Starbody

i just finished reading A Winter’s Tale but Mark Helprin. this book was an exception for me as i read to my committed 200 pages and then trudged on. often i feel compelled to read an entire book, as if i owe it to myself (since i bought it) and for the writer (who clearly cared enough to take the time to write it) even though i don’t necessarily like it. so at about page 210 i began to be slightly intrigued by the turn the story had taken. this was enough for me to stick to it through the very end. and now i have mixed feelings about both the plot as well as the writing style. clearly there are Ayn Rand themes running throughout … the search for justice and truth, idealistic rewards to those who maintain it and interesting names (Hardestu Marratta). the writing style was definitely lyrical and almost fairy tale at times casting the city of New York as a sparkling, shimmering wonderland in the midst of the harshest winters possible. and yet the story was fragmented and Helprin seemed to sacrifice guiding the reader for swimming in prose.

i look forward to hearing opinions from anyone else who has read the book. if you have, please feel free to leave some thoughts to ponder.