(748 pages)
My third Helprin book. I was caught up in it and looked forward to picking it up, but didn't love it.
Here is a Google Gemini 100-word summary:
"Mark Helprin's Winter's Tale is a sprawling work of magical realism primarily set in a mythical, snowbound New York City spanning the turn of the 20th century into the millennium.
The narrative centers on Peter Lake, an Irish orphan and master-mechanic turned thief, who is pursued by the sinister gang leader Pearly Soames. Peter is aided by a mysterious, flying white horse named Athansor. Breaking into a mansion, he encounters and falls instantly in love with Beverly Penn, a wealthy, visionary young woman dying of consumption.
After Beverly's tragic death, Peter escapes his pursuers by vanishing into a timeless cloud wall. He re-emerges decades later with amnesia, his ultimate quest to shatter time, bring back the dead, and achieve a perfectly just city, guided by the enduring power of his impossible love."
It's pretty accurate for just 100 words. The limit doesn't allow mentioning other key characters, such as Virginia Gamely - resident in Lake of the Coheeries. This small upstate town, often snowbound, is where the Penn family (Isaac, father of Beverly and also of Harry - he ran a newspaper that was central to the story (The Sun) summered. There was a bridge builder named Jackson Mead, who isn't bound by time.
A problem is that the themes (mentioned above as "quests") just don't really go anywhere. But it's interesting to think about.
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