This post reviews two books about love that spans a lifetime; love that endures and overcomes impossible circumstances and insurmountable odds. The first novel, Alyson Richman's The Lost Wife, is loosely based on the details of two young lovers in pre-WWII Europe who are torn apart as a result of Hitler's aggression and quest for his unholy annihilation of the Jews. In the second novel, Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez takes the reader on a mystical journey to explore the notion of a patient, sustaining love that is willing to wait out time and circumstances to see love through to it's fruitful end. Love in the Time of Cholera is Gabriel Garcia Marquez's masterpiece, earning him the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature. Both novels reviewed here are lyrically beautiful, reminding the reader that there are times when writers know the power of their words, not just in theme, but in phrasing as well.
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The Lost Wife - A Novel by Alyson Richman -- Historical Fiction
4 1/2 - 5 stars ¶¶¶¶¶
Paperback, 368 pgs.
One of the most beautifully written, moving
historical fiction novels I have ever read. The book deserves its 4 1/2
- 5 star rating. Alyson Richman evokes magic in her telling of the love story of Lenka
and Josef, two Czechoslovakian Jews whose fate is determined by forces beyond
their control.
Richman effectively pulls the reader in by creating interesting characters and an equally compelling story. It is hard to fathom what the Jewish population in Europe had to endure during the reign of terror under the Third Reich, but Richman does a more than admirable job. Her research is flawless and serves as a true testament to what those who suffered at the hands of the Nazis endured. The spirit and courage that the Jews possessed is documented well in this book.
For anyone who loves historical fiction, especially set in the era of WWII, this book is for you. The added bonus is that the story is written beautifully and with such a depth of compassion that you will find yourself forever changed after having read it. If that is not the true mark of outstanding writing, then I don't know what is.
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Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez -- Fiction
4 ½ - 5 stars ¶¶¶¶¶; Paperback, 348 pgs.
It took me a
long time to get to this book only because my last experience with Gabriel Garcia
Marquez was a disappointment (A Hundred Years of Solitude). I'm glad I didn't let my previous
disappointment dissuade me from reading this thoroughly breathtaking
masterpiece. Love in the Time of Cholera
is a timeless love story that spans a lifetime, one that will speak to any soul
open to the idea of never-ending, true love. In many ways, Love in the Time of
Cholera is a love letter to a time and place that seems almost mystical in nature. It's the kind of magic
that I suspect had much to do with the reason why this book won the Nobel Peace
Prize for Literature. Sprinkled in the
tale is some of the humor for which Gabriel Garcia Marquez was known. But, unlike A Hundred Years of Solitude, the
humor is not nonsensical or distracting. In Love in the Time of Cholera, the
humor is endearingly connected to the love which compels the story forward. I almost gave this book 5 stars, and in many
ways, it deserves that rating. Suffice
it to say, Love in the Time of Cholera is the kind of book that will stay with
you long after the last page has been read.
