Rating: 
Summary: One of the best novels of this century
Review: I've never been moved to write a review for a novel however, this is one of those books that moved me beyond words. I am a big fan of Mark Helprin and this book confirmed my feeling that he is one of the most underrated novelists around today. The book tackles many themes and covers a man's journey, growth and transformation as he lives through the horrors of war, loses most of those he loves and never forgets what for him is the true meaning of life. This book broke my heart when it ended.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as fantastic (for me) as everyone says
Review: I checked this book out after reading (and loving) Corelli's Mandolin. Several reviews compared the two books favorably. In my opinion though, the Helprin book is not nearly as captivating. In fact, I find the main character somewhat tiresome, the writing a bit hackneyed and in general, I'm just not terribly engaged by it. I find that in many places the prose drags a good deal. I don't find the premise of the book convincing (a tale told while on a 2 day non-stop hike) or even particularly believable. Too bad -- I was hoping to really like it.
Rating:
Summary: Recommended for serious readers
Review: What's left to say after the 77 previous reviews? Let it suffice to say that this book has the potential to move a reader in a way that few others can. I've read dozens of books on warfare and bought this to try to get the common-man's view of war. This novel accomplishes that, but it adds more. If you let it, it can open your eyes to the beauty of the world. It did mine.
Rating:
Summary: Classic prose from a classic author
Review: What can I add to the reviews already entered here? Not much. This is a glorious book. After thrilling to Mark Helprin's "Winter's Tale," I found myself once again, in "A Soldier of the Great War," seduced by his ability with words. While the plot and thrust of the story both are riveting, it is, for me, Helprin's prose which enthralls. His descriptions of fanciful characters, situations and thoughts never cease to reach my innermost senses. I am, with him, transported off on Giuliani's flights to the stars. Just as in "Winter's Tale," Mr. Helprin has created a world of beauty, fascination, transparency and power far and above the abilities of any other living author.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST
Review: One of my top 5 with only Don Quixote, The Brothers Karamazov, and The Wheel of Time series being as good. I have only read a handful of books twice - this one I read twice in the same year. I recommend this novel to everyone. I don't think anyone (who likes literature) could read this novel and not be moved, not put it on the top of their list, and not give it 5 stars. If there is only one book you read, make sure it is this one.
Rating:
Summary: haunting
Review: i first read this book as a teenager and in the years it has been since i read it, it has never left me. i have recommended it to many people, who have been intimidated by its size. don't be. you won't forget its lessons. this is one of the most important books of our time. it is also timeless. one of the most outstanding things about the protagonist is that he is able to transform devastating experiences into memories and lessons that make him appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of his human experience. his compassion grows. while on the outside this book is an action story, on the inside it is a philosophical masterpiece about an ex-soldier's spiritual journey. the book filled me with love and wonder. read it and be forever impacted.
Rating:
Summary: read this book
Review: Mark Helprin has a way of wrapping you in his prose. When reading this beautiful book I would briefly have that fleeting feeling that only a great book can give you. It is the feeling of floating on the words, dead to the world, dead even to your own limbs. That feeling of being removed from where you sit, or stand, and suddenly standing agape in the middle of a WWI Italian foxhole, or, more stunningly, somewhere in the Alps, climbing breathless peaks that have never been climbed before. A Soldier of the Great War is the kind of book that will pull you in so completely that you hope to never finish it. This book will become your friend. The two Helprin books I've read have both featured enigmatic, nearly messianic leading men. Alessandro, the title character, is simultaneously brilliant, philosophic, violent, indolent, and hopelessly romantic. His story is unbearably sad at times, but also equal parts hilarious and touching. I can give you no higher recommendation. This book is absolutely wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: Are you the type of reader that wants to know what the book is about and why the reviewer thinks it's so great and what the author's style is like before you will consider reading it? If so, I don't blame you. Check out some of the other reviews for Soldier of the Great War. Are you willing to just go out and buy a book because someone you never met and whose opinion you have no reason to trust tells you that this is one of the most beautifully written, most engrossing, most memorable books you will ever read? That, after you read this book, you will go around pressing it into people's hands like an Ancient Mariner, saying "Read this! Just read it!" Well, are you? Then read it. Just read it.
Rating:
Summary: An awe-inspiring literary achievement
Review: Following in the great literary tradition of journey tales (The Odyssey, The Divine Comey, Pilgrim's Progress, 100 Years of Solitude), Helprin writes another masterpiece (almost as good as A Winter's Tale) of modern fiction. The story is so real and the characters so 3 dimensional that your feet will hurt as you relive not just the physical journey, but the emotional journey through war torn Europe through the mind of the protagonist. A work of art brilliantly written and conceived.
Rating:
Summary: A Farewell to Arms for the 90's
Review: Helprin is a first-rate author, as has been attested to many times. This is his masterwork, in my opinion. Though not without its flaws, the book is a real testament to the craft of writing. I was awed by the amount of research Helprin must have done before writing this book. He obviously spent a great deal of time in Italy and his descriptions of Rome and of the Italian countryside are particularly vivid. The love-story is never sapid or oversentimentalized. But it is wrenching. My only quibble is that Allesandro might be just a bit too perfect. If he bumbled occasionally or expressed something other than supreme self confidence on all occasions, he would have been a bit more believable. I guess I enjoyed him more as an old man (at least he's somewhat more vulnerable then). This book really has a bit of everything: suspense, intrigue, romance, war, bravery, loss, nostalgia, you-name-it. Because of the setting and the era depicted, some readers may be reminded of Hemingway's WWI novel. I believe Helprin surpasses Hemingway in terms of descriptive brilliance and in bringing the era to life. I also think he succeeds in a greater measure in making his readers care about his characters. I'd give this book ten stars if I could. An absolutely superb story told by a brilliant storyteller.
|
