What do You think about A Dove Of The East: And Other Stories (2005)?
Short stories ??? Many struck me as little more then character sketches. Halfway through the collection I found myself shaking my head and somewhat exasperated, oh no, not another young woman with green eyes wearing a white dress. Last time I checked there are four seasons. Maybe pretty green eyed women in white dresses and young men captivated by them only come out in the autumn. Mark Helprin may have been young when these were written, in the thrall of love and still cutting his teeth on a literary career. That said he is a favorite author of mine, and I look forward to a next novel.
—Paul Piro
Wow! That's my review of this collection. Mark Helprin is a master of elegiac writing. Though he employs great simplicity in his style of writing, understanding his work requires thought. From reading this collection, I believe him to be one of the best contemporary American novelist! My favorites so far are "First Russian Summer" and "Katrina, Katrin." You can tell that he has used his life experiences to help in writing and also he believes in the power of his love. His words are beyond beautiful and I love the epigraph: "Love moved me and made me speak." -Dante's Inferno
—Natalie Joseph
