“Mark Helprin’s masterpiece will transport you to New York of the Belle Epoque, to a city clarified by a siege of unprecedented snows. One winter night, Peter Lake – master mechanic and second-story man – attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side. Though he thinks it is empty, the daughter of the house is home. Thus begins an affair between a middle-aged Irish burglar and Beverly Penn, a young girl dying of consumption. It is a love so powerful that Peter Lake, a simple and uneducated man, will be driven to stop time and bring back the dead. His great struggle is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary stories of American literature.”
I wanted to start off with a quote which really stuck out to me – I’ll come back at the end and explain why I feel like this was important:
“ ‘I think it would be vain to imagine that we could be favored without effort. As I understand it, miracles come to those who risk defeat in seeking them. They come to those who have exhausted themselves completely in a struggle to accomplish the impossible.
“ ‘I held back when my father died. He said it was my duty, and that I was right. His last wish was that I save myself for a battle I would not understand. Do you know what he said? He said, ‘The greatest fight is when you are fighting in smoke and cannot see with your eyes’ ” (Helprin 615).
I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while now and I finally got around to it. I saw the movie version a few years ago shortly after it came out and I liked it well enough. I did break my general rule of thumb and watched the film before reading the book; now I remember why I made that rule in the first place. Books are so much grander and more spectacular than can ever be put into a movie. (In my opinion, the only thing that comes close is the Harry Potterseries.) Authors don’t typically write novels with the intention that they be transformed into a movie, and this certainly wasn’t the case with Winter’s Tale. The person who thought everything would translate or that they could possibly do it justice was sorely mistaken. That being said, this does not actually mean I loved the book.
I probably started off this book on the wrong foot. I ended up really ill about a month-and-a-half ago (and this tells you how long it’s taken me to read it) and had picked it up from the library beforehand. I decided to read it while I was recuperating, but that was a bad idea. This is not an easy book (and this coming from someone with a Master’s Degree in English – with an emphasis on British Literature). I’m no pansy and I like a good challenge. This went well above and beyond my expectations. It was vaguely deconstructionist and highly modernist in its styling. I expected a piece of fiction, but what I found was something more abstract and complex than I ever anticipated. Because of this (and likely because of my poor timing in choosing to try to tackle such a work), it took me a long time to get into it. Even when I did, it was for relatively brief moments – little islands of clarity in an otherwise tumultuous world. Since I was expecting a piece that was (mostly) realistic fiction – I knew there would be some magical and ethereal aspects because I’d seen the movie – I was really thrown by just how abstract some of the characters, settings, and situations were. Some people lived for hundreds of years, characters and animals were capable of things that should not have been possible, and some of the situations were downright unrealistic or way over the top. I am open to giving leeway for drama, but half the time I couldn’t tell if I was reading something that was actually happening, or a delirious dream or fantasy of one of the many characters. As such, this piece of literature was very far out of my normal reading habits. I was about to put it down for good when I decided to bring it to work and try reading it on my lunch breaks (I typically give a book three chapters to grab me and I’d given this one quite a bit longer, but I’d reached a point where I wasn’t really sure what I was even reading anymore). The owner of the law firm at which I work saw this book on my desk and proceeded to gush about how it was his absolute favorite book. There was no putting it down now. I had to power through. I have to admit that I’m glad I did – if only for the tremendous sense of accomplishment.
I liked Peter Lake quite a bit. He was so much more complicated than a traditional “thief” archetype. Beverly was very captivating as well, with her feverish behavior and very unique (short) life. We’re introduced to a plethora of other characters and points of view as the story moves on. One of the things I struggled with the most is that I had no freaking clue as to why I was reading about them or what they had to do with the overarching plot. What did I care about the Coherries people or Hardesty? How did all of the little windows into these people’s lives and experiences impact the story? I admit that it doesall come together in the end. It doesn’t seem like it, but I promiseyou that it does. Helprin has a grand plan (“grand” being an understatement). The intricacies and invisible threads connecting the different stories on numerous levels were astounding. Now that I’m out of the maze, I can step back and appreciate it in its entirety, for the complexity of the whole rather than individual parts. This, I believe, is the beauty of this book; why it’s received so much acclaim. I cannot fathom the amount of planning and work that went into all of it. This is also why I think the person (or people) who believed they could well and truly capture of the soul of this book in a film was sorely mistaken. There was no way on earth that it was going to translate well or do it justice. I’m sorry, but it was an impossibility. I’m going to have to go back and watch the movie again since it’s been several years since my one and only experience with it, but I have a feeling I’m going to find it much more lacking than my first go around. This is a love story, but not in the traditional sense. There are much higher, much darker powers at work in this story. The impossible will be accomplished and the incredible will happen. The story is ambitious and so very, very unique and otherworldly.
This was part of the reason it took me so long to finish; I had to figure out how to attack it from another angle. I’m not oppose to fantasy, but I don’t believe I have everexperienced anything quite like this combination of fantasy, fiction, and realism (with strong, if well-disguised, religious undertones). As I mentioned before, I initially began reading this with the anticipation and expectation that I would be reading a work of realistic fiction with fantastical aspects. When I encountered so much more than I expected, I wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. I had to take a step back, breathe, and try something else. My mind resisted this book; that’s the only way I can describe my personal experience. I had to release all of my preconceived notions and “detach” myself from reality in order to fully comprehend what I was witnessing in my mind’s eye. (I realize this sounds like a terribly dramatic way for me to describe reading a book, but it’s the truth. If describing my technique can help just one other reader tackle this oft-intimidating piece of literature, then I will count it well worth it.) One excellent example of this was the cloud wall. We know this doesn’t exist in reality. What was it? Was it a metaphor; if so, for what? Could only some people see it? Was this reality or fantasy? I learned to take it for what it was and just think: Well, this is a relatively realistic New York and there’s a cloud wall that moves on the outskirts like some sort of blob, taking with it whatever it touches. Okay. I may not like it, but I can do my best to accept it as fact, like some of the characters. The oddities in this book just are. You have to accept them as the characters do or this book is going to fight you every step of the way.
If you’re as determined to read this book as I was, don’t get discouraged by the seemingly-unrelated stories and characters, the complexities and nuances of the plot. Take a deep breath and dive deep, because that’s the only way you’re going to get through this. I promise it makes more sense in the end and it’ll be worth the work.
This book was a challenge and, I’m not going to lie to you or sugarcoat it, there were times when I struggled. A lot. I'm not proud of it, nor is it something I’m used to – I’ve easily tackled works that are typically considered daunting by most literary standards. But I will say that the struggle ended up worthy of the spoils. The book was powerful; it made me think. It was complex and intricate. Helprin is a unique and extremely talented author.
Now, going back to the quote I provided at the very beginning of this review. These words are spoken by Hardesty in the last few hundred pages of the story. Without giving too much away, the major conflict is finally coming to a head and most of the characters’ stories have now converged. I found this poignant because I think, so often, people believe miracles just happen – they’re gifts to those who some higher power believes are worthy. I believe miracles come to those who have well and truly exhausted all of their own efforts. They have to really experience the darkness of failure in order to truly appreciate the miracle for what it is. Even if something seems impossible, to not even attempt to try to accomplish the impossible is to sabotage the miracle. You may not see who or what you’re fighting, but you must continue to do so. I found all of this powerful and one of the biggest messages in this book. There are things in this world that we cannot prevent, things over which we have no control (and, especially in this day and age of technology and instant gratification, this can be disheartening and defeating). There are things that we cannot fathom within our finite world and time. All of this is the amalgamation of living. Live like Beverly, love like Peter Lake, believe like Hardesty, persevere like Virginia, know the importance of knowledge and the power of words like Mrs. Gamely, imagine like Abby and Martin, believe in the power of change like Praeger de Pinto. All or some of this may feel impossible at times, but do your damndest to accomplish it regardless. Sometimes it might feel like the entire world is conspiring against you at every turn, but seek out every avenue and possibility in your search to achieve your greatest aims. Perhaps you’ll even find your own miracle.
As I’ve mentioned, this book was a struggle; in the end, however, I felt it was worth it. This is by no means a book for a casual reader or someone faint of heart. This book will take work. It will confuse you, it will push you, but it’s a powerful story eloquently and elaborately told. The style and plot can present a number of challenges, but I can say that I appreciate it all the more having seen it all come together.
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