Cross Fernandes Fernandes من عند 3922 Großschönau, النمسا من عند 3922 Großschönau, النمسا

I was originally going to give this book three stars, but I suspect I would have appreciated it more had I not read it at such a hectic time of year. It centers around a book called, naturally, The History of Love, and follows the stories of various people whose lives are affected by it. Among them are the Holocaust survivor Leo Gursky, who is waiting for death after a life full of loss; 14-year-old Alma, who is trying to solve her family's problems by finding a new husband for her widowed mother; and Zvi Litvinoff, the mysterious supposed author of the book. I really enjoyed Leo's narration. It was full of yearning and feeling and humor (even if the endless "And yet"s became tiring after a while). Alma, though, did not interest me nearly as much. I never felt emotionally connected to her, and became quite irritated with her constant meddling. The story gradually becomes a mystery of sorts, which drew me and kept me guessing. The ending, though, was unsatisfying. My impression was that Kraus had fell flat in an attempt to create a deeply moving conclusion. Having said that, much of the writing was beautiful and unusual, and the story eloquently portrays love--among couples, families, and friends.