Rating: 
Summary: Overlong, overrated
Review: This should have been a book half the length, telling the story of an Italian soldier caught in the horror of WWI. But the author wraps around this tale the story of an old man taking his last long walk, lots of overblown descriptions of scenery, and way too much dime store psychology. Also, if you're looking for a realistic plot, this book is not for you. Read it on the airplane.
Rating: 
Summary: Helprin-san wa kashkoi desu
Review: Mark Helprin became one of my favorite authors simply because of this novel. Life, hope, love, fear, wonder (the greatest of these is love) - he takes on the great things of life and rides them passionately. I don't agree with everything in the book...but I admire his great ability and envy his lexicon. Sola Gratia.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking!
Review: Imagine, if you will, a book nearly 800 pages long that holds you spellbound from the first pagethrough the last. Impossible. And "A Soldier of the Great War" is such a book. The story is simple. An old man tells the story of his life to a much younger man as they walk the road from Rome to Monte Prato. But what an amazing life. The old man, Alexander Giuliani, has been a horseman, a scholar, a soldier, a prisoner, a gardner, and much more. And what amazingly vivid prose. The book explodes with descriptions like Giuliani's description of Rome to a young Nicolo, as they gaze upon it from the hills outside the city: "Rome still looks like catacombs of fire, and will remain this shattered and amber color throughout the night, although as morning comes the whiter lights will leave the field more and more to the strings of amber streetlights. But the moon, as it moves, has already run through a number of scenes. First is was a farmer's fire, almost dead in the night, ruby red. Then it ripened through a thousand shades of orange, amber and yellow. As it gets lighter it sheds its mass, until somewhere between cream and pearl, halfway to its apogee, it will seem like a burst of wmoke that wants to run away on the wind." And that's just taken from a page I opened at random. This is such rich text, so overpowering, that I could only read it in short sections. Yet I was continually comnpelled to pick it up againa and again. To use a word that is far too often applied to lesser works, this is a masterpiece, and will long survive as one of the great books of the twentieth century
Rating:
Summary: A must read for everyone!
Review: Once I got through the first couple of chapters, I became entranced with the book! Helprin paints a picture like no one else can. I could see and feel and hear what Alessandro was feeling, and I lived his life along side of him. It was difficult for me to put the book down. And I was actually disappointed to have the book end. I wanted to go on and on . . .
Rating:
Summary: An Impressive Effort
Review: A SOLDIER OF THE GREAT WAR is the work of a great storyteller. What an imagination author Helprin has been blessed with possessing! The research that had to have gone into describing World War I from the point of view of an Italian soldier is staggering. The language is lovely. Still, I thought that the story was too long in some places. As a result, the novel lost some of its momentum, leading to the subsequent loss of the fascination that the author already had created successfully. This book is worthwhile reading, well worth the time, but the undertaking calls for a serious commitment on the part of the reader.
Rating:
Summary: a classic bildungsroman and a fantastic read
Review: This is a classic bildungsroman - that's a German term for a novel which portrays the development of an individual character, as he or she seeks to discover meaning in life or a place in life, often in the face of an inflexible social system.But this dry description does no justice whatsoever to this amazing novel of love, war and dwarves who hate typewriters. In recounting the life story of Alessandro Giuliani through the tragedy of the First World War and beyond, Mark Helprin has created a masterpiece of literature, unique, immensely rich and utterly unputdownable. As Alessandro journeys through the war, from Rome, to Sicily, to the Alps and deep into the Austrian Empire, he gradually discovers three things: first, it's impossible to tell what the purpose of war is. Second, Alessandro himself is not going to die, which makes the loss of those he loves even harder to bear. Third, hope is not the opposite of despair, rather it's what we make of despair in order to live our lives. This is a cross between Catch-22, Captian Corelli's Mandolin and Baron Von Munchausen, and in many respects is better than them all. Alessandro finds himself in so many amazing (and often unbelievable) brushes with death that this reader lost count and simply marvelled that each episode surpasses its predecessor. Yes, like any great work the book has its flaws. I think it would have benefitted from a sterner editor as it is probably a hundred pages too long. The difficulty of course would be in deciding which hundred pages to cut. Having said that, I gave a copy to my father, who is a stern critic of war novels. He was utterly gripped. It is long, though. Don't expect to be able to put it down, either. This is a book you have to make space in your life for. But you won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: A bit over the top at times, but an excellent read
Review: There were several times while reading this book that I rolled my eyes a bit, thinking the author had gone a bit over the top with his tales of the main character's swashbuckling adventures. But on the other hand, this is a delightfully long and incredibly well-written book and the occasional sense of exaggeration didn't bother me one bit in the long run. This is a great psychological novel, something that a bit more of an upbeat 20th Century Dostoyevsky might even have written. And it's a damn good story. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of artwork
Review: This is no easy read. Worse, "Soldier" is not my favorite Helprin novel. That would be "Winter's Tale", which I think suffers from a far greater abstract imagination. Also, I think most people would prefer the clownishness of "Memoirs of an Antproof Case". However, to start a running metaphor, "Soldier" is the greater sweeping canvas. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by the shear number of folks who wanted to include a review here. Yet, I have recommended this book to relatives and friends who are visiting Italy, Venice in particular and it hasn't been all that well received. I tell them to start either adventure with Giorgione's painting in the Academia. Supposedly, it is a long standing mystery as to the meaning of this painting. Who knows what Giorgione was thinking? "Soldier" may be proof that Helprin shares with us the exact answer. My own romantic delusion finds Helprin traveling Europe after receiving his big check from an additional printing of "Winter's Tale". He must have spent most of his time in Italy, where he found Venice a grand competitor to his fabled New York City. 'If you can make it in Venice, you can make it anywhere, especially NYC.' Standing before the soldier and the maiden he composes his own masterpiece, and no less a vision at that. If you can get that far, many passages of 'Soldier' will be all but poetic in nature. I have a friend who claims one passage is the greatest piece of literature she has ever read. Then she went and bought a Wyland sketch. With such a view of Helprin, I would think one would be satisfied with nothing less than Monet. Reading this book should be a deeply moving and satisfying experience. Often I think most folks find it tedious at best. Choose it wisely.
Rating:
Summary: No Author Writing in English is More Brilliant
Review: It seems that so many novels these days sacrifice writing for story; the two are part of a whole. To ignore one for the other leads to trite or throw-away fiction, of which there is far too much. Mark Helprin clearly knows this. His chracters almost breathe, and his writing is magically lyrical in a way that recalls Gabrial Garcia Marquez. Far from being cut and dry, A Soldier of the Great War is as Byzantine as a Pagannini concerto.
Rating: 
Summary: Talented author gets a little carried away at times
Review: After reading the first chapter of this book, I was completely captivated. I was sure that I had found one of those rare books that I could add to my list of "best I've ever read". Parts of this book; however, dissapointed me deeply. There are one two many narrow escapes for this hero that leave you rolling your eyes. This cheapens what is otherwise a lovely idea by a very talented author. He also tends to get very carried away with his philosophy which takes the hero from loveable to madly irritating. Still, I loved the book and would highly recommend it. It is a book that I am very glad I read.
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