Here's what I got from this book, which really isn't all that much. Leo Gursky is a old man that is preoccupied by his own death. In his efforts to survive he makes a complete nuisance of himself in public. Sixty years ago, his life was not this pathetic. He wrote a book about the great love of his life and survived the Nazi invasion of Slonim, Poland. The book that he thought was lost or destroyed, mysteriously survives and is a huge part of Alma Singer's life.Fourteen -year-old Alma Singer has her hands full with feeling solely responsible for her mother's happiness after Alma's father's death and trying to takecare of her brother, Bird, who thinks he is the Messiah.Ms. Krauss explores the timeless themes of love and loss and the ties that bind, but for me thebook was very choppy, dry and for the most part, except for Alma's story, tedious.