The House of Special Purpose

by John Boyne

First published 2009

Russia, 1915. Sixteen-year-old Georgy Jachmenev steps in front of an assassin's bullet meant for a member of the Russian Imperial Family, instantly becoming a hero. Rewarded with the position of bodyguard to Alexei Romanov, the Tsar's only son, Georgy's simple life as a peasant farmer is forever changed. Years later, as Georgy visits his dying wife Zoya in a London hospital, memories of their shared life of tragedy, exile, and the secrets of the Romanovs flood his mind. Part love story, part historical epic, Georgy's journey spans revolutionary Russia, post-WWI Paris, and wartime London, as he struggles to reconcile his past and present.

Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, historical-drama

Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate

Tropes: family-saga, fish-out-of-water, historical-fiction

Setting: Russia, England, London

Period: 1801-1917, Nicholas II, 1894-1917

496 pages · Paperback · Black Swan

More by John Boyne

• Stay Where You Are And Then Leave
• who is a next of kin
• The Dare
• Congress of Rough Riders
• A Ladder to the Sky
• The Boy at the Top of the Mountain
• The Heart's Invisible Furies
• Noah Barleywater Runs Away

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