The Oceans and the Stars
Mark Helprin
Mark Helprin, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Winter’s Tale and A Soldier of the Great War , returns with a fast-paced, beautifully written novel about the majesty of the sea; a life dedicated to duty, honor, and country; and the gift of falling in love. A Navy captain near the end of a decorated career, Stephen Rensselaer is disciplined, intelligent, and determined always to do what’s right. In defending the development of a new variant of warship, he makes an enemy of the President of the United States, who assigns him to command the doomed line’s only prototype–– Athena , Patrol Coastal 15––with the intent to humiliate a man who should have been an admiral. more
512 pages, Hardcover
First published Harry N. Abrams
4.44
Rating
815
Ratings
155
Reviews
Mark Helprin
51 books 1377 followers
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.Community reviews
Sailor take noteOf the bright and the deepAnd the vast embraceOf the oceans and the stars. And so begins the beautiful novel by Mark Helprin, The Oceans and the Stars, purported to be a sea story, a war story, and a love story. It was all that and more with the wonderful writing and lyrical prose that Helprin is noted for as he evokes a time and a place so authentically that one is there. A Navy captain near the end of his career has been assigned to the Pentagon, and in that capacity, he is called upon to defend a politically doomed variant of the Navy's smallest ship. However, in so doing he outrages the president of the United States who strikes out at him. more
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. more
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. more
I have read 3 of Helprin's books in the past and loved all of them. One was the funniest satire I have ever read in my life. Another was about a conversation between two men, one young and one old as they walk together on an unplanned 50 mile journey. The last was a book that if I had known beforehand what it was about I would have avoided it like the plague as it was completely surrealistic and almost unfathomable but the images created by the author's writing kept me enchanted and reading. I hadn't heard or seen anything about Helprin in quite some time but on a recent trip to B&N attempting replenish my TBR shelf I saw Helprin's name on this book on the New Releases shelf. more
“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. more
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
"Like a lion that watches from a cane break or from the dark as you sleep, the sea strikes when it wishes. "Simply put this is just a beautiful novel, I have always been drawn to stories about the sea and the sea is where most of the action happens in this epic tale. I really appreciate a good love story and there's is a lovely one here, but this is mostly a war story, so if that's not something you enjoy reading then you may not love it as much as I did. more
For starters, I'm an absolute sucker for stories about men who go down to the sea in ships. Whether it's history or fiction, I've read every book on the subject that I could get my hands on. That said, it is with a heavy heart that I have come to the conclusion that this book was a big disappointment. The story itself was fine. It's about a small ship involved in a war with Iran that also has a run-in with ISIS pirates. more
Been awhile since I've read any Helprin and I'm an idiot for doing so. Elegant, beautiful writing. Great story here. . more
Wow. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Kind of like Blackhawk Down meets A Few Good Men, except written by an erudite literary genius. I’m usually not one for war stories but the depictions of modern naval battles and warfare were vivid and intense, with just the right amount of technical detail to educate the reader without getting bogged down. The courtroom drama was equally excellent, told by someone clearly familiar with the legal system and martial law. more
I ended up kind of hate reading this. I’ve been a fan of Helprin’s work for over three decades. The way he writes romance has been developing in an ever more overwrought way, but here it devolves into drivel mixed with a paternalistic misogyny that grates the reader. The military action reads, for the most part, like naval fanfic. Only the last 50 pages, comprising courtroom scenes, seemed to be up to the author’s standard. more
DNF. Got half way through but decided not to go on. I read soldier of the great war years ago and liked it. There was suspense and good descriptive writing, but I guess this patriotic naval war story is not for me. Protagonist seemed very old fashioned for his age and time not to mention sexist. more
The writing in the Oceans and the Stars is wonderful. However, what kept me from rating this 5* was the excessive nautical, weapon and military terminology. I am sure that will appeal to many but it was distracting to me. It's an intelligently told tale and it's one I would consider reading again. Helprin's descriptive narrative is breathtaking, the relationship between Rensselaer and Katy is evocative yet tender without any lurid descriptions that would reduce their story to pulp romance. more
I’m glad I came back to this. The first 200 pages for me were hit and miss. I really enjoyed some of the scenes, but largely it was underwhelming to me. Only Helprin’s wit carried me through, if slowly. I was sitting around 3 stars. more
I listened to this book. It’s 22 hours long, which is long for me. I would have a hard time recommending it to someone. Even someone I know very well because of the Middle East war content, politics and the evil that exists in our world. The whole of it is very poetic and beautiful. more
"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. more
The ethereal title and haunting cover art beckon readers. It’s an epic tale. I’d give it six stars if I could. The greatest war novel of this new century. It is to the 9/11 era what The Winds of War, Once an Eagle, and The Caine Mutiny were to World War II. more
I’m afraid to continue. I’ve put it down 3 times. . more
With luminous descriptive writing, Helprin creates moments of such urgency that I stopped breathing during some of the battle scenes. The main character is intelligent, honest and forthright to a fault, and filled with integrity and years of experience as a leads his crew of younger men on a newly designed small battleship into a war zone. There’s a love interest, harrowing battles, and a military trial. And the writing is fresh and vibrant easily putting the reader in the midst of all the action. more
The intelligence, consideration and wisdom with which Mark Helprin composes a novel is like that a dedicated college student enjoys during the best kind of lecture from their favorite professor. Reading his work nourishes both my intellect and my soul. Helprin describes the ideal sort of helpless, romantic, imperfect but mature love that I have blessedly found in my own life. Where all your tension and fear are gone and you'd literally face death with radiance, so brave are you made by it. Your life has been fulfilled. more
This Homeric tale by Mark Helprin, one of my favorite authors, has been one of the hardest-to-put-down books I’ve read in a long, long time. Yes, the ending is telegraphed from the very start, and the comparisons to The Odyssey become increasingly obvious as you go along, but Helprin is such an authoritative and convincing writer that the ride overshadows the destination. I’ve read other Helprin novels — Winter’s Tale and In Sunlight and in Shadow come to mind — where the prose is so sweeping, so vividly descriptive that reading it becomes an immersive experience, like being carried out of yourself into a reality of Helprin’s own making. The Oceans and the Stars is not like that, but Helprin’s command of his subject is so complete that you’d swear he’d spent a lifetime at sea commanding a small Navy vessel just like USS Athena. It’s not a flawless novel. more
This story was real. Sure, it’s categorized as FICTION, but the subject at hand is real. I am drawn to good stories about the United States Navy and this did not disappoint. Some reviewers commented that the author was wordy at times yet I felt that the descriptive prose was absolutely necessary in order to fully engage and understand the book and its storyline. Especially if one is not familiar with the US Navy. more
As with all his books, I am left a little numb at end, a wonderful exhaustion coupled with a bleak sense of loss at having no more tale to travel, when the prospect of picking up another book seems like blasphemous treachery. This book is a contemporary swashbuckling story of high adventure, riding on waves of big themes: decency, justice, duty, suffused with old-world courage and heroism. It’s fast, theatrical writing buoyed with a preternatural command of language, cresting with action so real and compelling you feel it around you, then mellowing to soft swelling lines of artful description. Read it slowly, savor it, like the roll of the ocean. . more
Tossed up between 4 stars (a somewhat slow start) and going with 5 stars, as I did, because the narrative and action of this naval novel, soon got me in. Much more than thriller but it kept me gripped. Epic, militarily detailed (overly so for some, but not at all cartoonish), leaning to the classical, romantic (in a masculine kind of way. ), with a blend of idealism, and realism about military service, political life and human relationships - all leavened with optimism. I’ll try more from this author now. more
4. 5⭐️ …the first 30% or so went a bit slower for my liking and I wasn’t sure I was going to finish. However, I am glad I did, it picks up with battles at sea, on land and in the courtroom. Found it hard to put down as it neared completion. Courage, compassion, brotherhood, and consequence with a love story weaved in. more
This sweeping, breathtaking tale is a beautifully written ode, a story of war, love and the sea. I was on the edge of my seat. I recommend this one, I won a free copy from Goodreads. . more
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. more