Reviews

Reviews

A cover for Swan Lake

“Helprin´s original achievement is transforming the. . . fairy tale . . . into a rational and worldly account that — by narrative suspense, wit, humor and linguistic virtuosity — aspires to high art.” (The New York Times Book Review)


“In Winter´s Tale, Helprin describes books that are ‘hard to read’ but ‘could devastate and remake one´s soul;’ his Swan Lake contains truths that take us beyond what we can reason and what we can prove.” (Publisher’s Weekly)


“This is one of those . . . classics that will keep you awake to its conclusion many times, with new rewards each passage, that will repeatedly invade your imagination and that . . . your grownup children will someday request for their own children.” (Michael Dorris, Front Page, Chicago Tribune Book Review)


“The book is so attractive — in its story, illustrations, and general design — that by comparison the original ballet looks too ethereal, verging on theatrical kitsch.”(Washington Post Book Review)


“In A City in Winter . . . [a] poignant story with characteristically refulgent prose, to which Van Allsburg´s 13 color scenes of theatrically posed, golden-toned figures add sparkling elegance . . . Helprin´s bottomless imagination and Van Allsburg´s monumental visual style create a collaboration that glitters with star quality.” (Kirkus Reviews)