Walter's Purple Heart

by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Book Overview

Michael Steeb is an aimless twenty-one-year-old pot farmer in Central California in the 1980s. He has no real plans or interests . . . until the day he connects with memories of a life that seems to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684867230
• ISBN13: 9780684867236
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

With Compassion

Catherine Ryan Hyde has brought you to the feeling that each author tries to achieve. Her characters have been so fully developed that you can relate in some way to all of them.The feeling of love that Walter makes you proud to feel, is a real winner. Let yourself become one of the people and then you will become another and finally you will fill all the shoes. This book will make you feel so wonderful, and will add to your faith in yourself.This should be at the top of the best seller list.

A FINE READ!

Woody Allen said, "The heart wants what it wants." Catherine Ryan Hyde says it again - beautifully - in Walter's Purple Heart!

PAY IT FORWARD fans, Catherine Ryan Hyde Has Done It Again!

"Pay It Forward" fans, it's time to cheer. Catherine Ryan Hyde's latest-"Walter's Purple Heart"-is another life-affirming, emotionally rewarding read that touches the heart and satisfies the soul. In her just-the-good-parts, spare, literary style, she spins an un-put-downable tale that pays tribute to the "Greatest Generation"-the heroes and heroines of World War II-without glorifying the violence and pain they endured. It's a book about the eternal power of love and friendship that should appeal to all generations, but for those of us of AARP age, this book makes a very special gift.

The Language of Undying Love

In Catherine Ryan Hyde's last two novels (Pay It Forward, Electric God), she demonstrated her prowess in understanding human emotions and her brilliant use of the english language. In her newest novel, "Walter's Purple Heart", she cements her domination as an incredible storyteller and translator of the language of undying love."Walter's Purple Heart", a symbol for the love one man holds as a bright, shining beacon of hope, even after his own death, presents the reader with an interesting premise. Not unlike "Ghost", and reminiscent of "The Bridges of Madison County" in tone and flavor (only much, much better written), "Walter's Purple Heart" resonates with poetry and brilliance.Walter is killed in Guadalcanal in 1942, but his soul is restless. It seems that he cannot "cross over" and leave his love unspoken for Mary Ann...nor his death a mystery for his best friend Andrew. He enlists the (at first) unwilling aid of Michael, a somewhat paranoid marijuana farmer in California (what other kinds are there?). By giving Michael bizarre dreams of his horrific and untimely death, Walter draws Michael into his reasons for returning, and urges him (or perhaps threatens him is more apt) to find his childhood sweetheart and his former best friend."How will I know what to do once I find them?" Michael asks."You'll know," Walter assures him.Nothing is ever quite that simple. While Mary Ann recognizes Walter in Michael's eyes, and their decades-old relationship sparks anew (despite the glaring difference in age), Andrew is reluctant and bitter, refusing to believe that Walter has returned in the unlikely form of Michael.With unerring brilliance, Hyde again displays her ability to make a phrase sing with wonder and beauty, drawing the reader in flawlessly and effortlessly. By presenting Walter's appearance in the story in a no-nonsense fashion, Hyde thereby avoids the "suspension of belief" issue of dealing with her narrator being a ghost, the sign of a great writer."Walter's Purple Heart" proves that Hyde is an author to be reckoned with, her storytelling capabilities destined to become legend, if they're not already!

Heartfelt and Unique

Walter dies suddenly serving in Japan in WWII. Since he is only 21, Walter dies with a lot of unfinished business and as he puts it, "gets stuck." Walter needs to get un-stuck and he can only do that by helping his best friend, his fiancee and the 21-year-old Michael Steeb Walter has reincarnated into. Sound different? It is. But Hyde's prose makes this an acessible and sturdy work. She gives a very realistic portrayal of how boys and men must feel during war--dying or being wounded suddenly, with no opportunity for goodbyes and no opportunity to go forward in life.My favorite parts include when Walter's spirit goes to visit his mother and his best friend and when Walter discusses his siblings, all the love and ambiguity that is present in any family with more than one child.I highly recommend this book as well Electric God and Pay It Forward by Ms. Hyde.