There are a few contrivances in this book (Alexander's ability to quit the front when necessary for the plot, the ease with which Tatiana acquires English skills, how certain characters get private hospital rooms at the height of wartime) but this is such an emotionally engaging read I more than forgave these issues. 
 This is at times a grueling emotional experience. Tatiana and Alexander's star crossed love affair plays out against the backdrop of the brutal siege of Leningrad. The horror and degradation Tatiana and her family endure as they battle poverty, starvation, illness, and constant German bombardment is chillingly and movingly rendered. Watching how the adversity of war frays familial bonds is almost as tragic as the barbaric privation the characters endure. Simons creates an intense sensory experience that is hard to turn away from. 
 Now this is a romance story. It won't work for you if you don't buy the connection between Tatiana and Alexander. Thankfully I did. Their relationship is plausible and engaging. Despite all the melodrama I found myself really rooting for this couple. Their relationship is hardly perfect: in addition to the external obstacles thwarting Tatiana and Alexander's coupling (Alexander's initial courtship of Tatiana's sister Dasha, the scheming of Alexander's duplicitous "friend" Dimitri, the war itself) both characters have some understandable emotional baggage from all they have endured. Tatiana is self effacing to the point of masochism, Alexander is needy and domineering. Both of them have communication issues, exacerbated by the war and their lack of private time together. 
 I never stopped wanting these characters to get their happy ending though. Their flaws and problems are well grounded and explained by their circumstances, and the corny swoony parts of the romance feel earned. Their relationship felt real and complex the mixture of love, lust, affection and dysfunction was compelling. I think because the book is long (my kindle had it as 894 pages) and thus allows for lots of time for character development/interaction. The narrative is definitely kind of shaggy but I would consider that a benefit not a debit.