A Soldier of the Great War

By: Mark Helprin

Narrated by: David Colacci

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)

Great

Great Book. I was not sure when it began but I hated when it ended. Good historical viewpoint also.

well worth the time to listen!

The beginning may seem a trifle slow-- stick with it. The hero, Alexander Guiliani, is one of the most memorable characters in fiction. He lives his life by a personal code we all would do well to try to emulate. Helprin shows us the utter senselessness and horror that was the First World War-- with lessons implicit for today.

A bit long, good saga - 3 1/2?

I wanted to like this more than i did - like there were really good parts... if i could - i'd probably go 3 1/2 stars. It just seemed like, given the age of the narrator at the beginning, that the story was going to cover more of his life. But it's really about just before the war, the war, and then it's impact on his life. I quite enjoyed it, just found it a bit long given the scope of time it covered. And this may be totally my own incorrect expectations (after all, it is named for the "Great War"), but there were whole sections i found just seemed to go on too long. Well written, well narrated overall tho. Recommended.

Wonderful

A beautifully written history of an individual’s life. I enjoyed listening to it very much, and becoming part of the story.

Helprin has crazy writing skills.

This is a profoundly ironic epic adventure wherein Helprin's staggering descriptive powers, dark humor, sharp wit, and wild imagination conjure a life so rich in experience it overwhelms.

An old man tells the story of his extraordinary life, first rich with love of beauty, color, music, and the joy of living, then sharply contrasted by the loss and horror of WWI that swallows him and all he loves. Action and brutality delivered with gorgeous prose and spirituality. And it works brilliantly.

The first 50 pages or so are slow, but don't give up, the next 750 pages are the payoff.

Best listen yet

This story jumped to the top of a long list of enjoyable listens. Gorgeous language, wonderful narration, and a captivating character in Alessandro. It is long, but enjoyable all the way through. It was a great companion at the gym and on walks, where there were no distractions, but the language and descriptions are just too lovely to split your attention with anything. Buy it and listen...

Epic Story about life ...and death

Mark Helprin is a gifted writer and story teller. Through the eyes of an old man telling life's truths to his young companion, we learn life's lessons of love, hardship, war, peace, and redemption in a way that will move anyone who likes good prose. The conversations are real, the descriptions real and riveting. One of the top 10 books I've ever read.

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.