The History of LoveThe History of Love
Score Modern
What it's about
Fourteen-year-old Alma Singer, named after every girl in a book called The History of Love, is trying to cure her mother's loneliness, and sets out to find the book's author. Across New York, an old man, Leo Gursky, is trying to survive a little longer, dreaming of the lost love in Poland sixty years ago that inspired him to write a book.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the Women's Prize for Fiction. It's a funny, heartbreaking novel about love, loss and the power of books.
You'll love it if you liked
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry
People of the BookGood to know
It has several narrators and timelines that come together at the end.
By the numbers
- Readers44 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics25 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller27 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #161 of the 233 romances we rank
- #1082 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #2003 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
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Quick answers
Is The History of Love worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the Women's Prize for Fiction. It ranks #2,003 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 63.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The History of Love about?
Fourteen-year-old Alma Singer, named after every girl in a book called The History of Love, is trying to cure her mother's loneliness, and sets out to find the book's author. Across New York, an old man, Leo Gursky, is trying to survive a little longer, dreaming of the lost love in Poland sixty years ago that inspired him to write a book.
How long does it take to read The History of Love?
About 7 hours (272 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The History of Love?
If you liked it, try Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin or People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.