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| The History of Love | 
 enlarge | Author: Nicole Krauss
Publisher: Penguin
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £7.98 (100%)
New (37) Collectible (3) from £0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  62 reviews
Sales Rank: 3384
Media: Paperback
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0141019972
EAN: 9780141019970
ASIN: 0141019972
Publication Date: January 6, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Paperback. Light creasing to the spine, general shelf wear. Internally clean. Very good condition.
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| Customer Reviews:
 When love flies off the pages of a book... January 16, 2008
That's the case with the "History of Love". Its author thought that the book he wrote decades earlier was irretrievably lost. Instead, it had survived and traveled extensively, touching and changing the life of those who read it.
I especially liked the character of old Leo Gursky, drawn vividly to say the least, a touching, funny and simultaneously heartbreaking personality, who never forgot his first and only love. She had fled their native Poland during the Holocaust to go to New York and, by the time he is able to reach her, and learns that he has a son, it's too late.
On the other side of town (we're in contemporary New York), a young girl named Alma is currently reading the translation her mother is doing of the "History of Love" -a book she knew had influenced her parents' lives- hoping that by finding out the identity of the man who had requested the translation would help her mother to find love again after her husband's untimely death. She cannot yet know that the plan she has in mind will unravel an unexpected path.
Emotional twists & turns unfold for both of these main characters, old Leo and young Alma. Without knowing each other personally and unbeknownst to them, their lives and those of their loved ones are tied by the same rope.
A tender and often wrenching story about Love in all of its forms. The only reason I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 (in the absence of that "half mark" which I find could be useful), is that, at times, I had to concentrate not to mix up the various characters described, despite their obvious pertinence to the story, especially when reaching the middle of the book. A bit confusing.
On the other hand, I did appreciate the thin but strong line between past and present, with an original juxtaposition and an elegant prose. It all comes together in the end and the message is incredibly moving.
Beautifully written December 1, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was captivated from the outset by The History Of Love, which opens with a narrator called Leo Gurnsky. He is in his 70s, lonely and waiting to die. He lost the love of his life when they became separated during the Holocaust. By the time he found her, she had given him up for dead and married someone else, raising his child as her husband's son.
Then the narrative jumps to Alma, a girl aged 14 who lives with her mother and younger brother. Her mother has been alone since Alma's father died, and Alma wants to set her up with someone. Her mother has been asked to translate a book and Alma wonders if the client might be a suitable candidate.
At this point I was curious to know how these two stories would intersect. Every time I thought I had found the connection I would be proven wrong, and it's not until the very end of the novel that it all comes together. I can understand the reviewers who feel they didn't fully understand the book because I do feel that my grasp on what really happened is a little tenuous! This would be an excellent choice for a bookclub, as it leaves you wanting to discuss it with someone.
It's also a beautifully written book that is a joy to read. The sections narrated by Leo are particularly wonderful. The language throughout is rich and the narrative is multi-layered. It reminded me in many ways of "The World to Come" by Dara Horn, and I also recommend that book to anyone who enjoyed this one.
 Dreadful October 22, 2007
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
It started fairly well and then I didn't really understand it so gave up. I really didn't enjoy anything about this complicated book.
 an extraordinary book October 8, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
simply one of the best books i have ever read (in a long, book-loving life). wonderfully written, marvellously observed. i read it a second time recently, thinking it couldn't possibly be as good as i'd remembered it - and it was better.
Absolutely Beautiful September 13, 2007
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
I discovered this book recently in a lovely bookshop in Copenhagen which displayed their top 10 - and this was one of them. Not for the faint hearted and I'm afraid to say that the poor reviews do make me think as one reviewer put that they didn't 'get it' They can't have because this book is so exquisitely written and almost cruel in its beauty. Yes, it's non linear so although the writing is incredibly accessible (see Nick Hornby's polysyllabic spree - and what he says about amazong reviewers LOL - I think he would have loved this although it might not be in the literary genre per se.
I cried in the first (quite long) chapter and sobbed at the end. It was so human, so beautifully written, just as it says on the cover a real vindication of fiction...read this book! It's sad but also so funny, so sweet, so human, slightly flawed in minor respects, insightful, clever, imaginative, inspiring. Made me think about life and love and what it is to be human.
Read it!!!
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