I listened to this as an audio book. (I like to do that while I exercise.) It took soooo long! It was nice because a lot of the writing is quite poetic, so it's good to hear it aloud, but it is a big time commitment to listen to it rather than reading it. It also has a few unexpected uses of the f-word (which feel strange because they don't fit the general style of the book) and I prefer to read those by skipping over them or replacing them in my mind, and you can't do that when you're listening to the book!
This is mostly a love story between Harry and Catherine. It is set in the 1940's. It also has other story lines. Harry has been home from the war for a year and he remembers quite a few war experiences. Catherine is an aspiring Broadway actress and a wealthy socialite. Harry's family business is in danger of failing due to the mafia extorting large sums of protection money. Due to these story lines, sometimes the books reads a little like an army story or an action story. Helprin doesn't write in that style, though, and the action sequences are interrupted by poetic thoughts or flashes to other places, so they never flow enought to really fit the action/adventure genre. I found Harry's memories of the war particularly entertaining.
It is worth the time, although it takes lots and lots of time, especially if you listen to it rather than reading it yourself!
No comments:
Post a Comment