Myth and Fairy Tale Themes in Winter's Tale

[Micah]

This is one of my top two favorite books ever. It has all the elements that Tolkien laid out in "On Fairy Stories." Plus, the protagonist, Peter Lake, is the archetypal marginalized boy who becomes a hero. Also central to it is the turn of the seasons (as the name implies) and thus a retelling of the Ceres and Persephone story makes for a fitting subplot that becomes central. AVOID the movie version -- an almost total botch of this beautiful book. Plus, you'd miss Helprin's gorgeous language! Highly recommended!