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The History of Love
I absolutely adored this book which I did not expect at all. After my disastrous experience with Love Walked In I was really expecting to hate this book. Krauss immediately drew me into the story of the characters and the mystery behind all of their stories. The chapters alternate from being told by three different characters in the book and the difference between each character's storytelling methods really gives the book a 'real' quality to it.
The History of Love
Some good things can be said about this novel. It is a book about a book, which always puts me in a positive mood.The title hero of this book, the book 'The History of Love', was written in Yiddish by a young man in love, in Poland at about the start of WW2; first published in Spanish in Chile by a friend of the original writer, a journalist refugee Pole in Valparaiso; one copy bought by an Israeli in Buenos Aires, who gave it to his English wife, who read it to their American children in New York; the mother translates it into English, and the English text somehow finds its way to the attention of now 79 year old retired locksmith Leo Gursky, who wrote it 60 years ago for Alma, who later became the mother of famous writer Isaac Moritz. The daughter of the translator is called Alma Singer. Maybe you hear the bell ring at this moment, the bell of allusions.So we have history (WW2, Holocaust) and literature and love and fate. This is all very well, but: the plot is impossibly complicated. One might, in a bad mood, call it pretentious (some have done that).Another flaw: the plot has two narrators, Alma Singer, 14, and Leo Gursky, 79. Both contemporary in New York. And both sound like teenagers. There may be system behind that, but it is not convincing. Let's face it, the narration sounds like 'young adult' fiction.Should a young writer nowadays even try to tackle such a complicated and complex 'historical' subject? I have serious doubts about that. It is very hard to be 'original' about these subjects. There should be a very good reason to go there again. I do not see that very good reason in this case. And I am a friend of simplicity anyway. Making a plot more complex does not make it better.
The History of Love
I cannot believe how many people have claimed that this book is "confusing" and yet also claim that they didn't finish it. It's a book. That means you have to read it all the way through to truly understand it. If it's a good book, that is. Which this is.Of course it's going to seem a bit confusing at first, and even more confusing towards the middle, but that's where the excitement lies in good novels, especially in a novel like this. It keeps you interested and curious and intrigued.I read this book in a single sitting because I just couldn't put it down. I wanted to unravel the mystery and discover the connection between all of the characters and, of course, the point of the book.It's a beautifully told story, and the ending is fantastic. An ending that really does justify all the confusion that populates much of the book.For those who passed judgment on this book before having finished it, I urge you to give it another chance. This is definitely one of the better novels to come out in recent years.
The History of Love
This novel gets off to a magnificent start with the story of Leo Gursky, a very old Polish-American refugee living in New York. Leo's story is heart-wrenching, one all of us hope not to have. He is completely alone and each day does something to make himself stand out so that people will know he is alive. He fears dying all alone in his apartment and no one finding him until the stench alerts them. Whether it's knocking over displays in a grocery store or posing nude for an art class, Leo strives to be seen. Long ago, Leo had been in love with Alma. Their love was ended by the Holocaust. Both escaped to America, but when Leo finally found Alma, it was too late for their love to resume. He spends his entire life regretting the loss of her and their son. He is an extremely sad but well-written and sympathetic character who narrates many of the chapters.Other chapters are narrated primarily by Alma, a young Jewish teen in New York, who is determined to pull her mother out of the emptiness her life has become since Alma's father died. Along with her quirky younger brother, they exemplify the heartache of losing a parent when the surviving parent just can't cope. Alma knows that she has been named after a character in a book called "The History of Love" and becomes obsessed with finding the other Alma.The plot is multi-layered and in its final stages links the young Alma to the dying Leo in a somewhat confusing but tearful ending. The story was sometimes hard to follow, the numerous characters and their link to others sometimes tricky to comprehend. While I did enjoy it, I like a nice, tidy ending with all loose strings tied up. This is not that kind of novel. If you revel in unanswered questions, ambiguous situations and characters, and drawing your own conclusions, you will enjoy this much more than I did.
The History of Love
Nicole Krauss has created a beautiful book. Her characters have depth, reality, and cadence. Her plot is complex without being confusing, and accomplishes not only her narrative goals but also seems vitally appropriate to the characters who drive it. It's creative in the vein of Everything is Illuminated. It's clever in the vein of Calvino's If on a Winter's Night a Traveler. It pays homage to the philosophies that inspired it, for the academic who sleeps inside of us.A carefully crafted and beautiful masterpiece.
The History of Love
The book is written in the first person voice, half as a fourteen year old girl trying to cheer up her widowed mother, and half as an old man whose only wish is to communicate with his son before death. These two characters are in no sense related. The two do not know of each other; in fact their lives could not be further apart. The only thing they share in common is a book titled the History of Love. To Alma (the 14 year old) the book is the link between his mother and deceased father. To Leo (the old man), the book was once a dedication to his first love.The way the author brings these two characters alive, and the way she brings them ultimately together is nothing short from surprising. After starting reading, I never once lost interest in following the narrative. I enjoyed watching (reading) Alma maturing, as well as watching Leo grow wiser. I found both of their voices genuine, and pursuance of their respective quests heart-warming.Upon finishing the book's last chapter I felt like lending a hand to help heal the two.