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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
if you like descriptions of snow this is the book for youuuu
Very long and rambling book with a few moments of utter brilliance. Not sure if it was worth the effort though. I'm sure people could go on and on about the allegorical references to the yadda yadda yadda but who cares. A book sure be either enlightening or entertaining but this book lacked enough of both to make it a chore to read.
If you like this book I would suggest reading Titus Groan/Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake. The writing style and long meandering plot are very similar.
In summary I guess you could say this book was to dang wordy.
If you like this book I would suggest reading Titus Groan/Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake. The writing style and long meandering plot are very similar.
In summary I guess you could say this book was to dang wordy.
God, I loved this book. It just pierced my soul or something. I thought Mark Helprin might be my true love, and then found Freddy & Fredericka unreadable. One of the best bookcovers in history.
read about 75 pages, moving too slowly but was interesting, try again
I can only say that I had to speed up my reading of this book in order to really enjoy it. He is verbose but the writing is very lyrical... Once I spent less time trying to figure out what everything meant I could instead "feel" it in the rhythm of the writing.
It was good but way too long and, honestly, by the time I was done I just wanted it to be over.
I struggled between 2 and 3 stars for this book... while I think the bones of the story had potential for a sweepingly beautiful epic, it never really came together.
Usually I'm a real sucker for evocative language and flowery prose. But the poetic flowing language that I, at first, found beautiful and entrancing became wearisome the further I trudged along. Rather than setting the scene and making you feel inside the place, the piles of words began to get in the way of the story itself. About half way through, I found myself thinking, "Get to the point! How many white banks of snow, twinkling stars, icy lakes, or glowing sunrises/sets will you needlessly and repetitively describe?" So, so many metaphors.
I was also very frustrated by the numerous loose ends at the story's conclusion. It was obvious that Helprin was leaving us breadcrumbs throughout the text, and time, that were slowly woven back together in the last third. But as the clues came together, they lead to complete dead ends. Events that had been eluded to and built up for hundreds of pages were terribly anti-climactic.
For example, the mysterious Peter Lake is discovered to be a crucial player in future events... but to what end? It is alluded that he may unknowingly hold the key to the salvation of the city. But when he finally achieves his preordained task, it doesn't seem to matter as much as the author had lead us to believe. His supposedly important role seemed somewhat inconsequential compared to the large scope of the story.
Another example is the ethereal Beverly Penn, who leaves strange instructions for her brother Harry to carry out in the future that involve a huge amount of destruction, but the reason given makes absolutely no sense. There is a great amount of discussion involving the fluidity of time, yet her request is in direct contradiction to these ideas. Since she is portrayed as someone who possess a deeper understanding of time, life and the nature of the cosmos (due to her illness), there is no basis for her actions.
Also, I really freaking cannot stand books that don't have REAL endings. Real life has enough messiness that I enjoy my books to come full circle; no loose ends. I'm not saying it has to be a happy ending, just a proper wrapping up. And I did not just wade through 748 pages of strung-together, adjective-riddled nonsense for Helprin to stop writing without a functional conclusion. All the pretty, pretty words that babbled up out of the fountain in his brain... and he has left me alone and confused, waiting next to the elusive "cloud wall" for a proper resolution.
Never again, Mr. Helprin. I can safely remove your other books from my to-read list and not worry what I might be missing.
Usually I'm a real sucker for evocative language and flowery prose. But the poetic flowing language that I, at first, found beautiful and entrancing became wearisome the further I trudged along. Rather than setting the scene and making you feel inside the place, the piles of words began to get in the way of the story itself. About half way through, I found myself thinking, "Get to the point! How many white banks of snow, twinkling stars, icy lakes, or glowing sunrises/sets will you needlessly and repetitively describe?" So, so many metaphors.
I was also very frustrated by the numerous loose ends at the story's conclusion. It was obvious that Helprin was leaving us breadcrumbs throughout the text, and time, that were slowly woven back together in the last third. But as the clues came together, they lead to complete dead ends. Events that had been eluded to and built up for hundreds of pages were terribly anti-climactic.
For example, the mysterious Peter Lake is discovered to be a crucial player in future events... but to what end? It is alluded that he may unknowingly hold the key to the salvation of the city. But when he finally achieves his preordained task, it doesn't seem to matter as much as the author had lead us to believe. His supposedly important role seemed somewhat inconsequential compared to the large scope of the story.
Another example is the ethereal Beverly Penn, who leaves strange instructions for her brother Harry to carry out in the future that involve a huge amount of destruction, but the reason given makes absolutely no sense. There is a great amount of discussion involving the fluidity of time, yet her request is in direct contradiction to these ideas. Since she is portrayed as someone who possess a deeper understanding of time, life and the nature of the cosmos (due to her illness), there is no basis for her actions.
Also, I really freaking cannot stand books that don't have REAL endings. Real life has enough messiness that I enjoy my books to come full circle; no loose ends. I'm not saying it has to be a happy ending, just a proper wrapping up. And I did not just wade through 748 pages of strung-together, adjective-riddled nonsense for Helprin to stop writing without a functional conclusion. All the pretty, pretty words that babbled up out of the fountain in his brain... and he has left me alone and confused, waiting next to the elusive "cloud wall" for a proper resolution.
Never again, Mr. Helprin. I can safely remove your other books from my to-read list and not worry what I might be missing.
It's difficult to explain the story here, because I'm still a little confused about it. It takes place over the course of the last century leading into the turn of the millennium, with some of the characters having not aged over the course of the century (though why those particular characters are chosen in that way is not exactly clear). There is lionizing of machinery and aspects of humanity that reminded me quite a bit of Ayn Rand, but with a hefty dose of mysticism mixed in. The sections that take place in 1999/2000 didn't seem terribly realistic; that is, the difference between that New York and the city of a century earlier didn't seem as striking as they truly are. I wasn't sure if that was all part of the magical realism of the story or a function of the book having been published in the early 1980s when the extent of the coming technological changes was unknown. That all gave the story a bit of steampunk vibe in an interesting way. There are sections and bits of writing that are quite lovely, but this book is very long and I suspect some more disciplined editing would have made a better end product. Despite that, if you're willing to suspend your disbelief and take the meandering ride, enjoy the atmosphere, and read a long love letter to New York and winter, it's an intriguing book.
A rare occasion where I wish I didn't finish the book. Where do I start?
1. This book could have been infinitely better had it been half the length. I skimmed a large portion of the ~750 pages because there were just needless pages of unnecessary flowery writing and excessive scene-setting.
2. It's yet another book that's a love letter to NYC. Which is fine, but trite. The magical elements didn't make a whole lot of sense.
3. The plot was questionable at best. The characters were introduced so haphazardly that it was tough to WANT to get to know them. But the character subplots are the only reason this review isn't 1-star: I enjoyed reading their stories once introduced.
This took me months to read and it was not worth all the time/energy I spent struggling through it.
1. This book could have been infinitely better had it been half the length. I skimmed a large portion of the ~750 pages because there were just needless pages of unnecessary flowery writing and excessive scene-setting.
2. It's yet another book that's a love letter to NYC. Which is fine, but trite. The magical elements didn't make a whole lot of sense.
3. The plot was questionable at best. The characters were introduced so haphazardly that it was tough to WANT to get to know them. But the character subplots are the only reason this review isn't 1-star: I enjoyed reading their stories once introduced.
This took me months to read and it was not worth all the time/energy I spent struggling through it.