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A Soldier of the Great War Audiobook
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(4.00) - 2,893 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From acclaimed novelist Mark Helprin comes a lush, literary epic about love, beauty, and the world at war.
Alessandro Giuliani, the young son of a prosperous Roman lawyer, enjoys an idyllic life full of privilege: he races horses across the country to the sea, he climbs mountains in the Alps, and, while a student of painting at the ancient university in Bologna, he falls in love. Then the Great War intervenes. Half a century later, in August of 1964, Alessandro, a white-haired professor, tall and proud, meets an illiterate young factory worker on the road. As they walk toward Monte Prato, a village seventy kilometers away, the old man—a soldier and a hero who became a prisoner and then a deserter, wandering in the hell that claimed Europe—tells him how he tragically lost one family and gained another. The boy, envying the richness and drama of Alessandro's experiences, realizes that this magnificent tale is not merely a story: it's a recapitulation of his life, his reckoning with mortality, and, above all, a love song for his family.
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"Unsurpassed mastery of the language and of self examination. At almost any other time of my life I would have rated it five stars as I did Winter's Tale, but I am not now as interested in smelling the flowers along the path as I once was. Never has consciousness been so closely examined with such an amazing set of metaphors. To be somewhat playful, Julian Jaynes would rank Helprin right up there with William Shakespeare for the size of his metaphor collection."
— William (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Extraordinary…A vast, ambitious, spiritually lusty, all-guzzling, all-encompassing novel.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“A rousing tale…riotous energy and sustained brilliance…Helprin lights his own way, in his own singular direction.”
— Time -
“Intense, memorable…magnificent…A massive, soaring novel of ideas and ordeals.”
— Entertainment Weekly -
“Energetic prose, poetic images of great intensity, and an antic imagination combine in this gripping moral fable narrated by a septuagenarian irrevocably altered by World War I.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“The language is rich without cloying, complex yet luminous in Helprin’s best style. In a number of thoughtful philosophical passages as engaging as any adventure story, Alesandro struggles to reconcile his appreciation of beauty and his religious faith with the horror around him. That he finally persuades us to believe in a ‘God without any hope, in a God of splendor and terror’ is testimony to the indomitable human spirit. Highly recommended.”
— Library Journal -
“[An] ebullient, elegiac novel of destruction and survival…Tender, optimistic, and sumptuously presented: a feast of a novel, right down to Alessandro’s tender lingering over the final course.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A Publishers Weekly bestseller
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A New York Times bestseller
A Soldier of the Great War Listener Reviews
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" It took me days to find a review outlet for the audio version of a wonderful, well written gem of a book. The audio version hurts my head! Not because the narrator isn't good, clear, smooth and gifted. Nope! Ive read this book numerous times and I can only hope someone, one day will record this book with the Italian accents it was written in. All the charactors-especially Giuliani would, does have at least!!!!! "
— Rhust, 9/28/2016 -
" The book expired on my iPad library checkout before I could finish, but it seemed interesting, but not interesting enough to check out again. "
— Martin, 2/20/2014 -
" i read this because edward norton told me to. i'm shameless. "
— Rachael, 2/13/2014 -
" I read this book based on fellow reader Nicole. I agree with her whole-heartedly, a great book, very descriptive, but also very dense. It sparked an interest in reading more about WWI perspectives other than US. "
— Kerry, 2/10/2014 -
" This book was well reviewed when it was published in the early 1990s. I expected it to be a worthwhile addition to the literature about WWI, but it was not. A bland and disappointing book. "
— John, 1/31/2014 -
" Not nearly as good as memoirs of an ant proof case, but almost as whimsical. A little sad, as war ought to be and incredibly unreal as Helprin books often are. Still beautiful and poignant at many moments. It was a perfect book for night time reading during my last month of thesis. "
— Ariel, 1/28/2014 -
" One of the BEST books I have ever read. Starts a little slow but after the first 75 pages you get the rhythm and it just takes off. Few books will make you laugh and then cry (sounds corny but it did)and have scenes and people that you will remember for the rest of your life. Episodic story of the Great War. "
— Steven, 1/23/2014 -
" On the Bookshelf: A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin "
— Alyssa, 1/16/2014 -
" Amazing. I wanted a substantial book with the right amount of intensity and I was completely satisfied. "
— Kitti, 1/9/2014 -
" I re-read this book every few years. I recently read it while we were loving and traveling in Italy. It helps me understand the history and culture of Italy. It is also a great adult romance. "
— Roger, 1/9/2014 -
" An epic saga following one man's journey through Italy before, during, and after WWI. This book crosses many genres - travel narrative, war story, love story. Holds many lessons to remember about life, particularly how to slow down and notice the beauty in every moment. "
— Julia, 1/9/2014
About Mark Helprin
Mark Helprin is the internationally acclaimed author of numerous works, including the New York Times bestsellers Winter’s Tale, In Sunlight and in Shadow, and Swan Lake.
About David Colacci
David Colacci is an actor and director who has directed and performed in prominent theaters nationwide. His credits include roles from Shakespeare to Albee, as well as extensive work on new plays. As a narrator, he has won numerous Earphones Awards, earned Audie Award nominations, and been included in Best Audio of the Year lists by such publications as Publishers Weekly, AudioFile magazine, and Library Journal. He was a resident actor and director with the Cleveland Play House for eight years and has been artistic director of the Hope Summer Rep Theater since 1992.