The Oceans and the Stars: A Sea Story, A War Story, A Love Story
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- Create Date：2023-10-26 07:22:12
- Update Date：2025-09-14
- Status：finish
- Author：Mark Helprin
- ISBN：B0C9NZ6CZ2
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
M Moore
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This is the first book by this author I've read so I don't have anything to compare it to， however if his writing style is similar to his others， I understand why they were best sellers。 This book will not be for everyone。 It's kind of dry and full of military jargon which is not usually my thing。 However， I was engrossed in this story！ It was well told， full of action， suspense， love and morality。 It will remind you very loosely of the Greek myth of Athena but really， it's just a good story for This is the first book by this author I've read so I don't have anything to compare it to， however if his writing style is similar to his others， I understand why they were best sellers。 This book will not be for everyone。 It's kind of dry and full of military jargon which is not usually my thing。 However， I was engrossed in this story！ It was well told， full of action， suspense， love and morality。 It will remind you very loosely of the Greek myth of Athena but really， it's just a good story for those who enjoy a tale that meanders a bit， is extremely descriptive and has a love story woven through。Thanks to Librofm and Blackstone Audio for this complimentary book。 My thoughts are my own。 。。。more
Virginia King
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As usual Mark Helprin has written an outstanding novel。 The sub title tells it all “A sea story， a war story， a love story”。 If you haven’t read Mark Helprin you are missing an author of outstanding eloquence。
Michael
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ExceptionslEverything Mark Helps in authors is exceptional and The ocean and the stars is exceptional。 Great characters great dialogue great plot great story。 Plenty of action plenty of grace plenty of duty。 ，honor。 A wonderful story just as moving as are all Help find books。 The words he used are so descriptive so compelling You feel you are part of the story。
Sarah Cookinham
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Even if at times I cringe at an overdrawn character or action in more recent Helprin novels， there is no denying the beauty of his writing。 There are single lines of prose that can stand up to the best and most affecting that can be written。 He can be soulful beyond spiritual and he can be transcendent。 I forgive him everything for those moments。 They are here。 As well as a good story。
Nancy Graben
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I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 An modern take on The Odyssey with a middle aged couple。 Set in the United States， a Naval captain runs amok with higher ups and is sent on a perilous mission。 Before departing， he meets a woman named Penelope Catherine， known as Katy。 Like the mythical Penelope， Katy waits for the man she loves while he undergoes harrowing warfare。
Thomas Tyrer
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I just finished this latest novel by Mark Helprin and it was superb。 5 stars and I don’t give that out easily at all。 One of those all too rare books that you read， appreciate， and know that it has not only changed you， but will stay with you the rest of your life。 This is a novel， above all else， about honor。 And， regrettably， I feel honor as one's personal rudder is totally substumed and in too short supply in our culture today。 There's a great pasage in this book where Helprin writes:"We have I just finished this latest novel by Mark Helprin and it was superb。 5 stars and I don’t give that out easily at all。 One of those all too rare books that you read， appreciate， and know that it has not only changed you， but will stay with you the rest of your life。 This is a novel， above all else， about honor。 And， regrettably， I feel honor as one's personal rudder is totally substumed and in too short supply in our culture today。 There's a great pasage in this book where Helprin writes:"We have become a civilization that elevates idiots， prostitutes， and clowns。 Am I still to defend it？ Yes， for its principles。 Yes， for what it was。 Yes， for what it still may be。" Within very turbulent， selfish， and too-often taunting times， "The Oceans and the Stars" has enabled me to transcend my own personal shame， despair and doubt over the values I hold most dear yet seem lost within the latest storm of self-aggrandizing shamelessness via "social" media or some other self-produced piece of filth。 Helprin writes: "Value is independent of recognition。" And if only that were the swirling wind to lift all our collective sails。 。。。more
Chuck Brandon
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More editing， less setting the sceneA really compelling story marred by numerous asides and backstories。 In the same way Tom Clancy could spend 3 pages talking about a torpedo， Helprin must apparently begin anything interesting with a flashback or backstory。 By the end， when something was getting ready to happen， I knew there would be several pages of something else before he got back to the main plot。 Also， Rensselaer talks a lot more than most people I know。 I get he’s supposed to be brilliant More editing， less setting the sceneA really compelling story marred by numerous asides and backstories。 In the same way Tom Clancy could spend 3 pages talking about a torpedo， Helprin must apparently begin anything interesting with a flashback or backstory。 By the end， when something was getting ready to happen， I knew there would be several pages of something else before he got back to the main plot。 Also， Rensselaer talks a lot more than most people I know。 I get he’s supposed to be brilliant， but he waxes poetically more than necessary。 He’s not a man of few words。I honestly thought about giving it 3 stars even though it’s a 5 star plot since I skipped so many pages to stay with the narrative。 （Speaking of skip， I know you’ll be interested in the several pages devoted to how the prosecutor gained and lost a nickname！）I actually was looking at another of Helprin’s books but this seemed more interesting。 I think I’ll give his books a pass from now on。 。。。more
Georgeann Gurkovich
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Certainly not my usual fare， I gobbled this book up。 Typically not one to appreciate novels about the military， war， or the spoils of war， I admit to skipping over some of the well-researched prose about ship building， the aerodynamic make-up of ships and the like and still enjoyed this tremendous plot and the very passionate protagonist。 I liked the fact that the author even instructed the reader to skip pages if we didn't want to read ship building lore。 Akin to The Boys in the Boat， some part Certainly not my usual fare， I gobbled this book up。 Typically not one to appreciate novels about the military， war， or the spoils of war， I admit to skipping over some of the well-researched prose about ship building， the aerodynamic make-up of ships and the like and still enjoyed this tremendous plot and the very passionate protagonist。 I liked the fact that the author even instructed the reader to skip pages if we didn't want to read ship building lore。 Akin to The Boys in the Boat， some parts of this story were hard to read， they were very graphic， but especially warranted since I started reading this book， coincidentally when Hamas massacred and kidnapped Israeli citizens and threw the Gaza strip into war。 Certainly worth every minute of my reading time。 Excellent！ 。。。more
Marke F。 Gibson
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Well done sir！I served in our military for 37 years。 This book brought me back to the beginnings and lifelong challenges of that calling。 It also reminded me of how challenging it has been to carve out a life with the one’s you love。 Keen insights that spoke to me。
Brian Skinner
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This book was pretty good。 I think the love story was overwrought though since he only knew the woman for a few weeks。 Plus he is old and you are more cynical about love at that age。 Going out on the sea voyage was quite interesting but the captain is just a little bit too perfect for my liking。 He always knows exactly what to do and is never wrong。 I don't generally like books with court cases in them either。 That gets to be tedious。 The good prose keeps this book from being a 3 star one。 His b This book was pretty good。 I think the love story was overwrought though since he only knew the woman for a few weeks。 Plus he is old and you are more cynical about love at that age。 Going out on the sea voyage was quite interesting but the captain is just a little bit too perfect for my liking。 He always knows exactly what to do and is never wrong。 I don't generally like books with court cases in them either。 That gets to be tedious。 The good prose keeps this book from being a 3 star one。 His book "A soldier of the great war" is one of my favorites。 You should read that before reading this book。 。。。more
Sharon Umbaugh
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DNF
Ramona Thompson
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Wow。 The Ocean and the Stars is the first of this author I have read， and I have already ordered one of his older books。 This one has a cast of characters you care for and understand， a compelling plot， an achingly beautiful love story and lyrical writing that makes you read a paragraph once for the story and again for the sake of the writing。 What more could a reader want？ This is a war story， and a love story that would not appeal to my high school students， but everyone who loves good writing Wow。 The Ocean and the Stars is the first of this author I have read， and I have already ordered one of his older books。 This one has a cast of characters you care for and understand， a compelling plot， an achingly beautiful love story and lyrical writing that makes you read a paragraph once for the story and again for the sake of the writing。 What more could a reader want？ This is a war story， and a love story that would not appeal to my high school students， but everyone who loves good writing， and who would not be put off by a war story should read this。 Thank you to NetGalley for introducing me to this author， and for not influencing my review。 。。。more
Lori L （She Treads Softly）
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The Oceans and the Stars: A Sea Story， A War Story， A Love Story by Mark Helprin is a very highly recommended literary epic saga that surely reflects the whole title。Navy Captain Stephen Rensselaer corrects and talks back to the president of the United States， who retaliates to his truth-telling by trying to humiliate him。 He assigns Rensselaer to command the Athena， with the intent to humiliate a man who should have been an admiral。 While supervising Athena’s fitting out in New Orleans， Renssel The Oceans and the Stars: A Sea Story， A War Story， A Love Story by Mark Helprin is a very highly recommended literary epic saga that surely reflects the whole title。Navy Captain Stephen Rensselaer corrects and talks back to the president of the United States， who retaliates to his truth-telling by trying to humiliate him。 He assigns Rensselaer to command the Athena， with the intent to humiliate a man who should have been an admiral。 While supervising Athena’s fitting out in New Orleans， Rensselaer meets and falls in love with Katy Farrar。 It is the love of a lifetime。 Soon after this， he is deployed to the Indian Ocean near the Horn of Africa。 Rensselaer is ultimately faced with a decision to follow his conscience and keep his integrity intact or disobey an immoral order and faces the consequences of his decision。Absolutely excellent writing， strongly developed， fully realized characters， and a compelling， detailed， action-packed plot are featured throughout this amazing epic。 Using a classic literary form， The Oceans and the Stars commends the virtues of living a life where following your conscience is the obvious choice， despite the consequences。 The narrative also demonstrates how using disciplined， intelligent actions may result in sacrifices。As a character， Rensselaer comes to life in this novel。 Readers will know and want the best for him while despairing over the choices placed before him and the fortitude he displays when acting upon his principles。Those who love stories about the sea， ships， the military， and battles will relish the details and action Helprin includes。 Some of the details are brutal， but there are also moments of bravery and sacrifice displayed even during the darkest moments。This is a perfect choice for those who enjoy literary fiction， action/adventure thrillers （especially those set at sea）， and love stories involving the one left at home。Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of The Overlook Press via NetGalley。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2023/0。。。 。。。more
Francesca
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"The Oceans and the Stars" by Mark Helprin is nothing short of a grand epic that takes readers on a sweeping journey of war， love， and the boundless sea。 Helprin's storytelling prowess shines as he weaves a narrative filled with three-dimensional characters and intricate plotlines that captivate from start to finish。At the heart of the story is Stephen Rensselaer， a Navy captain and former Seal who dares to stand against a fictional US president， setting the stage for a tale of courage and consc "The Oceans and the Stars" by Mark Helprin is nothing short of a grand epic that takes readers on a sweeping journey of war， love， and the boundless sea。 Helprin's storytelling prowess shines as he weaves a narrative filled with three-dimensional characters and intricate plotlines that captivate from start to finish。At the heart of the story is Stephen Rensselaer， a Navy captain and former Seal who dares to stand against a fictional US president， setting the stage for a tale of courage and conscience。 Helprin's attention to detail is evident in his vivid descriptions of weaponry， tactics， and the inner workings of naval life， making it a treat for military aficionados。 Yet， amidst the strategic maneuvers and conflicts， the novel is imbued with profound sentiments about loyalty， military ethics， and the depth of human relationships， elevating its characters to larger-than-life status。While it may take some time to fully immerse oneself in this epic， the journey is progressively engaging and exceptionally well-written。 Helprin's storytelling prowess shines as he balances the warmth of loving relationships with the harsh realities of torture and crimes against humanity。 The moral dilemmas faced by the hero add layers of depth and complexity to the narrative， leaving readers with a profound sense of humanity's capacity for both cruelty and compassion。This is not a book for the faint of heart， as it explores the darkest aspects of humanity， juxtaposed with moments of unwavering bravery and sacrifice。 Helprin's ability to blend the brutal and the tender in his storytelling is nothing short of masterful。 This epic journey is one that lingers in the reader's mind long after the final page， leaving a lasting impression。Thanks to NetGalley and the Overlook Press for the ARC and the opportunity to provide my honest review。 。。。more
CaraMarie
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I should have run in the other direction when I heard this aimed to be a "Tom Clancy" novel。 The Navy machismo grated on my sanity， but now I know Helprin isn't a go-to author for fleshed-out female characters。 For Christmas， this is going to find its way into my father-in-law's stocking， he'll have more fun with it than I did。 I should have run in the other direction when I heard this aimed to be a "Tom Clancy" novel。 The Navy machismo grated on my sanity， but now I know Helprin isn't a go-to author for fleshed-out female characters。 For Christmas， this is going to find its way into my father-in-law's stocking， he'll have more fun with it than I did。 。。。more
Dr G
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You will enjoy this immensely if you enjoy military history， bravery and a great life's tale。 You will enjoy this immensely if you enjoy military history， bravery and a great life's tale。 。。。more
Anne
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“Snow falling upon water makes a sound so close to silence that no heart exists it cannot calm。”Stephen Rensselaer， captain， US Navy has been assigned to the US Ship Athena， a small， one-of-a-kind war ship。 Rensselaer， 52， on his way to admiral before a meeting with the President where he spoke a little too honestly， landed the Athena as his next and final tour of duty instead of getting that deserved advance in rank。 There are not enough adjectives to describe this naval officer。 He is intellig “Snow falling upon water makes a sound so close to silence that no heart exists it cannot calm。”Stephen Rensselaer， captain， US Navy has been assigned to the US Ship Athena， a small， one-of-a-kind war ship。 Rensselaer， 52， on his way to admiral before a meeting with the President where he spoke a little too honestly， landed the Athena as his next and final tour of duty instead of getting that deserved advance in rank。 There are not enough adjectives to describe this naval officer。 He is intelligent， devoted， stable， honest， decisive， and beyond question patriotic。 I have a huge readerly crush on this upstanding man。 Right before the Athena deploys Stephen meets a woman， Katy Farrar， on the streetcar。 They gradually begin to speak to one another and by the time he ships out they have found the love of a lifetime。 So as the Athena sails Rensselaer prepares his sailors and SEALS for every possible contingency。 They exercise， they fire weapons， they clean and assemble weapons， they become a unit working smoothly together。 Scattered throughout the hours and days at sea are lessons delivered from Rensselaer’s experience。 He is a man who is one among his men。 “If I’m the king in the play and you’re soldiers， you know damn well that in real life I’m not a king and you’re not my subjects。 Necessity puts us on this stage and in the end only courage and efficiency gives us real rank。 Offstage， we’re Americans， equals， which is why when onstage we must play our parts ceremoniously—so as to be able to effect the division and not forget that it doesn’t extend to life in general。”As the story progresses and the Athena engages in a flurry of battles my heart pounded for the safety of the vessel along with Rensselaer and his men。 If you love adventure tales set at sea， this is a beautifully written story that had me enthralled from the first page。 My hope through the entire reading was for each and every one of these men to fight bravely and safely return to the loves they left behind。 A massive 5-⭐️ read for me。 Thank you to @overlookpress and @abramsbooks for the #advancereaderscopy。 。。。more
Scott
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This is an epic tale in many ways。 It takes a while to get into but it is progressively engaging and exceptionally well written。 I gave it the following SCORE:Setting: Present day New Orleans， Washington DC， Persian Gulf， SomaliaCharacters: Captain Stephen Rensselear， a love interest， Katy Farrar， the well-defined crew of the Patrol Coastal， Athena， military personnel， terrorists， and touristsOverview: After a disagreement with the President concerning the future of upgraded Navy Patrol Coastal This is an epic tale in many ways。 It takes a while to get into but it is progressively engaging and exceptionally well written。 I gave it the following SCORE:Setting: Present day New Orleans， Washington DC， Persian Gulf， SomaliaCharacters: Captain Stephen Rensselear， a love interest， Katy Farrar， the well-defined crew of the Patrol Coastal， Athena， military personnel， terrorists， and touristsOverview: After a disagreement with the President concerning the future of upgraded Navy Patrol Coastal boats， Rensselear is essentially punished by being assigned to the Athena， his advanced design of a small warship， and given nearly impossible， but considered far less important， assignments in the Middle East。 In a series of encounters and battles， both on land and sea， he and his intrepid crew solve increasingly desperate situations with creativity and bravery while ignoring and breaching direct orders。 The decisions he must make and the consequences that follow make this a terrific epic story。Recommendation: I rate this book 5 stars Extras: I was expecting a book along the lines of Helprin’s “Paris in the Present Tense” and was initially disappointed at the prolonged， well-researched cataloging of weapons and armaments （although he does warn readers and gives the option to skip ahead）。 This is a book that includes warm， loving， trusting relationships but also torture and terrible crimes on humanity – not for everyone in that regard。 It is a long， epic journey but definitely worth the time spent。Thanx to NetGalley and the Overlook Press for the opportunity to provide this candid review。 。。。more
Zeb Kantrowitz
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This is really two books as follows from the sub-title of the book。 The first is the love story which is well done except maybe a bit too hearts and flowers for my taste。 She is a well respected middle aged lawyer living in New Orleans。 He is an ex-Seal Navy Captain who for many reasons explained is stuck in a nowhere job。 They meet in the most romantic part of NO and you fill in the rest。The other half of the book is also a little hokey， but represents the American military at its' best and how This is really two books as follows from the sub-title of the book。 The first is the love story which is well done except maybe a bit too hearts and flowers for my taste。 She is a well respected middle aged lawyer living in New Orleans。 He is an ex-Seal Navy Captain who for many reasons explained is stuck in a nowhere job。 They meet in the most romantic part of NO and you fill in the rest。The other half of the book is also a little hokey， but represents the American military at its' best and how honor is something that sets a military hero about the average person。 For reasons too long to explain， he has ended up in a dead end rating （on an unwanted ship） and will not be getting promoted the rest of the time he is in the service。He is given a ship that is a one off type that has been determined to be 'unnecessary'。 To make matters worse， he has gotten into hot water with those above him， and will not go out of their way to help him。 （The US is in a war with Iran at this time and most of the Navy is parked around the Persian Gulf to protect the oil tankers from other producers。） So the Captain is sent not to the Gulf but to patrol the 'Horn of Africa' and protect against Pirates。 Yes Pirates。Well he and his crew （which includes a squad of Seals） are not happy to be out of the fight。 But then they get a chance to prove themselves against an Iranian ship （much bigger and better armed then them） and you get the picture。 They then get involved in rescuing passengers off of a French cruiseship that reads like something out of a cross between Rambo and Die Hard。Once again it's a little （lot） over the top but everything works out in the end。 Big Ahhhhh。[It's a matter of taste！！] 。。。more
Nancy
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The only thing left， the only worthwhile thing at all， the beginning and all the way to the end， was to love， and to do right。The Ocean and the Stars by Mark HelprinI picked up this book three times before it clicked， and then I couldn’t stop reading。 It was a thrilling story of the sea and a saga of war， informed by enduring love and the mystical connection to the endless generations of those before who gave their lives to their country。 It is a treatise on living a righteous life， aware that e The only thing left， the only worthwhile thing at all， the beginning and all the way to the end， was to love， and to do right。The Ocean and the Stars by Mark HelprinI picked up this book three times before it clicked， and then I couldn’t stop reading。 It was a thrilling story of the sea and a saga of war， informed by enduring love and the mystical connection to the endless generations of those before who gave their lives to their country。 It is a treatise on living a righteous life， aware that each of us is but a small blip in eternity， and it is a manifesto on authority higher than that encompassed in any human personage or institution。The detail and specifics made me doubt it was fiction， while the characters are portrayed with such humanity and love， their suffering or death was heartbreaking。Scenes will be hard to read， the violence inflicted appalling。 Our hero understands that he must decide: obey orders， knowing that civilians will be cruelly massacred， or disregard human authority and do anything he can to rescue them。This is an amazing book that combines thrill and horror and eschatology， a story that entertains and makes one aware of the big pictures and big questions of life。I loved it。Thanks to the publisher for a free book。 。。。more
The Library Lady
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This book feels as if Helprin took a standard Tom Clancy （ugh） novel and added elements from The Odyssey The protagonist is Stephen， as in a character in Ulysses and the heroine's birth name is Penelope， though she calls herself Kay， and the ship is the Athena， the goddess who was Odysseus's patron。 Upon this foundation Helprin creates a new story which is at times funny， scary， exciting， and in one key section， horrifying to the point that it nauseated me， and I had to go past some of it。 Suffi This book feels as if Helprin took a standard Tom Clancy （ugh） novel and added elements from The Odyssey The protagonist is Stephen， as in a character in Ulysses and the heroine's birth name is Penelope， though she calls herself Kay， and the ship is the Athena， the goddess who was Odysseus's patron。 Upon this foundation Helprin creates a new story which is at times funny， scary， exciting， and in one key section， horrifying to the point that it nauseated me， and I had to go past some of it。 Suffice to say， if you are ever planning on traveling on a cruise ship， this part will bother you。Like my favorite Helprin book， Winter's Tale this has a character with deep roots in the Hudson Valley， and the prose is reminiscent of that book， though the "magical realism" of that book isn't a part of this one。 It is a book with lots of militaria， lots of details about ships and sailing （in fact Helprin knows that some of his audience will want all the details--he himself suggests that some may want to skip over the section concerning the building of the Athena。） But it is the people who make this story matter as Captain Stephen Rensselear takes us on this epic journey。 A highly rewarding book。 I'm not sure if I will re-read this again， let alone repeat read it the way I do Winter's Tale。 But I am glad to have read it。 。。。more
Stacey
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I haven't even started this book， it is sitting by my chair， but this is how I feel about Helprin books :The problem with a Mark Helprin book， if it can be called a problem， is that the language is so intensely beautiful and the detail so rich， that I am forced to stop every few pages and just breathe in what I have read。 Unlike so many other great novels， which pull me and in and keep me up all night reading， a few pages of Helprin wear me out and keep me up all night imagining。 No wonder it to I haven't even started this book， it is sitting by my chair， but this is how I feel about Helprin books :The problem with a Mark Helprin book， if it can be called a problem， is that the language is so intensely beautiful and the detail so rich， that I am forced to stop every few pages and just breathe in what I have read。 Unlike so many other great novels， which pull me and in and keep me up all night reading， a few pages of Helprin wear me out and keep me up all night imagining。 No wonder it took me 3 years to finish Solider of a Great War。 3 chapters into "Sunlight and Shadow" and I am exhausted。 Exhausted in a magnificent way， such as， after a full day in the garden， a trip to an incredible Museum ， or amazing sex。 。。。more
Elisabeth
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I am a Helprin fan and was thrilled for early access to his latest book。 Despite the title the book is more sea story and war story than love story。 That didn't stop me from reading because this story is everything you expect from Helprin's upstanding and outstanding characters。 Mark your calendars for pub date！ I am a Helprin fan and was thrilled for early access to his latest book。 Despite the title the book is more sea story and war story than love story。 That didn't stop me from reading because this story is everything you expect from Helprin's upstanding and outstanding characters。 Mark your calendars for pub date！ 。。。more
Kym
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