March 2014 Host:  Karen

 

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

 

Summary

 

This novel is about a manuscript that survives a flood and the Holocaust and is told from the viewpoints of several narrators. The first main narrator is Leo Gursky, an octogenarian, who lives by himself in New York. He was born in Poland and fell in love with a girl there named Alma and they were supposed to spend their lives together, however, the war separated them and Leo spends his lonely life pining after Alma. The second main narrator is a young girl named Alma. She has lost her father to pancreatic cancer and lives with her mother and younger brother. Alma does her best to help alleviate her mother's depression and save her brother (who thinks he may be the Messiah) from becoming a social pariah. The History of Love, the novel within this novel, was given away then stolen, conceived in Yiddish then translated to Spanish, published in Argentina, found by a Jewish traveler, given to his wife, secretly translated to English, discovered by a girl in New York, and more. As the connection between Leo and Alma becomes unmasked, we become privy to a number of offbeat characters and quirky behaviors. We enjoyed this novel, however, on occasion were confused with the constant shifting of narration.

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Ginger Beer

 

Cucumber Salad

 

Red Cabbage

 

Potato Pancakes

 

Schnitzel

 

Chocolate Pie

 

Candies