A City in Winter

A Kingdom Far and Clear: The Swan Lake Trilogy #2

by Mark Helprin, Chris Van Allsburg (Illustrator)

Driven to avenge the murder of her royal parents and reclaim their lost kingdom, the daring young heroine and would-be queen journeys to the besieged city on the plain to seek out its evil conqueror, the Usurper. Mark Helprin's spellbinding tale reveals a city veiled in snow, at once divine and deadly. Van Allsburg's stunning illustrations supply a palpable richness which captures all the exhilarating expanse of the story. 13 color illustrations.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Picture Books, Middle Grade, Fairy Tales

147 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1996

About the author

Mark Helprin belongs to no literary school, movement, tendency, or trend. As many have observed and as Time Magazine has phrased it, “He lights his own way.” His three collections of short stories (A Dove of the East and Other Stories, Ellis Island and Other Stories, and The Pacific and Other Stories), six novels (Refiner's Fire, Winter's Tale, A Soldier of the Great War, Memoir From Antproof Case, Freddy and Fredericka and, In Sunlight and In Shadow), and three children's books (Swan Lake, A City in Winter, and The Veil of Snows, all illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg), speak eloquently for themselves and are remarkable throughout for the sustained beauty and power of their language.

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Helprin has always been one of my favored writers, simply because of his imagination. Now, combine his words with the imaginative illustrations of Chris Van Allsburg and you get this marvelous children's/middle grade book, which is actually the second volume in the Swan Lake Trilogy. As usual with any good book for youth, adults will also be intrigued.

My story is simple, the story of struggle, so well known to all who come into this world, and I am writing for you, my son or daughter not yet born, so that you too may know who you are and whence you have come.

The star of the book is the young heroine, orphaned by the murder of her parents and bearing the burden of royal blood. She knows her destiny is to fight The Usurper, but she won't be able to do it alone. But will any rebel assist her without putting their own lives at risk?



As her adventure progresses, she becomes more sure of herself, not easy when one is young and female.

...I collect armies now the way other people bring wood to the stove.

And her adversary is one nasty dude!



I could subsist on the artwork alone. My goal with this book was to take my time finishing it, so the nighttime reading (to a purring cat) would be a reward for any daytime exhaustion. The feline may not have fully appreciated it, but I definitely want to get the other two books in the series.

Book Season = Winter (myrrh fire)

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew this was part of a trilogy? Not me. Don't care either. I think I found it in a remainders bin and I fell in love with it for the illustrations and the wordy yet sort-of magical writing, the grand descriptions, the magic of the city. Stands on its own, and is dear to me in memory, though I am certain that, reading it in my 20s, I was a bit older than the target audience.

[Kerith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Helprin has a beautiful imagination, which he uses full force in this story of a city and its queen. The queen is 10 years old and she has returned from exile in the forest to her snowy realm which has been overthrown by an evil usurper. The city is "in winter" for more reasons than seasonal, it is held in thrall by a cold and ruthless person. The little girl queen must work and wait, and find her friends before making herself known.

Helprin's descriptions of the colossal palace and all its different workers defies explanation here. He is assisted by Chris Van Allsburg, of all artists the one most suited to illustrate a children's story by Helprin. The pictures are quite lovely, to say the least. I feel this will certainly be a book to read to my daughter when she is old enough, though I fear my husband will claim that privilege first.

[Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gorgeous book. Should be read in one fluid motion though as it contains beautiful imagery and a story with a short timeline.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

My wife brought this home from Half-Price Books, where she works, because it was illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. I read this book 3 - 5 nights a week to my 9 year old over the last 2 weeks. There were some interesting parts but after 20 pages or so I asked my son if he wanted me to keep reading and he said yes. It's a story of a young girl, told by her adult self, whose royal parents were murdered by an evil usurper who takes over the kingdom. She is unknown as the new queen until the time is right. I didn't really like it because there were too many sentences like this..."Though I was unfamiliar with social graces, and dancing, and what was in a zoo, a bakery, or a museum, on a clear day when I had neither lessons or work I would run in the mountains sometimes from dawn until dark." It was hard to enjoy because of the work of reading it aloud. I guess I should have read it beforehand. Grady on the other hand loved the book. Right up until I stopped and said, "The End," not because it said, "The end," but because it ended so abruptly that I felt like I should say it. He noticed, too. "WHAT?" he exclaimed. We both felt a bit cheated.

[Friend of Pixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Logan likes these enough to finish the trilogy, but as the person who is doing the reading aloud, I will say that they are a tiresome. The sentences are often incredibly long and convoluted, without enough punctuation, so that I have to read them twice to figure out where the emphasis or pauses should be. And so much belabored description! If I have a chance, I’ll come back and put in some examples. The dialog is pretty good, but not enough of it to outweigh the drudgery of reading this aloud every night.

While Helprin is imaginative, I’ll never pick up any of his other books. The Illustrations are lovely though.

[Tatiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was odd and unfulfilling and nowhere in the book did it say it's part of a trilogy.

The illustrations are beautiful in their own right, as is to be expected of Chris van Allsburg, but what they included was not as detailed and grandiose as the author described it.

The story just sort of ends and falls flat after a book-long build up, which you get nothing from in the end.

It had quirky, fun, fantasy moments with a bit of humor but was very disappointing after that abrupt ending.

Wondering if it'd be better when read as a trilogy but otherwise would not recommend it.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book on the sale table at a local bookstore a few years back and thought it looked interesting. It's been a while since I read this book, but remember it being one I really enjoyed. The illustrations are wonderful and add to the story. When I finished, I realized that this was the middle book in a trilogy based on "Swan Lake". I still haven't picked up the rest of the series--see my to-read list--but hope to get the other books and complete the set.

[Steven Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trilogy's "Return of the King," as it focuses on the attempt to restoration of all that is right. Our heroine seeks her revenge and kingdom from the Usurper in a city veiled in snow and as enchanting as it is deadly. The illustrations illuminate little corners of this world without intruding into your imagination. I'm looking forward to the new Helprin, but I wish he'd give us more snow-drenched fantasias like this one.

[Ashley Stangl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved exploring the city (even though it's a weird mix of historical with over-the-top impossible). Some of the issues discussed were relevant (if a bit on-the-nose) and some of the events were moving. But also WHY DID HE SEND THIS GIRL AT TEN YEARS OLD WHEN SHE HAS NEVER EVEN SEEN OTHER PEOPLE BEFORE?? I get that this is a fairy tale but it's also a terrible way to go about arranging your revolution.

[Cosmogyral (Gav) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems like it would be a lot of fun to read out loud, with quirky, fluid word choices. It would have played best with me at the heroine's own age of ten, though as an adult with the politics I have, I grew frustrated at the very end by the way divine right of a monarch propelled everything about the plot. Still special, worth sharing with kids in your life who like to push their vocabularies and can handle a scene of violent death.

[Jean Doolittle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The blurb calls this a spellbinding tale, evocatively told. Indeed it is; the unnamed heroine who is destined to be queen travels to her inevitable, not not easy to attain place as ruler of her people. Much is unrevealed besides her name...tantalizing the readers, but will there be more? I loved the story and its telling, but such an unresolved ending frustrates me.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book of a trilogy about a girl who is the rightful heir and how she becomes queen. Once again, Helprin has a wonderful prose that draws in the reader, fleshing out a fairy tale that is unique. I only wish there were more Allburg's illustrations throughout the book. Looking forward to reading the third and final book.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

The hyperbole that was charming in Swan Lake seemed excessive and distancing in this continuation.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, so, so boring. Flat, overly wrought and offensively sermonizing. The Christian morality was odd and off putting. I felt conned.

[Tim Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helprin tells a wonderful story, again, but it's carried beautifully by Van Allsburg 's divine illustrations.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird but I like it.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back when I lived in Ann Arbor, I dear book friend gave me a copy of this. I haven't gotten around to reading it until now.

This story is written like a dream. It's like this whole huge kingdom in a dream.

The usurper stole the kingdom from the royal family. The daughter of the king survived. She is now about to retake her kingdom. She is writing a letter from her room about the whole experience.

The world is a world of ice and snow, or set in winter. It reminded me or Russia for some reason. The writing is middle grade and nothing seems to have much consequences. The royal attitude that is natural to the girl is grating. They put a whole lot of importance on being royal. Like only royals can be brave, good people and fight for others.

The language is beautiful and the artwork that Chris Van Allsburg does is beautiful. An interesting little quick story. Different from what I've been reading. I'm glad I read it, but it's not a book I would encourage someone to put at the top of their TBR.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

god this book is so pretty. and fucked up. but so pretty, both the illustrations and the images in the story itself, and the words and pictures go together so well. and because i’ve loved it for so long, i can open to any page and just feel this instant PEACE wash over me.

don’t bother reading the other two books btw. this is the second in a trilogy but it’s honestly much better to treat it as a standalone. the first book is unremarkable and unnecessary, the third one is devastatingly depressing.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 2 in a series of 3. I loved the expansion to the fairytale Swan Lake in the first book and I will finish book three. I am glad I did not read this first. It was slow and hard to follow at times. It also seemed overly preachy with very little storytelling at one point.

This book tells the story of the 10-year-old queen as she retakes her kingdom back from the usurper. Characters are clever, and the illustrations are beautiful. Overall, that is what drew me to this book. Still, it is a far better story than most.

[Rubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, love that the kid we got to know in book one is writing to her own child about how she became Queen.
At first though I felt like I was missing a lot since she mentions a husband and child and war all of which we didn't see but then she goes back to explaining how she got off the mountain and to waging war against the usurper.
Her personality tho seemed strange....like it felt a bit unbelievable to me that she went from farm girl to "I'm a QUEEN" attitude but....i guess lol

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much better than the first book in this series...

[Joshua Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helprin's prose is magical. My only complaint is that this could have been fleshed out much more in detail and been a longer treat.

[Jena]

Maybe we'll try again some time down the road

[Chrystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story: 3.5 stars
Illustrations: 5 stars

Part 2 of the Swan Lake trilogy.
I liked this better than the first part.

[Tuly Huntington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow going story with lots of platitudes. Still you can't beat the illustrations.

[MerryMeerkat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Rating Art: 4 Stars
Star Rating Story: 3 Stars

Self purchase for my Kindle.

First Impression: A bit of a disappointment.

I was really hoping I���d like this series since I liked Hellboy: Midnight Circus (I got as an ARC from Netgalley) so much.

Characters: The sorcerer who originally brought hellboy into being is a very wordy person. Also, very boring and uninteresting. Hellboy- he rocks, has some great lines.

Chapter one- a little on the confusing side at first until you see where it is going. Wasn���t thrilled with first chapter (3 Stars) Second chapter things are starting to look better (4 Stars). Chapter three goes downhill again as the stupid sorcerer rambles on and on. I can���t read it it���s so annoying. (2 Stars-) Chapter four- more ramblings from the sorcerer. 3 Stars

I did go ahead and purchase volume 2 in the series because I suspect it gets better. Now that the introduction and history crap is out of the way, I think I���ll like it more. But if Volume 2 isn���t a lot better, I may have to give up on the series.


Quotes: ���Sir, you���ve got frogs��� Hellboy
���Thanks, but I have other plans for the Apolcalypse��� Hellboy

[Letitia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting little book and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Possibly it's because it is the only one in the series I have read. There are things I absolutely adore about it. The writing defies genre and is beautiful. As a child, I think I would have been extremely drawn to this story, not just because of the queen-returning-to-rule narrative, but because of the odd specificity of details and extreme over-categorization of everything, especially food. As an adult, it doesn't follow expected story and plot patterns, and while that might not be a bad thing, I find myself kind of scratching my head about what this little book is actually about. It ends too abruptly, the main character has no arc, and while it could be some kind of political commentary, the allegory is not committed to, or at least not strong enough. However, I am intrigued enough to probably look up the other two in the series and see if I can piece together a better understanding of the writer's viewpoint.

[jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of a ten year old girl, raised in the forest, who travels alone to the city to claim her kingdom. Her parents and grandparents, the rulers of the kingdom, had been murdered by the Usurper when the girl was a baby and she has been raised in secret by a tutor. When she is put to work in the castle that should be hers, she finds that rebels have been waiting for her return.

An unusual book. It begins with the now grown little girl writing to her unborn child, so we know she survives. Also, the story is about a specific episode in her life, the uprising of her rebellion forces. There is just enough background to let the reader understand the story, but there are plenty of unanswered questions at the end.
It's an imaginative story with spots of humor and spots of dry writing. The only real quibble I have is that it's described and begins as a children's fantasy, then halfway through it becomes a Christian lesson.

[Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a Christmas gift, and from the moment I held it, it felt important and magical.

I thought Helprin's girl-queen really embodied the innocent bravery of a child, and her character hooked me. The imagery and the illustrations also maintained a level of magic and solemnity that kept me turning the pages.

Some themes seemed so relevant to me, at this time--the Usurper's aversion to the word "truth" and the love of idiocy. The darkness and totality of the Usurper's control was haunting.

Some of the concepts seemed to point in more metaphorical directions, like the divine right to rule... maybe that's a natural consequence of writing about royalty, but it could also be read as an allegory for the reader. The girl queen's bravery and trust that the way would unfold was really beautiful.