as a writer, it was humbling. as a reader, it was engrossing. much darker and intenser than her previous work, great house touches on several characters coming to terms with their mortality. krauss captures the contemplation of the mere mortal trying to make sense of the nothingness waiting for us on the other side with a forthrightness that made my skin crawl.
the characters lives span across generations and continents, the common element being a massive desk that has at some point lived under their roofs. the characters range from a chilean poet to an american writer to a furniture collector specializing in reclaiming goods seized by nazis during world war II.
i adored the history of love. i liked man walks into a room. for me, great house is her best work yet."
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paperbackgirl.: great house by nicole krauss.
Wow, History of Love was one of my favorite books that I’d read in a long time. I remember I was finishing the book on a long flight, where I was sandwiched between two people. It was so emotionally intense that I was quietly weeping between these two strange people. I didn’t want to compromise my rather well earned emotional catharsis to this amazing book, so I remember I put it back in my bag, two pages from the end, so that I could finish reading when I was alone. Naturally, I think the book that I read for the rest of the flight was Heart of Darkness, much more appropriate.
Anyway, can’t wait for the new book. OMG, I have a mega crush on Nicole Krauss.