The History of Love (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This has nothing to do with the general theme of my blog, but I really wanted to talk about my new favorite book.  It’s called The History of Love (by Nicole Krauss) and it has surpassed the greatness of my previous favorite, PS I Love You (by Cecilia Ahern). Both books are incredible, but there’s just something so wonderful about The History of Love.  Every time I have read it, I’ve laughed out loud, I’ve had tears well up in my eyes, and I’ve had to actually set the book down several times to reflect upon the beautiful sentences I’ve just read.

There are so many captivating parts to this book! Krauss did a fantastic job writing the poignant life events of one of the main characters, Leo Gursky (which are my favorite parts to read). Here’s a line that I adore:

At times I believed that the last page of my book and the last page of my life were one and the same, that when my book ended I’d end, a great wind would sweep through my rooms carrying the pages away, and when the air cleared of all those fluttering white sheets the room would be silent, the chair where I sat would be empty. (Krauss, 2005, p. 9)

Here’s one more:

At the end, all that’s left of you are your possessions. Perhaps that’s why I’ve never been able to throw anything away. Perhaps that’s why I hoarded the world: with the hope that when I died, the sum total of my things would suggest a life larger than the one I lived. (Krauss, 2005, p. 165)

There are a number of foreign words mentioned throughout, especially Yiddish and Hebrew, so I found this helpful guide online: http://libguides.uta.edu/content.php?pid=9934&sid=80109. I’ve also listened to the book on CD so I could learn how the words were pronounced.

Although it’s not at all a sappy romance novel, I would still venture to say that most men probably wouldn’t like it as much as women. I could be wrong, though. So if you are a man, I hope you take the challenge, read it, and enjoy it as immensely as I do. Comments are always welcome.