Freddy and Fredericka

By: Mark Helprin

Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie

Length: 25 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Best-selling, critically acclaimed author Mark Helprin's work has drawn favorable comparisons to an elite group of literary legends, including James Joyce, Franz Kafka, Edgar Allan Poe, and Thomas Mann. Helprin's sheer comic brilliance shines in this ingenious farce.

Freddy is the bright but aloof Prince of Wales. Fredericka is his blonde, beautiful, and beloved wife. When they stumble into a public relations nightmare with no easy solution, they must make amends by serving an unusual penance. Literally dropped from a plane into a mysterious place called Hoboken, New Jersey, Freddy and Fredericka are given one task. They must reconquer America!

A thinly veiled satire of what might have happened if Princess Diana had survived, Freddy and Fredericka is an imaginative gem full of clever wordplay and wicked political jabs.

©2005 Mark Helprin (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Helprin's entertaining new novel [is] a rollicking picaresque saga that reads as though Evelyn Waugh had put the movies Roman Holiday and Duck Soup into a blender along with some old copies of People magazine and a couple of Mark Twain's travelogues, and seasoned the resulting confection with generous helpings of his own black comedy....Mr. Helprin has constructed a perfect showcase for his heretofore underused gift of humor, and in doing so he has produced a delightful romp of a book." (The New York Times)
"Irresistibly mischievous." (Booklist)
"Wildly imaginative, adventure-filled, clever." (Publishers Weekly)
"[Mark Helprin] frequently astounds with the freshness of voice and the oddly soaring majesty of this...comic call for greatness in a mediocre era." (Kirkus Reviews)

Excellent Farce with Heart

Freddy and Fredericka came recommended to me by a friend. He recommended that I actually read the words on the page, but I knew that it would take me months to complete that way and I'm already reading several books on the page currently. So I went with the audiobook, narrated by Robert Ian Mackenzie. Mackenzie is a good narrator, but my main issue is that his American accent stinks. It stinks because it's non-existent. He didn't even bother. At first this was off-putting and disappointing. But I got used to the British sounding Americans. And it was still disappointing.

However, this small disappointment did not cause me to not enjoy the book overall. It's laugh out loud funny in many places. The story is absolutely ridiculous and farcical. At about the halfway point the farce was wearing thin for me, but I stuck with it and realized there was a point to it all. For at about the 2/3 point the heart started to emerge in the telling of this quest. There was still the ridiculous, the farce, the unbelievable, but it all meant something. And this is when I fell in love with this book.

**slightly spoilery bits coming**

There's a point close to the end where I was near tears, for the love expressed is something that all Americans should hear and have rekindled.

**/spoilery bits**

I do recommend F&F, but I would rate it PG-13. There is some adult content and innuendo, but I did not find any of it to be gratuitous. Mild profanity at times, too.

SIX (On a scale of 1-5)!

I've read other Halprin books, and he's always shown a lot of potential, and some terrific writing in places. But in this book he really put it all together: wit, satire, tenderness. My wife and I loved it. Be patient: he takes his time, but it's worth the wait. Listen to the UNabridged. Despite its length, Helprin isn't trying to get you there quickly. Rather, he's letting you savor the details of each event, so you have to be patient. But if you are, you'll be amply rewarded.

Random

This book was silly, random and clever.

very entertaining

I did not expect much from this book, but was willing to give it a chance. I was pleasantly suprised. It was charming and very funny. I would certainly recomend it for anyone looking for an amusing change of pace.

I LOVED this book!

I have been listening to Audible books for three years now, and this is definitely in my top three! The narrator brings so much to this book that I would highly recommend listening to this version rather than reading the book yourself. It is a very silly book. Perhaps one of the silliest books I've ever read. But it is a very well written silly book with a great heart. Helprin's Freddy and Fredericka reminds me of the Thorne Smith books I loved in my college days. Listening to this book was a terrific, highly entertaining endeavor.

What a Romp

What made the experience of listening to Freddy and Fredericka the most enjoyable?

The reader did a fabulous job with the different characters and made the story come alive.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Freddy and Fredericka?

How could you just not laugh about a prince and princess getting dropped off in New Jersey in loin clothes only?

What does Robert Ian Mackenzie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great voices, phrasing.

Who was the most memorable character of Freddy and Fredericka and why?

How can I pick just one? Both Freddy and Fredericka became very dear to me by the end of the book. I really had trouble leaving them.

Any additional comments?

Beyond a doubt, this was the best audible book that I have ever listened to. Since I mostly listen in the car, I found myself keeping the car running when I got where I was going, just to be able to continue to listen. I found myself just laughing out loud at Freddy and Fredericka's antics. When I first started the book, I thought that the whole idea was childish and stupid but by the end....I was in love!! I would give this book 10 stars if I could!!

So funny! I laughed like a crazy person!

Where does Freddy and Fredericka rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would say it's in the top 10.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would have liked to, but it is so well written that I could listen to it in bits and pieces and not feel like I was robbed of any of the experience.

Freddy and Fredericka

This is a wonderful story. It is funny and at times unbelievable. We looked forward to long trips in the car to listen to this book. It is also a love story, a story about America, and a story about growing up. Listen to this book, you will not be sorry!

Great Farce

This is a wonderful book and I could not stop laughing out loud as I listened (which is a first for me). While the narrator's inability to even try an American accent is jarring, you can get used to it eventually and he does do an excellent job with the English characters. His high class "twit" (think Monty Python- the Graham Chapman and John Cleese characters) voice for the absurdist "Who's on first?" colloquys between the title characters are right on point. In fact I'm not sure they would be so humorous if I read them as opposed to listening to this narrator.
The overall themes of the novel are somewhat forgettable (hard work and bravery are the spice of life....) but cannot overshadow the essential humor. Prepare to be entertained not edified.

Wonderful and poignant

Mark Helprin throws words around with an acrobat's ease, and gets away with it. The language and the unlikely situations support each other. And the reading is supurb.
The story, with its resonances of Philip and Diana, is poignant, but I was absorbed none-the-less, in the story for its own sake.