A Soldier of the Great War

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Summary: Most beautiful literary accomplishment of all time.
Review: While most authors interest us with their compelling story lines flooded with desperate moments and outrageous triumphs or tradjeties, Mark Helprin paints the realness of his emotionally honest story into the roots of our minds, and allows our hearts sensuous moments alone, just often enough to invite fulfilling tears, and whistfull breaths. "Soldier of the Great War" embraces our darkest, most hidden delights and calls on them majestically so that they might dance in the horror of human pain, or the shine of life's enchantments

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Summary: The greatest book I have ever read
Review: Mark Helprin is with out a doubt the leading author of ourtime. I was deepley touched by his descriptions of the destruction andfutility of war. His deep love and passions moved me to the very depths of my soul. His humor,incite , and profound descriptions stirred my every emotion. I soared with heavenly birds and crashed to earth with weighty reality.Fourty five years of reading did not prepare me for the rush of emotions that surged through my being as I closed the last page with my eyes spilling over with the tears of all humanity.Thank you Mark for enriching my life.

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Summary: A kaleidoscope of sublime beauty
Review: Wow. Easily the most touching book I've ever read. The experience of reading this was a gentle reminder of the transcendental power of love. Completely visual; the total light spectrum is demonstrated through this heart-wrenching and heart-expanding tale. But what's it ABOUT, you say? It is about love and the human experience of love. Wow.

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Summary: The work of an immortal talent
Review: Read this book slowly enough to hear each turn of phrase in your head and you will hear constant, haunting, breathtaking music. And if you have not already come to know it through your own experience, this book will teach you that love is the only true alchemy the world knows. In contemplation of everything from its theme to the details of its prose, I can only shake my head in soft wonder at the transcendent beauty of this book. This is simply the finest book I have ever read, and it is my fond hope that someday my children will have the good fortune to have it substituted for one of the more ponderous tomes more traditionally taught as great literature. Thank you, Mr. Helprin - A Soldier of the Great War was truly a religious experience

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Summary: A book of breathtaking beauty by a man who was born to write
Review: Newcomers to Mark Helprin should not be daunted by the length of this book, which is a paean to the resilience of the human spirit, and to the power of love. Helprin's brilliance defies description. Once, when I was teaching language arts in a middle school, I was moved (by this book) to write him asking what advice he would offer to young writers. I have never forgotten what he said: "Throw the ending of your story like a rock into the water--and swim out to it." The swim out to the rock in this book will take you places you never dreamed you'd go so effortlessly and movingly you'll be devastated when you must at last close the final cover. It is the work of a genius

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Summary: Made A Grown Man Weep
Review: I've never cried so hard in my life. One of the most beautiful, adventurous, romantic, glorious stories that I've ever read. I wish I could erase it from my memory so I could read it anew. I envy those who have yet to experience the pager turning brilliance of this masterpiece. (I'm not being sarcastic, by the way.

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Summary: An epic must-read for anyone afflicted with a beating heart.
Review: Mark Helprin masterfully chronicles the life of an old man, and in so doing reminds us that even the most outwardly unremarkable souls among us have a trully remarkable story to tell. The story is set in Italy, as Allesandro, in his mid seventies, relates his life story to a young man while on a long journey. The defining moments in Allesandro's life center around the horror of WWI, but out of that carnage, his spirit repeatedly soars. Though nearly everthing dear to him is taken, he never loses his ability to love. This book should be read by everyone because it illustrates the tenacity of the human spirit in deplorable conditions, and gives us the perspective to deal with everyday life's comparatively minor inconveniences. It has prompted me to look at others in a different way, and to wonder at the rich life stories hidden away in each of those anonymous passers-by

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Summary: Lyrically funny
Review: Mark Helprin is the most lyrical writer you will ever read. Reading him is like reading a prose version of a great epic poem such as the Odyssey. Writing pyrotechnics by itself does not necessarily lead to a great, or even a good novel. Luckily, Helprin backs up his style with substance--a wildly imaginative, funny, and also deeply moving story. A Soldier of the Great War is his best work, where he strikes a perfect balance between the serious and the comic, between fantastical events and grinding reality. The book takes the form of an old man (the eponymous Soldier of the title) recounting his life. Within this timeworn frame, Helprin packs in comic flights of fantasy, dream-like interludes of surpassing beauty, and of course WW I, which adds the necessary weight of sorrow. If you have been following recent politics, an additional note is that Helprin wrote Bob Dole's farewell to the Senate speech. However, Helprin's writing is not impaired despite his apparently deeply conservative views; that is, he doesn't use his novels as a podium upon which to declaim his political ideology.

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Summary: Wonderful character
Review: I found the characters realistic and the story compelling

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Summary: A Soldier of the Great War
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. There are parts that have the feel of Helprin's other books--more of the "fantastic". There were about 100 pages in the book that were unnecessary. HOWEVER, this book was extremely engrossing and the language was penetrating and beautiful. It speaks of everything human and touches upon the complexities of emotion and of relationships with self and with others. I wish Helprin would write other books like this one. I will say that this book is difficult to recommend to others because I have found that most people do not want to read such a long book with such descriptive passages. I did not feel that way about the book. I could not put it down. I found it to be a profound and unforgettable story. I wish I had not already read it. It is a true treasure of a book and, if you are an avid reader, you should absolutely place it high on your list of books to read. I am always surprised that more people do not read it. I read it almost 10 years ago and it still ranks at the top of my list of books to recommend. It most certainly makes all of Oprah's book choices seem shallow. It is a very thought-provoking novel.