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Julie's Reviews > Winter's Tale
Winter's Tale
by
by
Julie's review
bookshelves: imagined-worlds, treasured-read-child, best-of-2014, read-2014
Jul 01, 2008
bookshelves: imagined-worlds, treasured-read-child, best-of-2014, read-2014
One of my all-time favorite songs is "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel. From the warm A and E chords and heartbeat drum of the opening motif to the soaring bridge and the bass that feels as if it's part of your bloodstream, it's a song I want to crawl inside. It fills me with sense of wonder and joy and an aching~ longing~hunger~sadness~bliss that we don't have a word for in English, but they do in Portuguese: saudade; and in Welsh hiraeth. I want to write an entire book about this emotion.
But I'm thirty years too late. Mark Helprin beat me to it in 1983. He published Winter's Tale. It is 750 pages of saudade and hiraeth.
If you want to know what it feel like to soar on the crest of a sentence that tumbles into the wave of a paragraph, then builds into the tsunami of a story, read Winter's Tale. If you want a linear plot handed to you on a shiny, clean platter, with a folded linen napkin so you can dab away any splatters, this isn't the read for you.
I read this book thirty years ago as a high school freshman. The story didn't stay with me, but Helprin's images and language did. I've carried his wordsmith magic in me for decades, afraid that perhaps I remembered it to be greater than it was, that my awe was that of an impressionable, lonely kid.
I needn't have worried. Mark Helprin, your book still makes my heart go Boom Boom Boom
But I'm thirty years too late. Mark Helprin beat me to it in 1983. He published Winter's Tale. It is 750 pages of saudade and hiraeth.
If you want to know what it feel like to soar on the crest of a sentence that tumbles into the wave of a paragraph, then builds into the tsunami of a story, read Winter's Tale. If you want a linear plot handed to you on a shiny, clean platter, with a folded linen napkin so you can dab away any splatters, this isn't the read for you.
I read this book thirty years ago as a high school freshman. The story didn't stay with me, but Helprin's images and language did. I've carried his wordsmith magic in me for decades, afraid that perhaps I remembered it to be greater than it was, that my awe was that of an impressionable, lonely kid.
I needn't have worried. Mark Helprin, your book still makes my heart go Boom Boom Boom
Climbing up on Solsbury Hill
I could see the city light
Wind was blowing, time stood still
Eagle flew out of the night
He was something to observe
Came in close, I heard a voice
Standing, stretching every nerve
I had to listen had no choice
I did not believe the information
I just had to trust imagination
My heart going boom, boom, boom
Son, he said, grab your things I've come to take you home
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Reading Progress
July 1, 2008
– Shelved
July 1, 2008
– Shelved as:
imagined-worlds
July 1, 2008
– Shelved as:
treasured-read-child
February 12, 2014
–
Started Reading
February 19, 2014
–
52.99%
"...Peter Lake returns... This book is more extraordinary than my 14-year old self recalls. How could I have read this at 14? I was so much smarter then."
page
407
February 20, 2014
– Shelved as:
read-2014
February 20, 2014
– Shelved as:
best-of-2014
February 20, 2014
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-10 of 10 (10 new)
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30 years? no, it was just published in 1983.Oh.
Rebecca wrote: "30 years? no, it was just published in 1983.Oh."
:) One of my brothers was a sophomore in college in '83 and his girlfriend gave him a copy for Christmas. I remember thinking how cool it was that there was snow on the ground when I started reading, so it must have been exactly thirty years ago-January/February of '84.
Julie, some lovely metaphors here - what it feel like to soar on the crest of a sentence that tumbles into the wave of a paragraph, then builds into the tsunami of a story Very nice! And that is a great song you reference, one of my favs too. Rebecca - 30 years? no, it was just published in 1983 I do this ALL the time. (“Wait, that was just a few years ago. Oh. Wait, that can’t be right.” *gets out calculator*)
☯Bettie☯ wrote: "SUPERB! and your boom boom boom echoes mine. And yes, the film, fingers crossed."Oh, thank you for that link. A version I hadn't seen.
Movie is getting panned, except for Colin Farrell and Jessica Findlay Brown. Sounds like Akiva Goldsmith really botched the script :( But I'll go. Two hours with Colin Farrell is two hours with Colin Farrell. I'd watch him iron socks.
Suzanne wrote: "Julie, some lovely metaphors here - what it feel like to soar on the crest of a sentence that tumbles into the wave of a paragraph, then builds into the tsunami of a story Very nice! And that i..."Thank you sweet friend. And yes. The years are passing at a frightening rate.
Great review! I’ve added it to my to-read list.
Mickey wrote: "Great review! I’ve added it to my to-read list." Sweet! Thanks, Mickey!
I just finished this and it was brilliant. Deliberately took two months to savor it. Boom Boom Boom, indeed!
THIRTY YEARS AGO? Jaysus, I'm getting old...