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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
This is a dense, but beautifully written book. By this, I mean that the breadth of language used alone is stunning. A Newsday review was right to describe "A Winter's Tale" as, "A gifted writer's love affair with the language." That being said, I wanted to become more invested in the story than I did, but I struggled to connect and I think part of the reason why that is, is because the book is so dense. The book is packed with descriptions, but I came away feeling that this was too much of a good thing. Much of the descriptive language, while I appreciated it for what it was, did not always act to advance the story. Again, while I enjoyed the descriptive nature of the book for the most part, I personally believe that many parts could been shortened, as they not only failed to help develop the story, but seemed to just drag it out. In my opinion, the plot development is lacking; I believe that the author was striving for something that he did not achieve, and what exactly that was, I couldn't really guess.
I listened to the first 8 discs, but this was not my kind of book. I'm not a huge fantasy fan. I know that a lot of people really liked it though.
This was a book club book that everyone in my book club hated, except for me. Helprin's writing is definitely unique--I don't know if it would be called magical realism (because I don't really know what that term means), but it takes a little bit getting used to. This story starts with a love story between a burglar and a debutante dying of consumption, interwoven with a magical horse and a town only certain people can find. It's a love story to New York City, a love story to winter, and (I think) a beautifully written story. Good to read on a cold cold Chicago night.
I saw the movie on a long-haul flight from Shanghai to London, and thought - I should remember this, read the actual book. I finally got around to buying it for the Kindle (a good idea considering the length), and reading on another trip to China. And, let me say this - there is basically nothing in common between the book and the movie, except for the setting and a couple of the character names.
Like others, I did find the story to drag at times, but my curiosity got the better of me, and I continued - especially when I realized that I wasn't reading 'the movie' version. Thee was so much here that reflected my view of NYC, as well as the magical aspects of life. Too many examples to quote in an online review, but this is just one small of example of parts of the book I highlighted:
"No one ever said that you would live to see the repercussions of everything you do, or that you have guarantees, or that you are not obliged to wander in the dark, or that everything will be proved to you and neatly verified like something in science. Nothing is: at least nothing that is worthwhile. I didn't bring you up only to move across ground. I didn't teach you to think that everything must be within our control or understanding. Did I? For, if I did, I was wrong. If you won't take a chance, then the powers you refuse because you cannot explain them, will, as they say, make a monkey out of you."
I do recommend this book (though it isn't my 'one and only favorite,' but warn that you need to commit to it since it is long, but the rewards are great.
Like others, I did find the story to drag at times, but my curiosity got the better of me, and I continued - especially when I realized that I wasn't reading 'the movie' version. Thee was so much here that reflected my view of NYC, as well as the magical aspects of life. Too many examples to quote in an online review, but this is just one small of example of parts of the book I highlighted:
"No one ever said that you would live to see the repercussions of everything you do, or that you have guarantees, or that you are not obliged to wander in the dark, or that everything will be proved to you and neatly verified like something in science. Nothing is: at least nothing that is worthwhile. I didn't bring you up only to move across ground. I didn't teach you to think that everything must be within our control or understanding. Did I? For, if I did, I was wrong. If you won't take a chance, then the powers you refuse because you cannot explain them, will, as they say, make a monkey out of you."
I do recommend this book (though it isn't my 'one and only favorite,' but warn that you need to commit to it since it is long, but the rewards are great.
This book was fascinating, though I found it very difficult to follow. It has some truly beautiful prose and some very funny and moving moments. It’s standard writing advice in fantastic fiction that you’re only “allowed” one unusual element, and this one has time travel, flying horses, 1980s millennial apocalypse/rapture angst, and a magical hidden village; and possibly all takes place in a parallel universe, though this might not have been intended, since it was written in the 80s and set (partially) in 1999. I admire Helprin's bucking of standard literary tradition, but it As I was reading, many of my friends told me they love this book, but though I mainly enjoyed it, I found it too existentially frustrating to recommend.
Books like this becoming classics is why I have trust issues. I got to the point where Peter meets Beverly for the first time. She is 18 and dying but oh so beautiful and eccentric and magical and perfect. She wakes up in the middle of the night and takes a shower, wraps herself in only a towel. She is flush from either her fever returning or the heat of the bath, but she goes and plays the piano with utmost passion. The 30-something man who just broke into her house falls madly in love. He makes himself known, she has no problems with this apparently. She lets him carry her to the bedroom. Opens her towel. He is shocked, she’s too sick! She is adamant, because she’ll die without knowing the touch of a man, and that cannot be. At this point, I gave up and returned the book to the library. In looking up other’s reviews it sounds like this plot line wraps up quickly and much more happens, but I will never know.
A long, slow read. The characters were painstakingly described but towards the end there were more than a couple that I was getting confused. I enjoyed the characters themselves, but the book took a very long time to get going, and then each section of the book reset, and you had to learn a new set of characters or get reacquainted with the old characters in a new setting. Great ideas, but I feel that it was slow and by the end (which was not very satisfying) I was just glad to be done.
OMG. So bored. So bored that I took a three month break, tried to come back and read some of this and just couldn't muster any sort of energy to care about a single character. Its just not for me. I feel no connection to it. I may try this again next year, but I sort of doubt that I will get to it now. Bleh.
I loved this when I read it years ago - it was in my memory a lovely romance in turn of the century Manhattan. I just started to reread it and was dismayed by the racism, sexism, and blasé description of pedophilia. I wasn’t even 100 pages in, had to DNF.
I just couldn't get invested in the story even though it was beautifully written. 😪