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tjgreads 's review for:
Winter's Tale
by Mark Helprin
Winter's Tale takes place in a mythical New York City, and although everything I read about beforehand said (rightly) that it is an amazing, magical novel about Peter Lake's quest to stop time, achieve justice, bring back the dead, destiny, fate, etc. to me it is more about the city. About loving and hating a city, and being both excited and disappointed by it all of the time. Winter's Tale captured the push/pull spirit of this city better than any novel I have ever read. I loved that about it, and because of that aspect I will always remember it fondly.
But, the plot is a challenge, and there are many characters introduced that never seem to drive the plot or resolve their own presence in the story. (One example: Hardesty and the salver? Was that such a big deal? Why did we spend so much time with him in his journey across the country? What happened with the evil brother?) Everything in Winter's Tale jumps around a lot, and keeping up certainly exercises the reader's brain.
This book is difficult to describe. I read it in two parts, separated by a few months. It is complex and fantastic, and I needed a little break after Part II when Peter Lake and Athansor the white horse rose up into the sky after fighting the Short Tails on the bridge.
See how crazy I just sounded there? That is what this book is like. Wild things happen, and the story is exhilarating and frustrating. Some questions are never answered. But, as insane as it is, I recommend it for any reader who loves and hates New York, and would be fascinated by someone else's dream-like version of it. That part is truly wonderful.
Also, I recommend Googling the New York Times Book Review from 1983, which says things like, "Winter's Tale" is a great gift at an hour of great need."
But, the plot is a challenge, and there are many characters introduced that never seem to drive the plot or resolve their own presence in the story. (One example: Hardesty and the salver? Was that such a big deal? Why did we spend so much time with him in his journey across the country? What happened with the evil brother?) Everything in Winter's Tale jumps around a lot, and keeping up certainly exercises the reader's brain.
This book is difficult to describe. I read it in two parts, separated by a few months. It is complex and fantastic, and I needed a little break after Part II when Peter Lake and Athansor the white horse rose up into the sky after fighting the Short Tails on the bridge.
See how crazy I just sounded there? That is what this book is like. Wild things happen, and the story is exhilarating and frustrating. Some questions are never answered. But, as insane as it is, I recommend it for any reader who loves and hates New York, and would be fascinated by someone else's dream-like version of it. That part is truly wonderful.
Also, I recommend Googling the New York Times Book Review from 1983, which says things like, "Winter's Tale" is a great gift at an hour of great need."