
Updated a reading goal:
Read 24 books in 2025
Progress so far: 25 / 24 104%

The amazing adventures of mid-century bohemians and artists of the avant-garde. Perkins was no exception. He lived outside of the world's expectations and was connected to so many interesting people of the era. A delightful read by scholar Sarah Burns.
The amazing adventures of mid-century bohemians and artists of the avant-garde. Perkins was no exception. He lived outside of the world's expectations and was connected to so many interesting people of the era. A delightful read by scholar Sarah Burns.

Added to listOwnedwith 25 books.

Benjamin Alire Sáenz is an extraordinary writing and many of his books have touched me deeply. This one in particular deals with very difficult subject matter of which I am not personally familiar.
Benjamin Alire Sáenz is an extraordinary writing and many of his books have touched me deeply. This one in particular deals with very difficult subject matter of which I am not personally familiar.

5 Stars – A Masterpiece of Magic, Memory, and Light
Mark Helprin’s *Winter’s Tale* is one of those rare novels that stays with me for years, as vivid as the day I finished it. The characters—Peter Lake, Beverly Penn, Hardesty Marratta, among others—feel as alive as the city they inhabit. I loved the multigenerational arc of the story and how Helprin’s prose makes New York itself a living, breathing presence, transforming over time and through the seasons.
Despite its wintry setting, the book glows with warmth and light, filled with writing so luminous it feels almost like music. It’s a work of magical realism at its finest, evoking both wonder and deep emotion. (though I have read that Helprin denies it is Magical Realism). I often find myself returning in memory to its landscapes and people, as if revisiting an old, cherished dream.
As a note—don’t judge the novel by the film version; the movie feels like a distant, unrelated spin-off short story. The book stands alone as a masterpiece of imagination and feeling.
5 Stars – A Masterpiece of Magic, Memory, and Light
Mark Helprin’s *Winter’s Tale* is one of those rare novels that stays with me for years, as vivid as the day I finished it. The characters—Peter Lake, Beverly Penn, Hardesty Marratta, among others—feel as alive as the city they inhabit. I loved the multigenerational arc of the story and how Helprin’s prose makes New York itself a living, breathing presence, transforming over time and through the seasons.
Despite its wintry setting, the book glows with warmth and light, filled with writing so luminous it feels almost like music. It’s a work of magical realism at its finest, evoking both wonder and deep emotion. (though I have read that Helprin denies it is Magical Realism). I often find myself returning in memory to its landscapes and people, as if revisiting an old, cherished dream.
As a note—don’t judge the novel by the film version; the movie feels like a distant, unrelated spin-off short story. The book stands alone as a masterpiece of imagination and feeling.