Oh my - I thought this was a wonderful, thought-and spirit-provoking book, with such interesting and complex characters!

I was gripped by the first chapters, then at times felt a bit confused - who was writing what, which Alma, current or past story... By the end, I was enthralled again - by the surprises and by the simplicity and touching quality of the ending.

Found myself marking and copying lines/quotes I liked.

Since I received a second copy from a generous BC friend, I'm happy to send this one on to reading friend Whitreidtan.

Hope you enjoy giving it a try! I think you'll know after p. 13 if it's for you. (my test idea for this different book)

Ack! I forgot to register this when it arrived and I've just now uncovered it on my desk. Sorry for the delay. Thanks JDT for this one. I wasn't planning on reading it but the raves about it have intrigued me so now I must. :-)

A double-stranded narrative, this is the story of Leo Gursky and of a young girl named Alma and how their lives run towards each other. Leo is an elderly Polish Jew who escaped the Holocaust to live in New York City. Alma is a teenaged girl named for a character in a book that her late father gave to her mother. The book, The History of Love, is the fragile thread that binds Leo and Alma unknowingly together. Leo wrote the book to chronicle his eternal love for Alma, the girl/woman he knew back in Poland and who escaped Europe several years before he did. He wrote it only for her but it has somehow been published and although obscure, has touched others' lives. As Krauss' novel chronicles Leo's day to day existence and his continued love for his Alma, the young Alma starts out on a quest to find the character for whom she has been named, utterly convinced that the woman exists beyond the fictional pages of the love story. On the way, the young Alma draws ever nearer to Leo and to the ultimate explanation of the book's existence in the greater world. Krauss has drawn sympathetic, imaginative, and eccentric characters who both draw the reader in and confound them at unexpected turns. The ending left me with some questions (probably a result of lack of careful reading on my part) but overall, I quite enjoyed the journey.

Sent to a fellow bookcrosser.