Mark Helprin surpasses all authors I’ve read in his ability to describe people, places, things, philosophical perspectives, feelings, music, art, moments . . .alright, ANYTHING, and move me to tears in the rapturous sublimity of it all. . .but that doesn’t mean, that while listening to the almost 30 hours of this book that I didn’t experience exasperation, and sadly, in the end, disappointment---maybe even anger over having invested so much time and admiration, for a broken promise that I would put the story away satisfied and content. ( )

Typical Helprin prose, lyrical and magical. ( )

Gave up on it - early going was sappy romance. ( )

I really wanted to like Mark Helprin. I floundered through "Winter's Tale" before attempting "in Sunlight and in Shadow," and made it to the requisite one-third point before gladly giving it up. The female protagonist, Catherine, is irritatingly beautiful and graceful and elegant, while stoutly defending her burden of being born to a wealthy family; the male protagonist, Harry, is unengaging and long-winded (or at least is described thus). The prose is lovely in small bites but overwhelmingly choppy and extraneous in a full reading. ( )

Some interesting quotes