The following is just one of many lovely passages from Freddy and Fredericka, which was recommended to me six to eight months ago, and which I've now gotten around to reading--I finished it the week before last on a flight, and loved it.
"What will he be like?" Bannerman echoed. "He won't be like us. He'll arrive clean-shaven, having moved heaven and earth to make a fire in the snow, to heat the water. He will have washed his clothes. He will look, despite seven days in the wilderness, like an officer on parade. He will have strained as we have never strained, carrying the burden of the whole country and its history. And he will have carried, its weight far heavier than any gear a soldier has ever carried, his reputation as a madman and an idiot. For a person of honour, that is a difficult thing indeed."
From Mark Helprin's Freddy and Fredericka, p. 544
The book is really gorgeous & sad & hilariously funny, a sort of love note for everyone and everything involved--America, Britain, the monarchy, &c.
And combined with watching The Queen a couple of months ago, I'm now an absolute royalist! I find myself reading articles about the Prince of Wales [1] with a newfound respect & really, truly caring about the royal family as people, which is a pretty nice thing for art to've done for me. Very highly recommended.
[1] Like this one from Vanity Fair about the prince's environmental work.
I'm reading the accidental connoisseur right now based on your previous post, and it's pretty entertaining, so i'll add freddy and fredericka to the list. I'm in SF for the web 2.0 expo, so if you're attending or around, would love to get some good food or meetup!
Posted by: Daryn | April 15, 2007 at 11:48 PM
I have been a Mark Helprin fan ever since I read Winter's Tale. If you liked Freddy and Fredericka you should read Memoir from Antproof Case. It is the life story of a man who has taken a moral stand against coffee. Sounds strange, but it is hilarious and beautiful. The pacing of Antproof Case is great too- no dull moments here.
Posted by: jenny check | April 18, 2007 at 05:23 PM