A Soldier of the Great War

By: Mark Helprin

Narrated by: David Colacci

Length: 31 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

On his last long walk, septuagenarian war hero, deserter, and professor Alessandro Giuliani shares his past with an illiterate young factory worker, spinning a remarkable tale of heart-stopping escapes, of loves unrequited and won, of madmen, dwarfs, and mafiosi. But overshadowing all is his most miraculous and terrible adventure, the Great War: a surreal parade of horrors that devastated and defined Alessandro, yet enabled him to experience fully the magic and beauty of the absurd human comedy called life.

©1991 Mark Helprin (P)2007 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"Extraordinary....a vast, ambitious, spiritually lusty, all-guzzling, all-encompassing novel." ( The New York Times Book Review)
"A rousing tale....riotous energy and sustained brilliance....Helprin lights his own way, in his ownsingular direction." ( Time)
"A gripping, poignant and universally relevant moral fable." ( Publishers Weekly)

3 thumbs up!

Beautifully written.
Sensitively and Authentically read.
This is a story that one wishes not to end.

Priceless—my fav

2nd time through this gripping story—1st time listening. Enjoyed every moment like a glass of wine—Wonderful narration

Mark Helprin's Best

I first read this book in college years ago. I was very glad to see that it had made it to an audio version and quickly picked it up. First let me speak about the story itself. The development of the main character of this story is so complex, rich, and complete that I beleive a hundred years from now this book will be regarded as one of the great books of our time. The old man is so likable and written so well that you actually begin to believe that this is a true story. His story is compelling, funny, and poignant. He is the kind of man that most men aspire to become.
The writing of the story is what one expects from someone who wrote something called A Winter's Tale. The prose is magnificent. I will admit that I found my BA in English usefull with this book, Mr. Helprin shares my love of the english language and displays his vocabulary in his writing. Keeping a dictionary handy may not be a bad idea for some. Personally I like the unusual words.
Finally the narration. The narrator does not really evoke any thoughts in me, I hardly noticed him...which is quite possibly the greatest compliment I can give a narrator. We but audio books becaseu we want to enjoy the book. The experience is about the book only. We should not be talking about the narratory when we critique a novel....thus the best compliment we can give is to say we did not notice the narrator.

Good listen

We enjoyed this book! It is a bit long and wordy but the story and characters are well written and the narrator keeps you interested.

Made my top 10 list of favorite books of all time

This is a beautifully written love story full of adventure and suspense. Helprin’s lyrical prose transports you to Italy. Davis Colacci is a talented and articulate narrator. Having finished the book, I feel a void in my life.

Wonderful Philosophy

I love the way Helprin wove a deep story relating to war but chock full of philosophical gems that make me think about life and what is truly important...love and appreciation of the world around me.

INSITE INTO HOW ITALIANS FIGHT A WAR

This is a rambling story about an Italian man, from being a boy of privilege to loss of all and his military experience.

An epic story of war and salvation.

It took me awhile to finish this book as the tragedy of Italy in the first World War portrayed in this book was not always easy to listen to. The adventures of the protagonist, his near executions and the depiction of the thousands upon thousands of lives lost in a senseless war were gut-wrenching. However this is a fascinating look at WW I from the Italian side as they fought against the Germans, Austrians and Hungarians. This is a book to be savored again.

A great yarn superbly performed

An intelligently written fictional account of one soldier of WW1 "the Great War" At times his exploits and narrow escapes make the book stagger dangerously near the sharp edge between fiction and fantasy writing. However the author is to be forgiven his desire to bring into focus the full range of war's folly and tragic consequences. Had the book's central character not been inclined to consider all the great and insoluble existential conundrums it would have failed to grip me through 28 long hours of listening. (Coincidentally I heard a live performance of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony, #2, which amplified the novel's concluding lines. Transcendent!). Still it falls a hair short of being one of the worlds great works.

WOW, best read/listen in a long time!

What did you love best about A Soldier of the Great War?

The writing was exceptional and wise. I love a work that stretches my edges, challenges my unperceived biases, and instructs in a manner that demands I reach my own conclusions rather than its rigid pedagogy. All that bound in two beautifully interwoven personal stories. The aged, remarkably tested, and wise imparts his mentoring on the young, inexperienced, and uneducated, with the real pressure of realization of accelerating mortality. Listen, read, remember, and absorb. You will exit a better creation!