Reviews
Reviews
"Throughout the novel, we learn that seemingly impossible acts of bravery and courage are possible and are remembered in the annals of eternity. Works of the human spirit cannot be limited by matter and time; they overflow those bounds and join us to other people across the ages who have made similar sacrifices." ( National Review )
“A grand epic . . . . inspirational. . . .The writing style and deep explorations of character and theme are typical of literary novels. But this book differs from many literary works, both classic and contemporary, in what aspects of character and theme are explored. Instead of characters who either start broken, get broken, recover from being broken, or are surrounded by broken others, in dramas about how life wounds people’s heart or spirit, in The Oceans and Stars none of the characters is or gets broken, despite being trapped in impossible, extremely dark, ugly, violent circumstances.
“Rather, their inner strength, honesty, and integrity allow them to not only endure but rise above. And although there’s much idealism holding things together, it’s never implausible. One of the reasons the book is 500 pages long is because every situation is thoroughly set up, providing technical how and emotional why, intellectual why, political why. No blind corners here, no unreliable narrators.” ( – The New York Journal of Books )
“The book, which went on sale October 3 [2023], relates fictional circumstances that became far easier to credit four days later . . . a war launched by Iran against the U.S. and Israel, a political class that views national security exclusively as a means of gaining electoral advantage, a perpetually irritable American president whose chief goal is to avoid blame, and an army of terrorists capable of savagery so repellent that Western elites refuse to contemplate it.” ( – The Wall Street Journal )
I love the book. The writers of the classics of high adventure in great waters, like Marryat, Melville, Forester, and O’brian are soon to be joined by best-selling author Mark Helprin. The Oceans and the Stars is his first page-turner about those who go down to the sea in ships.
Like O’brian, Helprin is meticulous and precisely accurate in setting the environment of naval life, technology and modern war. The frequent combat on land and sea is breathtaking. His rendering of romantic love and moral dilemmas of command bring touches of mysticism andspirituality that are quite moving. His principal personalities are so real, so engaging as human beings that the reader feels genuine loss when the saga draws to a close. ( John Lehman, Secretary of the Navy, ’81 to ‘87 )
The New York Times review of his 1983 romantic fantasy Winter’s Tale began with the remarkable admission, “I find myself nervous, to a degree I don’t recall in my past as a reviewer, about failing the work, inadequately displaying its brilliance.” I feel the same about The Oceans and the Stars, which is as impossible to put down as any thriller. Filled with profound reflections on love, loss, and leadership; and written in lush, lyrical prose of extraordinary beauty and power, Helprin’s tribute to the United States Navy is a patriotic and literary triumph. ( Historical Book Club )
On its cover The Oceans and the Stars is said to be A Sea Story, A War Story, A Love Story. Helprin is a seasoned master of all three. The book is dedicated to the United States Navy and does great honor to the Navy, to Navy traditions, and to the traditions of the country the Navy serves [in] the high epic tone that is characteristic of Helprin’s fiction [an] the elevating tempo of Helprin’s prose, a tempo ennobling mortal men and all their strivings with the sacred radiance of eternity. ( The Claremont Review of Books )
“War, love, and the sea intermix in this novel of bravery and conscience . . . .The action is terrific . . . the writing is as good as anything else in the genre.” ( – Kirkus Reviews )
By “the most compelling novelist in America today,” an “epic story about a Navy man. It’s a love story but it’s a story of great heroism. . . . [I’m] caught up in this novel and the story of how one man can make a great difference in the service of his nation and devotion to his family.” ( Mike Pence )
Helprin excels at creating three-dimensional characters, and Rensselaer is a man of high moral character driven by a deep sense of humanity with a Shakespearean reference always at the ready. Helprin masterfully blends adrenaline and heart while the plot pieces fall into place like tumblers in a lock. Military aficionados will appreciate detailed descriptions of weaponry and tactics, while lovers of exquisite prose will be captivated by Rensselaer’s profundity. ( – Booklist (Starred Review) )
Helprin weaves conscience, action, war stories and nautical tales into this epic novel. As with his No. 1 bestseller, Winter’s Tale, it’s both grand and intimate in its eloquence, with deft and heartfelt page-turning prose. (For military aficionados, it’s also incredibly well researched, with abundant detail on tactics, weaponry and the inner workings of naval life.) It’s the story of moral dilemmas in personal relationships, and larger issues of crimes against civilians. ( ZED (Canada) ) )