elo1881 's review for:

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

4.0

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5 stars for the first 1/2 to 2/3. to be fair, by the time i got to that point, it was no longer winter… i went from enjoying this so much to dragging myself through to the end in audio format. it’s hard to say if that was more about the book or about trying to read it when it was >90 degrees outside. but also, it’s just too long; the end was ugh and it should get 1 star off anyway for killing off beautiful maidens and having male characters who live forever-ish + a romanticization of poverty (and crime, but the rags to riches is the most galling even if yes yes it’s fantasy. early on i was reading and thinking *i bet the author is Republican*) This is a great book to start on the first cold day of winter or the beginning of a thanksgiving holiday.. or NYE? just plan backward so you can finish before February ends. not a beach read.