A Soldier of the Great War

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Summary: hypnotic, utterly romantic depiction of love and war
Review: first of all, mark helprin is one our most talented and overlooked writers... ''winter's tale'' should be required reading for any and all who decide to live in new york city, (as should SotGW, but for different reasons)... this book is one of the few i've read where i became depressed half way through, because there was only half of the book left to read... i am a thus far unpublished novelist myself, and consider helprin one of my greatest influences... simply put, ''soldier'' is a great, great novel... it will disappoint only the non-romantic and materialistic reader who accidently strays from the grisham/steele (bestseller) section.

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Summary: This was one of the most moving books I have read.
Review: This is a rare book that one will either love or hate. I read it five years ago while practicing law on Wall Street. I had achieved all that I desired, or so I thought. The experiences described in the book as "Allesandro" recounts his own journey through life, made me reflect upon my choices. Life, of course, is the "Great War" that Helprin describes. I credit this book partly for my decision to abandon my legal practice and pursue a vocation that would allow me to participate more fully in the lives of my family, and particulary my young son. Helprin is a superb writer and can tell a tale and paint images in your mind like no other author that I have encountered.

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Summary: It is the best book I have ever read
Review: Mark Helprin's Soldier of the Great War is one of the most entertaining yet evocative books I have ever read. Helprin's control of language is wonderful and his thoughts on war, love, family and God are quite profound without coming across as pretensious. It is a little slow in the first 80 pages but then picks up after that.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: Absolutely in my top ten list of best books. Difficult to characterize, it is so much more than a war novel. From the lyrical opening chapter (no travel guide places you in Rome half as well) until the ending Helprin has created an incredible universe of war, adventure, and romance. The fundamental theme is a real humanism. Don't miss his occasional pieces in the editorial section of the "Wall Street Journal".

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Summary: A bittersweet tribute to soldiers who don't come home.
Review: Wonderment, joy, deep sorrow, and a renewed appreciation of how bittersweet life really is; this novel about a WWI Italian soldier is quite a tale. This is not a straighforward war story. It is dreamy and improbable at times. Yet Helprin paints word pictures of what total war does to those involved; the inhumanity, the corruption, the mass killing of men and truth. No novel I've read in years has seared so many scenes into my mind: Rome (and much of Europe) just before the war, Alpine battle, the prison Stella Maris, the woman Adrianne. Hemmingway may have done a bit better because he was brief and more realistic. But Helprin is in the same league. Because of its depth and dreaminess, "A Soldier. . ." is not for all. Love it or hate it, lukewarm passions are absent.

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Summary: A book that will stay with me always...
Review: I had this book for a few years and never read it until I discovered this site and decided to give it a go. What a grand treat! I thank all of you that came before and wrote such glowing reviews. To anyone that has never opened this masterpiece and are about to, I envy you. You are in for a story like no other. I found myself re-reading so many passages that it took 6 months to read. I never wanted it to end.

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Summary: Life itself is the "Great War" and each of us a "Soldier"
Review: Helprin's engrosing novel is an elegant dissertation on the meaning of life. This is no a War novel - this is a fairy tale we can all relate to!

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Summary: Historically fascinating, but as a story it was week
Review: The background and historical perspective of WWI Italy was truly fascinating. The absolute waste of human life was mind boggling. But....Helprins character "Allesandro" reminded me more of a comic book super hero. His character became very predictable and I found my toes curled more and more after each and every heroic encounter. I know they say truth is stranger than fiction ,but on this occasion the fiction was very strange.

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Summary: Disjointed and unconvincing
Review: Helprin borrows themes and images from many great books, but the result doesn't add up to a work of art. His rip-off of Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" is doubly offensive in that his crypto-fascist hero ends up going back into the war with a renewed sense of patriotic fervor, which goes against anything I have ever read of the true feelings of the typical WWI soldier by the end of the war. Helprin's use of "magical realism" is stale, and smacks of adolescent wish-fulfillment. One of the few books I have thrown away unfinished.

Rating:
Summary: Soldier a work of art
Review: At first I found this book daunting. When I was done, my entire approach to literature changed. I sometimes read excerpts just to experience Helprin's mastery of detail and imagery. I wanted to be Alessandro and walk the miles he did. Read this book and find beauty in things you never imagined. This work may never left my bed side table.