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)

Not my cup of tea

While beautifully written, I just could not care about the characters or the story. It was choppy and disjointed. I'm not really sure what genre this was supposed to be, but I kept hoping to figure it out. It just took WAY too long to set up a terrible ending. I will admit the author has a way with words, but in this book, he just doesn't tell a good story or create characters you can relate to. I just came away not knowing what I had just read, and that is not how I like leaving a story.

Waste of 24 hours

One of the most tedious, flowery, dense, excessive, and pretentious reads I've ever listen to. Not worth the time or money.

Just ok

I thought this story was a little hard to follow. It was ok but it never really drew me in like other books I have listened to from audible. Its wasn't horrible by any means, just not my favorite. The narrations was good.

What the heck!

I was so lost in this story, lost in a bad way, that I had a very hard time following the storyline. What in the world is really going on I have no idea still don't to this day. The movie is not at all like the book. Even after watching the movie I still don't get the book. My suggestion, save your money on this one.

I tried so hard to like this book

I love long audio books, but I had to let this one go. I listened for 18 hours. Once I added another 4 or so hours of rewinding to figure out what the heck was going on, I realized I couldn't continue for another 9+. My mind wandered constantly, I kept losing track of the story, and I became very bored with the ten thousand adjectives used to describe a single scene. Uncle.

Too confusing.

What would have made Winter's Tale better?

This book was just too confusing; poor flow.

What about Oliver Wyman’s performance did you like?

Good performance, good voices for characters

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

confusion

Any additional comments?

There were several point of view characters in different time periods. I couldn't tell who was in which time because it (the characters) jumped around so much. I kept thinking it would all come together in the end, but it reallydidn't. No wonder the movie version flopped. There is no way you could make this into a film that made sense.

Most disappointing narrator in audible library

Would you listen to Winter's Tale again? Why?

This was my second reading, and I will probably not venture a third. The first reading was from the printed page several years ago and I enjoyed the stretch of the imagination. But the lackluster, stilted quality of the audible reading tainted the journey this second go-around.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The story itself is lovely, perhaps just a little longer than the average reader can endure, but lovely.

Would you be willing to try another one of Oliver Wyman’s performances?

No.

Any additional comments?

A Soldier of the Great War remains my favorite Mark Helperin novel.

27 Hours of My Life Wasted!!

What would have made Winter's Tale better?

The book went into deep details about characters that had no relevance to the story. Many of the characters could have been left out. The description of the book is very misleading. I thought the book was finally coming together when Peter met Beverly, which was a few chapters into the book. Then she died after one chapter and doesn't return.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Nothing by Mark Helprin!

Would you be willing to try another one of Oliver Wyman’s performances?

Yes. The narrator did a good job.

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

I am very disappointed that I wasted almost 28 hours listening to this book. I kept listening hoping that everything would come together in the end, but it didn't.

Any additional comments?

I can't believe a movie was made out of this!

Just Awful

If the child pornography wasn't bad enough (And I'm not talking about teenagers - I mean children), once I got to the part about the torture and mutilation of animals for sport - I was done.
I got this book because I liked the movie. So, I thought I would check out the book. I had no idea what I was in for.
I knew there would be a big difference between a 2 hour movie and a 27 hour book! But I never expected such disturbing themes.
I barley made it a quarter of the way through the book before I deleted it.

Magical Realism at it's best.

What did you love best about Winter's Tale?

We once all believed in fairy tales...while listening to A WINTER'S TALE, I found myself feeling the same familiar dreamlike feeling I had as a child, listening to "once upon a time" tales.
This is a purely magical blend of harsh reality and beautiful, breathtaking magic. It grabs you and holds you and you don't want it to ever end. This is what "magical realism" is all about.

Which scene was your favorite?

Mark Helprin is obviously in love with New York City and yet he shows both sides of it, the dark and dismal side of poverty and gang warfare and the ethereal side of cathedrals and people with hearts and dreams as big as the massive city they inhabit.
He also takes you miles away, through storms and blizzards to a magical place called Lake of the Coheeries, where many important scenes take place.

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

Not even possible...it's about 39 hours long!

Any additional comments?

As long as this book was, I hated to come to the ending and wish I had the time to go back and listen to it again from the beginning. And I must give credit to the stalwart gentleman who narrated this tome. Oliver Wyman, whom I had never listened to before, did a magnificent job of bringing out the charm of each character. His voice modulation, his accents and dramatic touches only enhanced what is a pure masterpiece of fiction