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selenityelizabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
beautifulheartbeat007's review against another edition
not to my taste/didn't get me into the story from the start
dembury's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the greatest, most impactful, passionate, and vibrant books I have EVER read. “The History of Love” left me feeling ripped open and reassured all at once and I don’t know how to fully process my thoughts. I will be rereading and rereading and rereading this book for the rest of my life.
sampcupp's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.5
brn's review against another edition
4.0
Very good book. Makes one sad that it takes that many for realization to hit home.
catherinept's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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? No
4.0
jesstaurant's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
4****
“Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.”
Leo Gursky escaped the SS in Poland, dreaming of the day he’d go across the Atlantic and find the love of his life, Alma, so they could start their life together. Now he lives alone, afraid no one will notice when he dies. 15-year-old Alma Singer was named for “all the female characters in the book” The History of Love – an obscure volume her father gave her mother. But her father died a few years ago, and her mother has been sad ever since, while her brother seems lost in his obsession that he is the Messiah. What connects these disparate characters is their loneliness, and their search for love.
The novel is also a paean to the written word, in the form of a book – a medium that survives the Holocaust, a transatlantic journey, a flood, plagiarism, fire and international translations to touch men and women, of three different generations, on three continents.
The chapters are narrated in turn by the various characters. I fell in love with Leo Gursky and his chapters are the best, in my opinion. Alma’s chapters are written in a style that is so different that it is jarring, and as a result I felt the plot slowed – too much in my opinion. Still, Krauss can craft a sentence that stays with you; she weaves a rich tapestry, revealing her character’s pain and joy, and arriving at a poignant conclusion that is simply poetic.
“Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.”
Leo Gursky escaped the SS in Poland, dreaming of the day he’d go across the Atlantic and find the love of his life, Alma, so they could start their life together. Now he lives alone, afraid no one will notice when he dies. 15-year-old Alma Singer was named for “all the female characters in the book” The History of Love – an obscure volume her father gave her mother. But her father died a few years ago, and her mother has been sad ever since, while her brother seems lost in his obsession that he is the Messiah. What connects these disparate characters is their loneliness, and their search for love.
The novel is also a paean to the written word, in the form of a book – a medium that survives the Holocaust, a transatlantic journey, a flood, plagiarism, fire and international translations to touch men and women, of three different generations, on three continents.
The chapters are narrated in turn by the various characters. I fell in love with Leo Gursky and his chapters are the best, in my opinion. Alma’s chapters are written in a style that is so different that it is jarring, and as a result I felt the plot slowed – too much in my opinion. Still, Krauss can craft a sentence that stays with you; she weaves a rich tapestry, revealing her character’s pain and joy, and arriving at a poignant conclusion that is simply poetic.
mrs_bonaventure's review against another edition
5.0
Picked up second hand a year or so ago, and dug out from the bottom of the pile after reading an excerpt on Pinterest that began, "Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering."
I then fell into the thoughts of a grumpy old man holed up in a cluttered apartment in New York and an awkward teenage girl with a reclusive mother and a disturbed brother.....
But... They were so real (except when they weren't). Post modern, self-referential, nodding to Borges and Marquez and yet full of old fashioned romance.. I was hooked.
I read the last pages walking down the pavement because I couldn't put it down. And it was worth it. I feel slightly stunned.
I then fell into the thoughts of a grumpy old man holed up in a cluttered apartment in New York and an awkward teenage girl with a reclusive mother and a disturbed brother.....
But... They were so real (except when they weren't). Post modern, self-referential, nodding to Borges and Marquez and yet full of old fashioned romance.. I was hooked.
I read the last pages walking down the pavement because I couldn't put it down. And it was worth it. I feel slightly stunned.