false 87060 8 Mark Helprin's picaresque romp, <I>Freddy and Fredericka</I>, begins with a secret rite on a Scottish hillside: the Prince of Wales, poised in his crisp field uniform, urges a falcon named Craig-Vyvyan to fly from his arm. The latest in a line of royal falcons with the ability to discern true kings and queens, Craig-Vyvyan sniffs the air, sizes up the bewildered heir to the throne, and refuses to budge. The falcon knows he isn't king-material, and so does the falconer, and so, in his heart of heart's, does the Prince of Wales. From this promising opening, Helprin spins a tale that ricochets in tone between the silliness of <I>The Naked Gun</I> movies and the gravity of a Wesleyan sermon. To prove their worth and prepare them to rule, the Prince and Princess of Wales--loose caricatures of Charles and Diana--are parachuted naked into New Jersey by night and ordered to reconquer America for Britain. <p> Helprin's theme is nobility--acquired, as well as innate. He puts the spoiled but well-meaning Prince and Princess through a series of farcical trials before they reach the startling conclusion that clean living, hard work, and humility will bring out the best in them. The "funny" parts of <I>Freddy and Fredericka</I> would have benefited from vigorous pruning--the book itself is too long--but there are stirring passages on love and duty sprinkled among the gags and loopy names, and some spectacular landscape descriptions--covert portraits of the force that drives the green fuse through the flower and gives the House of Windsor its curious destiny. <I>--Regina Marler</I> 84033 2005 Freddy and Fredericka total:920|5:233|4:333|3:216|2:92|1:46| 920 3375 1334 241 2 2 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 28 14:16:20 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 28 15:47:02 -0800 2008 The Queen, so I lack the backg...more...]]> 5 3 false false Fri Nov 07 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 11 18:39:39 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 11 19:03:42 -0800 2008 1
It took a while for me to see the plot developing as the setup took a good couple hundred pages, but once you get through the setup -- which is hilarious if you just roll with it -- you get to the good stuff. My favorite thing about Helprin's books is ...more...]]> 5 3 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 19 17:18:58 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 26 10:28:33 -0800 2008
A spoof on the British royal family, Freddy and Fredericka tell the story of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the title characters. They are next in line for the throne, and hopelessly ill-equipped for the weighty responsibilities, traditions, cus...more...]]> 4 2 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Sep 24 12:19:56 -0700 2007 Sun Dec 30 07:09:55 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 3 false false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Jul 27 19:28:17 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 27 19:40:37 -0700 2007
This book...more...]]> 5 4 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 16 08:10:45 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 16 08:13:47 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 02 04:52:35 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 05:34:50 -0800 2009 2 more...]]> 1 1 false false Mon Jan 12 12:06:30 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 12:06:56 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 21 19:31:33 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 19:35:26 -0700 2009
In this novel, Helprin tells the tale of the Prince and Princess of Wales, sent to the United States to reclaim it as a territo...more...]]> 5 0 false true Fri Aug 05 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Wed Aug 26 13:12:53 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 13:25:30 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Mar 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 14 08:17:25 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 09:38:25 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 21:01:50 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 21 20:52:07 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Jul 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 05:50:46 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 18:54:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jun 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 31 13:06:49 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 16:00:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Jan 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Dec 27 06:06:54 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 19 19:25:12 -0800 2009
"They had learned to hybridize the blood-red internecine warfare of...more...]]> 1 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Oct 24 16:11:06 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 24 16:22:37 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Sep 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 17:56:45 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 06 20:11:22 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Jul 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 11:15:43 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 11 08:15:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Oct 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 24 21:19:53 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 24 21:43:54 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 04 07:58:52 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 15 19:49:24 -0700 2008 more...]]>