Winter's Tale

By: Mark Helprin

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 27 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

A #1 New York Times Bestseller: Mark Helprin’s masterpiece transports you to New York of the Belle Epoque, to a city clarified by a siege of unprecedented snows…

A Winter’s Tale is a major motion picture starring Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe, and Jennifer Connelly.

This is a book about the beauty and complexity of the human soul, about God, love, and justice, and yet you can lose yourself in it as if it were a dream. You will be transported to New York of the Belle Epoque, to a city clarified by a siege of unprecedented winters. One night, Peter Lake—orphan, master-mechanic, and master second-story man—attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side. Though he thinks the house is empty, the daughter of the house is home. Thus begins the affair between the middle-aged Irish burglar and Beverly Penn, a young girl who is dying. Because of a love that at first he cannot fully understand, Peter, a simple and uneducated man, will be driven "to stop time and bring back the dead." His great struggle, in a city ever alight with its own energy and beset by winter, is a truly beautiful and extraordinary story.

©1983 Mark Helprin (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"This novel stretches the boundary of contemporary literature...is a gifted writer's love affair with the language." ( Newsday)

Good Story, Terrible Performance

Would you try another book from Mark Helprin and/or Oliver Wyman?

Probably not. Helperin's style is difficult. Wyman is not the person to read him - his cadence is off.

Excellent Book, Mediocre Audiobook

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would suggesting reading the book. The audiobook narration takes away much of the impact and all of the tragedy of the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Winter's Tale?

The cemetery of the honored dead, the Bayonne Marshes, the cloud wall...

What didn’t you like about Oliver Wyman’s performance?

I found his voice narrations too cartoonish and at times silly and the narration too lite and breezy.

It was OK

What did you like best about Winter's Tale? What did you like least?

The first 6-hours of this book was about Thieves and their lives. It was a little long winded for me. I also thought that the 1st romance of the book began in an unreal way. I found my self saying, "aw, come on." This Thief enters the home of a very rich family in NY. He is trying to crack the safe and makes a noise. The only person at home is the 18 year old daughter who is dying. See sees the Thief and holds out her arms to him saying, "OK, if your all there is come on." He is twice her age. They go upstairs where he talks to her for two hours and then they "make love." I thought yea that's going to happen.


More to my unbelief, they fall in love, her family knowing that he is a thief, accepts him with open arms and they all become one happy family until she dies. It takes 6-hours for this couple to meet and at around the 9th hour of the book this romance is over. She is dead. You know how she is going to die but no details of how her death situation took place. Remember, the book is named "Winter's Tale." Her death didn't happen in the winter. It happened in the Spring. Also, remember this is a 27 hour reading of the book so you find your self wondering where the book is going to go from here now that she is dead?


The young woman, the Thief and everyone in the family falls out of the book. Your left wondering about details and the book is now onto introducing new characters to the book. It is winter again but some how you go through the late 1800's to the early 1930's and all of a sudden you are in 1995. I found my self asking did I miss something here?


Also, A part of the book that I found un-tasteful was in part one of the book when the Thieves gave the 12 year old boy a girl to sleep with and he looses his virginity. Then, the same boy at the age of 12 meets a couple of lesbians girls. He doesn't know they are lesbians but finds out one night. He finds out when he enters the sleeping place and the girls were having sex together. They let him in to become "satisfied" also, as the book states. It didn't linger on the subject but I found it extremely un-necessary for the book or for any part of the books success. I didn't sign up to listen to a story about a 12 year old's sex life. This 12 year old boy is the same Thief that grows up to have a romance with the dying girl. The second romance is a little better and I enjoyed it a little more because it had a taste of realism.


The book goes into great details about Characters that will only be in the book once or for very short periods. Waaaaaay to much detail for my liking. I also found my self lost a few times while listening to the story. This could just be me because others gave this book 5-stars. I just couldn't do that.


I bought this book because I like long books. I feel that I get more of my money's worth that way. On this book, I do wish that they ended the book after the 1st romance ended and just started another book. The book didn't flow for me. It jumped around and was not a smooth story to take in.


I want to say a lot of other things here about the book but I am afraid to give the book away and spoil it for those that choose to purchase the book.

Would you be willing to try another book from Mark Helprin? Why or why not?

No I would not read another book from Mark Helprin. I didn't like his writing style or his attention to detail to the point of killing the subject.

Which character – as performed by Oliver Wyman – was your favorite?

I did like the Character of Virginia. I liked her mother also. They seemed more like real people.

Could you see Winter's Tale being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I thought they were making it into a movie. Maybe I would do a lot better with the TV version of the book because they would leave out the over kill of details which this book gave to its readers.

Any additional comments?

The Narration of this book was excellent. I would listen to this Narrator in any book that he narrated.

Brigadooniish

If you could sum up Winter's Tale in three words, what would they be?

complex life journey, twisty, turny

What other book might you compare Winter's Tale to and why?

Brigadoon same type of altered time experiences

Any additional comments?

this is a large book so download the 3 parts separately. if you try to download as one you will experience technical glitchs

The first third is a masterpiece

I had read this book about 10 years ago and have vivid memories of the wintry descriptions, the magical realism, and the characters. This time, I listened to the book and I didn’t get the same feeling for some reason. I didn’t love the characters’ accents, which distracted me from the overall story. Also, after the first third of the book, I found the story itself wandering and jumbled. The ending is pretty satisfying, but I don’t know that I would listen to it again.

Beautifully written, magical tale...

In a mythical New York, Helprin creates characters and otherworldly backdrops that are unforgettable. His prose is gorgeous, his imagery will transport you; however, if you prefer fiction neatly tied up, that adheres to some kind of logic, this isn't for you. This is fantasy, and there are many loose ends at its cryptic conclusion.

Too many words.

What would have made Winter's Tale better?

Less description. The author tried to use every word in the English dictionary five times. I lost the thread of the plot. Since I was listening to the book I thought I could make it through to the end but I couldn't. I tried three times.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Don't know.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

Glad I watched the movie but I'm not sure it followed the book - I just kept tuning it out.

Not my favorite

This story was disjointed and difficult to follow. There were interesting parts but also long sequences that seem to have no purpose.

Very Complex story

The story was intriguing but very complex. Difficult to follow jumping between time and persons

Loved the Movie. Disliked the Book

I loved the movie, so I thought I would listen to the book. Of course, the two are VERY different. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to enjoy here, although the reading performance was well done.