The History of Love

Read this book

This was the best novel I have read in decades, and I read a lot. I cried through the last 20 pages, and then immediately started reading it over again.

8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

one of my all-time best

I had the pleasure of LISTENING to this book on CD and i must say that the voices truly enhanced what i found to be a profoundly perfect book. i'm astounded that the author is a young woman she has such an 'old' voice. i did something i've NEVER done before: when i finished, i went right back to the beginning and started all over again. I wanted to pick up all the subtle nuances and almost wanted to do a flow-chart to keep track. what a beauty!

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Above average old man story?

Didn't correlate differing icons for narrators at chapter headings immediately...
I feel old reading about Leo Gursky; his body is mine, slowing, and failing. He wants to shunt aside pain or excitement until a connection, until proof, is recognized and felt.
How much fear lingers near love? We carry love and its small memories. I want to plant a flag on this planet, a mark, if not celebrity. I want my thoughts and dreams remembered and carried over to the younger and this book reaches high to achieve these purposeful goals for Leo.

3 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Brilliant, Dazzling...A must read!

I really loved this book and I definetely recommend it. However, I didn't really understand the ending so much and left me with an incomplete and perplexed feeling...otherwise, great characters, interesting storyline and the best part for me was Leo's humor.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

History of Love

The book was so good I couldnt put it down. I enjoyed it very much. My 16 year old son also really liked this book. Finally a book about real values.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

The History of Love, from the first sentence to the very last, is something so beautiful it is beyond words. I've cried, I've laughed, and I've never read a story quite like this. The novel is so different and so unique it defies description. Every word, every sentence, brings it to life.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

One of the best

Gratefully, I was able to both read this amazing novel and hear its CD. I always anxiously looked forward to listening to the CD, falling in love with the old man, Leo; what a strong character! For rereading special parts, viewing the changing chapter icons, and actually experiencing the surprising way the physical layout added to the flow, especially at the end, I appreciated reading the book. And it was listened to and read over again immediately, so hard was it to end the laughing and crying.

I was so powerfully effected by the emotions Krauss was able to draw out of her readers, that later I read the end of the book again while waiting in a local bookstore, and found myself effected almost as much as when I had had more privacy!! Amazing and embarassing. This stands out as one of those special books that I want in my own personal library. Thank you, Nicole Krauss, thank you.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One of A Kind

It is true that the book had its confusing moments, but if you were as captivated by the writing as I was, you will try to solve the puzzle before it is explained to you. The book had many characters and each one seemed to have something to relate to, even though they were extremely different people. All of my emotions were played with by the writing to the point where I saw that I had chills after reading the ending. The story was so good I couldn't wait for someone else to read it so I could talk about it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I can't stop thinking about this beautiful story.

This is in my top 10 favorite books of all time. I think Krauss in incredibly talented. I admit I had to stop and jot down notes to figure out who was where and when, then I understood in the end why I had been confused. I love the idea of an artist/writer creating something beautiful that moves people in ways he may never know.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Unforgettable

This book touched me in ways no other book has. It was an emotional roller-coaster. There is humor, grief, love, and even deceit,all woven together in such a beautiful way by Krauss. I felt as if I 'knew' each of the characters, and could understand why they behaved as they did. I will remember this book, and it is one I will only loan, and not give away.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

I rather liked it

The last chapter was phenomenal

Hard read

Difficult to keep up with it all... hard to read.

What?

I (painstakingly) got through half of this book before deciding I had no desire to finish it. From the description, it seemed like there would be an enjoyable plot to the book. By the halfway point, that plot had yet to start. The chapters alternated between two characters: an old man just struggling to get through each day, and a young girl who wants to find a new husband for her mom. Aside from living in Brooklyn, these characters have nothing in common, and as far as I can tell, there is no way they would ever meet in a million years.
I really have no idea what the book is about, and have no desire to finish it.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I read this book as a hard cover in 2006, and still remember my

I read this book as a hard cover in 2006, and still remember my love of turning the pages. This is one of those books that will stay on your shelf for a reread.

Lucky find

I was innan airport waiting my flight to se my mum when i picked this book off the shelf. I didnt expect to become so engrossed in this wonderful story or to love the book as much as i do. A great read for anyone and elegantly writen.

A Good Read

The History of Love is a good story written by a good writer.

fantastic!

The poetry of each page took my breath away

Beautiful story

A unique, moving story. I read it twice, something I never do, and marvelled at the depth and craft of the characters and the writer, respectively. One of my all time favorites.

not recommended

This is a sad, depressing, useless book. Don't waste your time.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Too good for words

This book is an absolute must read and has immidiately become one of my favorites. The writing is absolutely beautiful and captivating, and the story is compelling. This book will change your life.