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Tiger
, August 06, 2012
Leo Gursky is a quirky, funny, lovable and irresistible character. He has a fear of not being seen on his "last day" so he takes a job as a nude model for a life drawing class; he drops change on the floor; he shops for shoes he doesn't want; he lingers when the delivery guy brings his dinner - anything to make sure he's seen. At night, he taps on his radiator to let his downstairs neighbor know he's still alive. But, before he moved to America, when he was a young man in a Polish village, he fell in love and wrote a book called, "The History of Love". As the end of his life drew closer, he was haunted by whatever happened to his one true love.
Nicole Krauss writes with such captivating imagination, it makes the reader want to savor each line, and stay with Leo to the end. The characters are interesting, not schmaltzy or corny, but quirky and entertaining. You laugh, you cry and you feel comforted - you don't want to let them go. There's Alma, a 14 year old who is named after a character in Leo's book. Alma finds a mysterious letter and with her brother, Bird (who thinks he might be the Messiah, she embarks on an adventure to find her namesake, all while writing a book of her own, "How to Survive in the Wild, Volume Three"
I read lines and then read them out loud. The novel is like comedic prose with mystery, soul and heartbreak. I didn't want it to end and I will never forget Leo Gursky.
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