Reviews

Love & Treasure by Ayelet Waldman

manaledi's review against another edition

3.0

This book did historical fiction well, combining the facts with the personalities and emotions to make an engaging story.

lisanussd's review against another edition

4.0

There were three main sections (stories) in this book that were connected through the Holocaust in regards to Hungarian Jews. The tangible piece was a pendant. In my mind, there were 3 distinct stories and when one ended, I felt like I was jumping onto the next "island" of a story.

I enjoyed the 1st and 3rd stories. I was impressed the way Waldman was able to present her male characters. Jack, the WWII American stationed in Salzburg, was very believable and Waldman's portrayl of him invited me into the story. I was sad when his story ended. The 2nd story was set in the present, but I found the characters unbelievable, and I felt the story wasn't able to progress within the context of Israelis and the search for unclaimed Jewish treasures. In fact, I felt lost through most of the 2nd story.

It was well-written and enjoyable historical fiction although about a heart-wrenching period.

stevienlcf's review against another edition

2.0

Waldman's novel starts with promise in Salzburg in the aftermath of the war. An American soldier, Jack Wiseman, is charged with cataloging and protecting the contents of what has later come to be known as the Hungarian Gold Train, freight cars filled with valuables confiscated from the murdered Jews of Hungary. Jack's sense of honor and his Jewish identity are tested when he falls in love with an Hungarian refugee, Ilona, the only member of her family to survive the concentration camps, and the valuables which he is charged to safeguard are looted by his senior command. The novel then skips to the present and follows divorced, unemployed, and grieving Natalie Stein, Jack's beloved granddaughter, who travels to Budapest and Israel seeking to return an enamel pendant to its rightful owner. Natalie embarks on a romance with Amitai, a Syrian Jew who deals in lost and stolen art with a legitimate provenance. Amitai profits from seeking work that is selling well in the art market, researching Jewish collections, and negotiating a deal with the heirs of the legitimate owner. There is a silly section when Amitai and Natalie steal a painting that was seized from Jewish war victims. Although Waldman seeks to unify the sections of the novel with the stolen pendant, the book ends with a puzzling section about suffragism in 1913 Budapest and the relationship between a sympathetic psychoanalyst who treats a young, intellectual woman with aspirations to become a physician.

byashleylamar's review against another edition

3.0

Love and Treasure by Ayelet Waldman is yet another World War II fiction novel however unlike so many others this story takes place at the conclusion of the war and introduces readers to the little known “Hungarian Gold Train.” Opening in 1945 and then advancing 70 years this book exposes the lingering effects of World War II and the guilt that some still carry. Throughout the first two-thirds of the novel this book is gripping and addicting however it does falter a bit toward the end. The voice shifts toward the conclusion of the novel and becomes a bit stilted and forced but this is still a tremendous work and will be enjoyed by fans of WWII fiction.

Jack Wiseman, the central figure in Love and Treasure is a wonderful character! He is very three-dimensional and very easy for readers to invest in; he is conflicted and flawed. Initially charged with guarding the seized treasures he cannot resist temptation and lifts a peacock necklace from the riches. This act will haunt him for 70 years. Ilona, a Hungarian woman who lost everything in the Holocaust, is the counterpart to Jack. She is beautiful and strong; a wonderful addition to the novel however her time in the story was far too brief. Jack’s granddaughter, Natalie, lacked the depth of the other characters and felt as though she was more of an addition to the novel than a fully realized person in the story. It was harder to invest in her than the others however the story itself was still worth following.

There are so many parts of Love and Treasure that I adored and a few parts that simply didn’t quite work the way the author intended. The final chapters of the book are awkward and nearly pulled me out of the story. A psychoanalyst? A history lesson on the necklace? Strange and an abrupt shift in the storytelling yet as a whole this is a very good book. When researching the book on Amazon I saw that many readers purchased it along with All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and I understand the interest and comparisons between the two novels. They are both unique perspectives on WWII and I can see how those that loved one would love the other. I reviewed All The Light We Cannot See about a week ago and would agree that those who enjoyed that book would enjoy Love and Treasure as well.

Review by Ashley LaMar
Closed the Cover

orchid8's review

emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

I definitely learned a lot about what Hungarian Jews went through before and during the holocaust, which I appreciate. This book starts strong, but I found it hard to stick with — especially during the last part which is an unconvincing epistolary. I struggled with the contemporary dialogue, which didn’t ring true. The plot, number of characters, and ambitious weaving together of multiple eras and ideas ultimately overburdened the book. 

virginiacjacobs's review against another edition

3.0

The first section of the book is really great. The second section of the book has a bit of mad-cap pacing. The third section of the book really does not tie everything together and was painful to read.

cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition

3.0

Recommended by Connie. Read her review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1184406629?book_show_action=false&page=1

Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Slove%20and%20treasure%20waldman__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold

roisin_killen's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

chantelmccray's review against another edition

3.0

I liked it.

nicmedia123's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5