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The History of Love
- Narrated by: George Guidall, Barbara Caruso, Julia Gibson, Andy Paris
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
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Publisher's summary
It has been decades since Leo Gursky first surrendered his heart, then wrote a book about it, at the tender age of 10, and he's been in love with the same person ever since. Leo believes his book is lost to time, but what he doesn't know is, not only has it survived 60 years without him, it has also been an inspiration to others. Fourteen-year-old Alma was even named for a character from the book. When she realizes how deeply the story touched her lonely mother, she embarks on a search for answers.
The History of Love is an imaginative tale of love and loss that is at once funny, mysterious, and deeply passionate.
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Greta Cahill never believed she would leave her village in the west of Ireland until she found herself on a ship bound for New York, along with her sister Johanna and a boy named Michael Ward. Labeled a "softheaded goose" by her family, Greta discovers that in America she can fall in love, raise her own family, and earn a living.
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Irish immigratn story
- By Chrissie on 09-10-13
By: Mary Beth Keane
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Everything Is Illuminated
- By: Jonathan Safran Foer
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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With only a yellowing photograph in hand, a young man—also named Jonathan Safran Foer—sets out to find the woman who might or might not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Accompanied by an old man haunted by memories of the war, an amorous dog named Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior, and the unforgettable Alex, a young Ukrainian translator who speaks in a sublimely butchered English, Jonathan is led on a quixotic journey over a devastated landscape and into an unexpected past.
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Astounding reading
- By bookworm123abc on 02-10-23
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Boy, Snow, Bird
- By: Helen Oyeyemi
- Narrated by: Susan Bennett, Carra Patterson
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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In the winter of 1953, Boy Novak arrives by chance in a small town in Massachusetts, looking, she believes, for beauty - the opposite of the life she' s left behind in New York. She marries a local widower and becomes stepmother to his winsome daughter, Snow Whitman. A wicked stepmother is a creature Boy never imagined she' d become, but elements of the familiar tale of aesthetic obsession begin to play themselves out when the birth of Boy' s daughter, Bird, who is dark-skinned, exposes the Whitmans as light-skinned African Americans passing for white.
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For Literary Lovers
- By M. Shipe on 04-25-14
By: Helen Oyeyemi
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The Vine of Desire
- By: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Anju and Sudha formed an astounding, almost psychic connection during their childhood in India. When Anju invites Sudha, a single mother in Calcutta, to come live with her and her husband, Sunil, in California, Sudha foolishly accepts, knowing full well that Sunil has long desired her. As Sunil's attraction rises to the surface, the trio must struggle to make sense of the freedoms of America - and of the ties that bind them to India and to one another.
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Vine of desire
- By Mz Shantay on 03-27-21
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Love Walked In
- By: Marisa de los Santos
- Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Award-winning poet Marisa de los Santos crafts an irresistibly touching debut novel. Love Walked In is a contemporary tale, steeped in nostalgic, cinematic charm, of love in all its forms. Unapologetically idealistic about love, Cornelia Brown appears to catch the break of a lifetime when the dashing Martin Grace, her own personal Cary Grant, comes strolling into her life. But it is Martin's connection to 11-year-old Clare Hobbes that touches Cornelia's heart in ways she never imagined.
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Dreadful audio quality
- By Marenghi on 09-16-11
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The One-in-a-Million Boy
- By: Monica Wood
- Narrated by: Chris Ciulla
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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For years, guitarist Quinn Porter has been on the road, chasing gig after gig, largely absent to his twice-ex-wife Belle and their odd, Guinness records-obsessed son. When the boy dies suddenly, Quinn seeks forgiveness for his paternal shortcomings by completing the requirements for one of his son's unfinished Boy Scout badges. For seven Saturdays Quinn does yard work for Ona Vitkus, the spry 104-year-old Lithuanian immigrant the boy had visited weekly.
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Loved it
- By Justin on 10-20-16
By: Monica Wood
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Strong Motion
- By: Jonathan Franzen
- Narrated by: Scott Aiello
- Length: 20 hrs and 51 mins
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Performance
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Story
Louis Holland arrives in Boston in a spring of ecological upheaval (a rash of earthquakes on the North Shore) and odd luck: the first one kills his grandmother. Louis tries to maintain his independence, but falls in love with a Harvard seismologist whose discoveries about the earthquakes' cause complicate everything.
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Compelling Story, Ridiculous Narrator
- By DianeReads on 02-28-16
By: Jonathan Franzen
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A Fraction of the Whole
- By: Steve Toltz
- Narrated by: Colin McPhillamy, Craig Baldwin
- Length: 25 hrs and 11 mins
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Stewing in an Australian prison, Jasper Dean reflects on his relationship with his dead father and recounts the many zany adventures they shared together.
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A Funny and Thought-provoking Tale of Human Nature
- By Asha Ember on 01-27-10
By: Steve Toltz
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The Red Address Book
- By: Sofia Lundberg, Alice Menzies - translator
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
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The global fiction sensation - published in 32 countries around the world: Meet Doris, a 96-year-old woman living alone in her Stockholm apartment. She has few visitors, but her weekly Skype calls with Jenny - her American grandniece, and her only relative - give her great joy and remind her of her own youth. In writing down the stories of her colorful past - working as a maid in Sweden, modelling in Paris during the '30s, fleeing to Manhattan at the dawn of the Second World War - she may help Jenny, haunted by a difficult childhood, unlock the secrets of their family....
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narrator was overwrought
- By Janet L. Hamilton on 02-22-19
By: Sofia Lundberg, and others
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On Folly Beach
- By: Karen White
- Narrated by: Lyssa Browne
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
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Performance
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Story
Folly Beach, South Carolina, has survived despite hurricanes and war. But it's the personal battles of Folly Beach's residents that have left the most scars, and they are why a young widow has been beckoned there to heal her own. To most people, Folly Beach is simply the last barrier island before reaching the great Atlantic. To some, it's a sanctuary for lost souls, which is why Emmy Hamilton's mother encourages her to buy a local bookstore, Folly's Finds, hoping it will distract Emmy from the loss of her husband.
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You won't want to get out of your car
- By L. Persyn on 08-08-10
By: Karen White
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Midnight at the Electric
- By: Jodi Lynn Anderson
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2065: Adri has been handpicked to live on Mars. But weeks before launch, she discovers the journal of a girl who lived in her house more than a hundred years ago and is immediately drawn into the mystery surrounding her fate. 1934: Amid the fear and uncertainty of the Dust Bowl, Catherine’s family’s situation is growing dire. She must find the courage to sacrifice everything she loves in order to save the one person she loves most.
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Beautiful, Heart-wrenching, and Unbelievably Engaging
- By Brad&Britney on 01-10-18
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Not for me
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Why we think it’s a great listen: Some books are meant to be read; others are meant to be heard – Water for Elephants falls into the second group, and is one of the best examples we have of how a powerful performance enhances a great story. Nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski reflects back on his wild and wondrous days with a circus. It's the Depression Era and Jacob, finding himself parentless and penniless, joins the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.
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It's 1843, and Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer and his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders. An up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness is engaged by a group of reformers and spiritualists who seek a pardon for Grace. He listens to her story while bringing her closer and closer to the day she cannot remember.
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For Lewis and Wren, their first year of marriage is also their last. A few weeks after their wedding, Lewis receives a rare diagnosis. He will retain most of his consciousness, memories, and intellect, but his physical body will gradually turn into a great white shark. As Lewis develops the features and impulses of one of the most predatory creatures in the ocean, his complicated artist’s heart struggles to make peace with his unfulfilled dreams.
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What listeners say about The History of Love
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- P. Giorgio
- 01-02-06
Wonderful-Yes it was over too soon
In a world of fast paced, too-quickly written fiction, this beautiful work of art is slow and lush. The language is simple and strong. The images evoke a tangible reality. The characters (specifically Leo Gursky) are developed from youth through senility with a careful, respectful hand. "The History" could have been written by an older writer, but Nicole Krauss' youth is filled with promise.
Historical iterary references are beautifully and realistically incorporated into fiction.
But the most amazing aspect of the book (which is a story about a book) is the voice, the language. Leo Gursky, one of the primary narrators, speaks in the first person of his past and present, his fears, longings, regrets. What might be called "digression" in another writer, here is done so naturally that the reader/listener travels with Leo from Poland to New York and back without disruption. Switching between a young narrator and Leo is equally smooth and credible. I longed to finish it, regretting it was over.
I too want to find Alma (all the Almas). I suffered to learn Issac may have (ultimately did) know of his father for a time when his father knew of him. Young Alma, the child in all of us, the seeker, the caretaker, the lover of life sought her father in every way she could.
The end, a little confusing for me. Did it happen this way? Did young Alma fill for Leo the void he carried those many years? Or had he, as he suggested, lost his mind?
And the surprising ascension of *Bird* to secretly help his sister's search, earning himself the title of *lamed vovnik,* added even more depth and parallelism.
I admit I borrowed the book from the library. Between listens, I went back and read from the book to clarify some of the plot that I feared I had missed.
The last 30 minutes (30 pp or so) were satisfying and explanatory and moving and wonderful.
Did I cry? Yes. A bit, at the end, from happiness. Did I laugh? Yes. Many, many times.
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26 people found this helpful
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Overall
- E
- 12-17-07
palpable poetry on the page
I enjoyed this audiobook enough to know that I'd want to re-read and savor certain passages. One really needs to be able to *read* this to get at the narrative's richness. When I bought the book, I was surprised to see how much Krauss had taken into account the page layout -- indeed, the rhythm of turning pages and unfolding revelations. It's a beautiful book-thing, and I don't know how effectively an audiobook can approximate the white space of the page.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Dreena Tischler
- 03-19-18
Shocking, stirring, heart-warming, heart-breaking.
It's everything. I couldn't put it down. A story that spans 3 generations and a couple of continents, of dishonesty and mistaken identity and of every person's need to know who he or she is. It's complicated, confusing, frustrating. . . and it's divine. See for yourself.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Carol
- 09-06-05
Remarkable work of lyric beauty
How could someone as young as Nicole Krauss know the thoughts and words of a man in his 80s? This is a very romantic book that also shows a great respect for the diverse history and culture of Jewish people. The narration is almost ideal. I say "almost" because Julia Gibson's voice sets my teeth on edge (just as it did in Vanishing Acts). However, I did not let it stop me from giving it the top rating, probably because I could listen to George Guidall 24/7. Give it a try.
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Overall
- Anonymous User
- 01-10-09
History of Love
A slow moving book with at least four readers. Very average or below.
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- carole
- 07-03-15
What a tangled web ,
After hours of being confused it all came together.......and yet! The story was just okay.
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- P. Williams
- 01-15-15
Real, Illusion,Love and Aging
This was an interesting and well-told story.... But I was often muddled as I fumbled through distortion and time which was a kaleidoscope shifting all the way through. As the self-doubting characters struggled for truth, I found I was doubting my own ability to follow them...but in the end I was moved and glad I did. Go after the truth, but don't expect to find it, and you just might.
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Overall
- Dianna Down
- 01-22-11
Beautiful and Moving
From the minute the narration starts, it reads like poetry.
I loved this moving book and hated to hear it end.
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- Maria
- 07-24-15
Beautifully written. Perfect narration.
This should be everyone's first audiobook. It is my first review. This book is destined to be a classic. Pulls you in and never lets you go. Brilliant blend of youth and age, humor and tears, love and life. Story lines that blend and intertwine into a vibrant tapestry. I experienced every emotion and am truly satisfied with this work as a whole. Brilliant.
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- Mon
- 12-24-12
Why did I wait so long?
I am so happy that I FINALLY listened to the History of Love. I have to emphasize the FINALLY part because I purchased this book about 2 years ago and it was one of those books that I had planned on listening to immediately, but never did. I even had it in my iPod for at least a year, so that can tell you that I was committed to listening (eventually) to it. Oh my god, what took me so long…this book is amazing! At least for me, this book turned out to be a treasure because had I know what awesomeness awaited me, I would have listened to this book sooner. I enjoyed every minute of this book. This book is so beautifully written and Nicole Krauss is a great writer. Her writing is nuanced, simple and strong. She’s seriously brilliant. Each character in this book is rich and strong and there was not one character that I didn't like - I can't say that about most books. I loved each of their stories and wish there was a follow up. I esp. want to know what kind of person Alma becomes. I loved her spirit, her curiosity, her introspection and dedication to her family. Her journey introduces us then gives us many moments to know her mother, her brother, Misha, and most of all at of Leo. Leo is the main character and the story begins with him and Alma is his counterpart. They embark on different journey's, have different life stories but in the end they are like Lego and fit. I can't recommend this book enough - it's that good. Take your time to savor this book.
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