, his family, and forbidden love. John Boyne’s prose is masterful.

This book opens in 1981 when protagonist Georgy Jachmenev is meditating on his lifetime of nearly eighty-two years. His wife, Zoya, is lying in bed beside him. Georgy works in a London library and both are emigrants from Russia after previously spending several years in Paris before coming to England. The singular event of Georgy’s life occurs when he is a young man and takes a bullet intended for Tsar Nicholas II. Georgy is merely a peasant but is rewarded with a nice palace job being a bodyguard for the Tsar’s hemophiliac son. Once he is a member of the inner circle, Georgy meets the Tsar’s other children, four young women, the youngest of whom is the Grand Duchess Anastasia. Georgy and Anastasia fall in love, of course, and their affair becomes the central element of the book’s plot with all the other elements of world turmoil such as WWI and the Russian revolution providing a colorful backdrop. Some fascinating characters appear such as Father Gregory, spiritual advisor to the Tsar’s family who is also known historically as the evil monk Rasputin. The book starts out slowly as author John Boyne sets the various scenes. The pace picks up nicely, however, following Georgy’s meeting with the Tsar. But the story is not told in linear fashion and the chapters have us bouncing around to different years such as 1953, 1919, 1942, 1934, etc. This non-linear type of story telling seems to be a trend in fiction these days. Authors such as Boyne can pull it off successfully but others seem to get tangled up in their timelines.

The book is in excellent condition and the shipping was very fast!

The book was fine as an historical novel, although lacking the wealth of detail that most of those kinds of writings usually contain. However, for such an celebrated writer, this book has very little actual writing. The prose is humdrum, unremarkable and it got tedious given how long the book is. There are certain scenes, such as the first time you meets the evil Rasputin, that are an invitation to a great writers poetic skills. But the author uses rather straightforward language—the reason you know Rasputin is scary is basically because the protagonist says that he was scared of him. It just didn’t rise to the occasion. It’s like that through the book, very little writing, an adequate amount of history, and a long book

Enjoying this novel just as all I have read of this author so far!

What a great novel.

One of Boyn’s best I think. The micro history of the Romanov’s is very cleverly explained. It is centred by a wonderful and moving love story. The journey from Russia to France to England is fascinating and so interesting. Boyne, as usual, tugs at your heart strings. One of those books that you wish would never end.

Emphatisch. Klar. Deutlich. Geschichtsfest. Liebevoll. Tragisch. Euphorisch. Glücklich.Dazu diese spezielle Erzählform in zwei gegenläufigen Erzählsträngen: von der relativen Gegenwart 1981 zurück in die Vergangenheit bis 1918 und von der Vergangenheit 1915 bis in die relative Gegenwart 1981.Absolut lesenswert.Es macht dazu Sinn, nebenbei das dazugehörige Geschichtswissen zum Erzählzeitraum etwas aufzufrischen.An ganz wenig Stellen wird der Autor beim Erzählen etwas zu pathetisch, weil das aber höchstens zwei- oder dreimal vorkommt, gibt es mit Dankbarkeit für diese Geschichte jedenfalls von mir alle fünf Sterne.

De los mejores libros que he leido en toda mi vida. Tiene amor, historia, guerra, y demás. Es un libro que todos deberían de leer.