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Piccoli gesti di amore eroico
1992: Leo Deakin si risveglia in un piccolo ospedale in un luogo imprecisato del Sud America. La sua fidanzata, Eleni, è morta e Leo, in stato confusionale, non ricorda nulla di quanto è successo. Accusa se stesso della tragedia e viene risucchiato in una spirale di disperazione. Eppure Leo è sul punto di trovare qualcosa che cambierà per sempre la sua vita. 1917: Moritz Daniecki è un soldato austro-ungarico fuggito da un campo di prigionia in Siberia. Settemila chilometri di steppa lo separano dal suo villaggio e dall'amore della sua vita, il cui ricordo lo ha sostenuto durante tre anni di guerra e di follia. Moritz deve ora affrontare un viaggio drammatico in un paese lacerato dalla guerra civile e non sa che cosa troverà quando, infine, stremato, ma determinato a chiedere la mano della sua amata, riuscirà a tornare a casa. Danny Scheinmann racconta la storia di due uomini che sopravvivono e vivono grazie alla memoria di un amore intenso e profondo, una storia che, in modo sorprendente, unirà i loro destini attraverso i confini del tempo e dello spazio.
Danny Scheinmann paints a dramatic portrait of two men sustaining their lives through the memory of love. Cinematic and brimming with raw emotions, it is the magnificent and emotive debut from a remarkable new writer.
Danny Scheinmann paints a dramatic portrait of two men sustaining their lives through the memory of love. Cinematic and brimming with raw emotions, it is the magnificent and emotive debut from a remarkable new writer.
390 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
74 people are currently reading
1612 people want to read
About the author
Danny Scheinmann
2 books37 followersDANNY SCHEINMANN is a writer, actor and storyteller. He lives in London with his wife and three children.
"Random Acts of Heroic Love" was in the Sunday Times Top Ten Bestsellers for 6 weeks and has now been translated into 21 languages.
His new novel "The Half Life of Joshua Jones" is out in paperback on June 1st. Published by Unbound.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Half-Life-Jo...
"Random Acts of Heroic Love" was in the Sunday Times Top Ten Bestsellers for 6 weeks and has now been translated into 21 languages.
His new novel "The Half Life of Joshua Jones" is out in paperback on June 1st. Published by Unbound.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Half-Life-Jo...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 329 reviews
February 6, 2012
There are certain books which have exhibited mystical powers and pull me in on their "buy me" tractor-beam. This book was one of them and the other was Dave Eggars' A Heartbreaking work of Staggering Genius .
I have lately concluded that this power is directly linked to titles which bellow "over exaggerated human greatness and endeavour contained within!" and thus confer upon me a sort of delusional wistfulness which confuses my girl brain and makes me be all soppy around the edges like a marshmallow held too close to the fire. So far both books have failed to deliver. I am not soppy round the edges, or weeping into my lo-cal hot chocolate while delving into a box of mansize tissues. This is therefore an epic fail because what else should I expect from something with a title like this?
The story itself is nice but nice is just a polite way of saying meh, it was ok. Two men in parallel stories set in different historic periods are struggling on with their lives because they are motivated by love. Leo is struggling to get by after his girlfriend is killed in a bus crash while they're on holiday together. His historic counterpart is Moritz, a man who escaped a POW camp in coldest Siberia and sets out to walk thousands of miles back to Central Europe to see his heart girl, Lotte. Moritz has to make a physical journey while Leo is making a more spiritual journey to deal with his loss. Then there is a twist, although I say twist when what I mean is linear and somewhat predictable conjoining of the two stories. I say, "Go Moritz - you hada long walk!" and really I didn't give a monkey's chuff about Leo's story - sorry Leo but your stubby mits failed to tug at my heart strings.
I would read this again but only if I was waiting in the Dentist's waiting room and this was the only thing available to read.
I have lately concluded that this power is directly linked to titles which bellow "over exaggerated human greatness and endeavour contained within!" and thus confer upon me a sort of delusional wistfulness which confuses my girl brain and makes me be all soppy around the edges like a marshmallow held too close to the fire. So far both books have failed to deliver. I am not soppy round the edges, or weeping into my lo-cal hot chocolate while delving into a box of mansize tissues. This is therefore an epic fail because what else should I expect from something with a title like this?
The story itself is nice but nice is just a polite way of saying meh, it was ok. Two men in parallel stories set in different historic periods are struggling on with their lives because they are motivated by love. Leo is struggling to get by after his girlfriend is killed in a bus crash while they're on holiday together. His historic counterpart is Moritz, a man who escaped a POW camp in coldest Siberia and sets out to walk thousands of miles back to Central Europe to see his heart girl, Lotte. Moritz has to make a physical journey while Leo is making a more spiritual journey to deal with his loss. Then there is a twist, although I say twist when what I mean is linear and somewhat predictable conjoining of the two stories. I say, "Go Moritz - you hada long walk!" and really I didn't give a monkey's chuff about Leo's story - sorry Leo but your stubby mits failed to tug at my heart strings.
I would read this again but only if I was waiting in the Dentist's waiting room and this was the only thing available to read.
January 22, 2009
This book is about love, from a Male perspective. It is not about being with your loved one but rather about loving whilst apart and the trials/torments yet also joys and illuminations of that. Set in two different time frames and circumstances. One man tells of his being torn from the girl he loved when the War started in 1912 and his hope and determination to come home and to find her when he eventually breaks free from a POW camp and treks thousands of miles across Siberia and Europe. The other man, awoken in hosiptal in 1992 to discover his dearly loved girlfriend has died in a bus accident. It is about griefing love, holding onto love, needing love...love, love, love.
The story of Moritz treking across Europe is fascinating, a little brutal at times. As other reviewers have said initially you are introduced to Leo and you just want to remain with him, not get into Moritzs story, however soon it is Moritzs tale that is compelling you to read on. Leos tale is so raw and touching because you are taken through his terrible discovery of loss with him...it made me cry, just try reading it and not imagining your own worse fears about your loved ones.
My favourite thing about the book was the searching. Physics is used to discuss nature and the way we are drawn to each other. The story for me is a journey of discovery, about hope and faith and human connection, about the perspective in which we view the world.
I highly recommend reading this book, it is a magnificent first novel by Scheinmann. The only thing i disagree with from the majority of reviewers is the 'twist' near the end. Thought that it was highly evident and logical from some way into the novel that the outcome would be such (difficult to talk specifically without spoiling it!)Would have preferred it if the book cover hadn't mentioned this 'twist' because then i would not have been anticipating it beforehand! But as i say, highly readable.
January 11, 2009
This is definitely one of the cannot-put-down type of books. From the moment I got it I couldn't stop reading it and I'm sure I'll keep going back to read it again.
A couple of things I really liked about the book:
- It has several pictures of animals showing affection towards each other i.e. polar bears hugging.
- The story of his grandfather painted a picture to me that was different of WWI. Most of what I was taught about the war spoke about the western front and not so much about what was happening in the east. It was very interesting to read about a man's journey from Siberia back to what is now Poland and along the way experiencing the rise of the Bolsheviks.
- The story telling is very vivid. Every emotion you can feel as if it is your own. What was especially interesting was that I could even feel the physical experience i.e. of someone being very sick, or frost-bitten, or scared. The emotions weren't just in the head and heart, but very much in the body and I found that quite unique to Danny's storytelling abilities.
I highly encourage everyone to read it! Book comes out in the US on Jan 20 (hopefully he'll be on Oprah!)
A couple of things I really liked about the book:
- It has several pictures of animals showing affection towards each other i.e. polar bears hugging.
- The story of his grandfather painted a picture to me that was different of WWI. Most of what I was taught about the war spoke about the western front and not so much about what was happening in the east. It was very interesting to read about a man's journey from Siberia back to what is now Poland and along the way experiencing the rise of the Bolsheviks.
- The story telling is very vivid. Every emotion you can feel as if it is your own. What was especially interesting was that I could even feel the physical experience i.e. of someone being very sick, or frost-bitten, or scared. The emotions weren't just in the head and heart, but very much in the body and I found that quite unique to Danny's storytelling abilities.
I highly encourage everyone to read it! Book comes out in the US on Jan 20 (hopefully he'll be on Oprah!)
January 26, 2008
In the epilogue, one learns what I wish I had known at the start - that around the time of the Great War, the author's father walked some three thousand miles across Russia during both international and civil wars to return to his homeland and try to find his true love. Although nothing much is known about the real journey, here the author took this as the basis for one of his two stories, the other being that of a young man who wakes in a foreign country to find his lover dead from a bus crash. You switch between the two narratives, and the result is quite a page turner.
January 21, 2013
I loved this book - read it about 4 years ago and the story still haunts me. Two parallel stories that you get drawn into slowly until you can hardly bear to put the book down.
February 11, 2013
It looks soppy and rubbish but it's amazing just flick through inside and you see this isn't an ordinary book. Big love, science and chopping off toes with axes xx
July 29, 2008
Two tales of love and loss set 75 years apart. Moritz finds himself abandoned in the Siberian wilderness, having survived the brutality of the First World War. He sets out to walk his way back to his native Poland and seek out the girl who captured his heart with just one kiss...The premise of this novel is an interesting one but some of the details of the injuries inflicted during the war are brutal and unflinching and in some other places the imagery is a little poorly executed e.g. 'He spread his emotions out at her feet like strawberry jam...' Generally engaging, though!
February 16, 2020
Adding this review in 2020 I can't remember this book at all, I'm afraid. My 2008 review alongside my 6 out of 12 rating doesn't help! I'd expect a book that I gave a pretty average mark too, and is over 400 pages long may have dragged out the stories a bit? Thank God that from 2010, my reviews are a bit longer and more contextual, so hopefully easier to transfer to Goodreads! :)
August 29, 2011
Random Acts of Heroic Love, Danny Scheinmann’s debut novel, follows the journey of two men, separated by time and space and yet have a strong, unknown connection with each other. Moritz Daniecki is a Austro-Hungarian soldier who is captured as a Prisoner of War in the First World War and sentenced to prison. He breaks free and walks for years to reach his childhood love. Leo Dankin loses the love of his life in a bus accident and struggles hard to continue with his life without his sweetheart.
The book starts with Leo waking up in a hospital room to realize his girlfriend Eleni’s death in the bus crash while he survived. This incident in his life continues to haunt him and leaves a strong impact where Leo finds himself unable to continue with his life. He is constantly reminded of his girlfriend’s memories and he finds himself blaming for her death. He escapes into a world of his own where he finds Eleni at every walk of life. He meets a physics lecturer, Roberto Panconesi, who tries to explain the connection between our feelings and the physics around. He suggests Leo keep a note of anything that catches his interest. These notes, a hand drawn sketch and a scribbled note underneath, form a very interesting part of the book. Here are some on the author’s website.
Moritz is head over heels in love with Lotte. He is forced to fight in the First World War and is captured bu Russians and is sent to a prisoner camp. He spends two years of his life in the filthy camp and escapes with the determination to meet Lotte and ask her hand in marriage. The journey back home is filled with the dread of being caught and the hope of meeting his love. He fights enemies and makes friends on the way. There are a few things in Moritz’s journey which touched my heart. The one in which his comrade Frantz takes away others’ blankets and shoes thinking they are dead, but Moritz discovers that one of his comrades is not dead after all. The conversation that follows is touching. Similarly, when enemies ask Moritz to kill a man to save his own life – the dilemma that goes on in Moritz’s head makes one think about moral issues.
Leo and Moritz are connected through an unknown strand and this is revealed to the reader only in the end. The book was a wonderful read until we get to this point. After this, I found it to be too melodramatic. The book had a great start with Leo’s beautifully etched tragic incident and Moritz’s crazy love for Lotte. I wish the author had handled the connection a bit more maturely and not let it become cheesy.
The characters are so well formed and memorable. The vivacious Eleni, the eccentric Robert, the always brooding Leo, the epitome of hope Moritz – every character is well thought of and given enough meat to evoke deep emotions in the reader’s heart. The language is beautiful and draws the reader in.
I have labeled this book as semi-fiction (my own term) because it is based on the true story of Danny who lost his girlfriend in a bus crash and his grandfather Moshe, who was a prisoner of war. While the book’s story is drawn from real life, there are some fictional parts too and hence the label of semi-fiction.
The author’s website says the book will be made into a movie soon. I am not too keen on watching movies adapted from books, but I am eager to watch this one. If not movie, I will definitely revisit the novel sometime later in my life.
Even though the book lost its charm in the later chapters, I still had a great time reading this book. The initial part of the book was too good to be shadowed and let down by the latter part.
The book starts with Leo waking up in a hospital room to realize his girlfriend Eleni’s death in the bus crash while he survived. This incident in his life continues to haunt him and leaves a strong impact where Leo finds himself unable to continue with his life. He is constantly reminded of his girlfriend’s memories and he finds himself blaming for her death. He escapes into a world of his own where he finds Eleni at every walk of life. He meets a physics lecturer, Roberto Panconesi, who tries to explain the connection between our feelings and the physics around. He suggests Leo keep a note of anything that catches his interest. These notes, a hand drawn sketch and a scribbled note underneath, form a very interesting part of the book. Here are some on the author’s website.
Moritz is head over heels in love with Lotte. He is forced to fight in the First World War and is captured bu Russians and is sent to a prisoner camp. He spends two years of his life in the filthy camp and escapes with the determination to meet Lotte and ask her hand in marriage. The journey back home is filled with the dread of being caught and the hope of meeting his love. He fights enemies and makes friends on the way. There are a few things in Moritz’s journey which touched my heart. The one in which his comrade Frantz takes away others’ blankets and shoes thinking they are dead, but Moritz discovers that one of his comrades is not dead after all. The conversation that follows is touching. Similarly, when enemies ask Moritz to kill a man to save his own life – the dilemma that goes on in Moritz’s head makes one think about moral issues.
Leo and Moritz are connected through an unknown strand and this is revealed to the reader only in the end. The book was a wonderful read until we get to this point. After this, I found it to be too melodramatic. The book had a great start with Leo’s beautifully etched tragic incident and Moritz’s crazy love for Lotte. I wish the author had handled the connection a bit more maturely and not let it become cheesy.
The characters are so well formed and memorable. The vivacious Eleni, the eccentric Robert, the always brooding Leo, the epitome of hope Moritz – every character is well thought of and given enough meat to evoke deep emotions in the reader’s heart. The language is beautiful and draws the reader in.
I have labeled this book as semi-fiction (my own term) because it is based on the true story of Danny who lost his girlfriend in a bus crash and his grandfather Moshe, who was a prisoner of war. While the book’s story is drawn from real life, there are some fictional parts too and hence the label of semi-fiction.
The author’s website says the book will be made into a movie soon. I am not too keen on watching movies adapted from books, but I am eager to watch this one. If not movie, I will definitely revisit the novel sometime later in my life.
Even though the book lost its charm in the later chapters, I still had a great time reading this book. The initial part of the book was too good to be shadowed and let down by the latter part.
January 3, 2013
This is a rather sickly romantic novel. It focusses on two people affected by grief and their ways of coping.
One story follows a young man, Leo, at the end of the nineties who has lost his girlfriend in a tragic accident, it explores his recovery over the following year. Unfortunately the characters in this part of the tale are unconvincing and underdeveloped - the perfect hospital orderly, the Greek consul in Equador, the friend Hannah, his father, his room-mate, the grief counsellor, the landlady and, worst of all, the quantum physicist who explains human emotions, love and grief in terms of colliding electrons (seriously). The relationship Leo had with his dead girlfriend was too perfect and unrealistic although I did feel for Leo's pain, but that was the only part of this storyline that held my attention.
The second story line follows a soldier in the first world war who is taken to a POW camp in Siberia and embarks on a long journey back to Poland to find his childhood sweetheart - this seems to be based on the Author's Grandfather. It is by far the more gripping story, but the dying man's recounting of it to his 6 year old son is not very convincing.
Inevitably, the two stories collide and connect, but the connection is very predictable - It is not the stunning climax promised.
I found the book patronising - I get annoyed when novellists try to educate us - and I am afraid that is what happens here - from history in the first world war, the Russian revolution, quantum physics (the spiritual aspect thereof(?)), the mating habits of many species and so on.
If you like Romantic fiction you will like this book. Personnally, I would still recommend you get it from the library or borrow it before you buy....
One story follows a young man, Leo, at the end of the nineties who has lost his girlfriend in a tragic accident, it explores his recovery over the following year. Unfortunately the characters in this part of the tale are unconvincing and underdeveloped - the perfect hospital orderly, the Greek consul in Equador, the friend Hannah, his father, his room-mate, the grief counsellor, the landlady and, worst of all, the quantum physicist who explains human emotions, love and grief in terms of colliding electrons (seriously). The relationship Leo had with his dead girlfriend was too perfect and unrealistic although I did feel for Leo's pain, but that was the only part of this storyline that held my attention.
The second story line follows a soldier in the first world war who is taken to a POW camp in Siberia and embarks on a long journey back to Poland to find his childhood sweetheart - this seems to be based on the Author's Grandfather. It is by far the more gripping story, but the dying man's recounting of it to his 6 year old son is not very convincing.
Inevitably, the two stories collide and connect, but the connection is very predictable - It is not the stunning climax promised.
I found the book patronising - I get annoyed when novellists try to educate us - and I am afraid that is what happens here - from history in the first world war, the Russian revolution, quantum physics (the spiritual aspect thereof(?)), the mating habits of many species and so on.
If you like Romantic fiction you will like this book. Personnally, I would still recommend you get it from the library or borrow it before you buy....
September 24, 2016
This book was given to me as a present by a fellow bookcrosser two years ago, but I hesitated until now in reading it because I thought it would be oversentimental and ultimately not my cup of tea. As a rule, I don't really like love stories, although there's been exceptions. This is one of those.
There's no denying this novel is oversentimental, but it is so in a good way. It is of course a love story, or rather, two love stories, so there's bound to be sentimentality in it. But it is also a story of war, because one of the two main characters, Moritz Daniecki, is a survivor of WWI, so he recounts his experiences in the war.
This is a novel on love, or better on the loss thereof. Leo loses his girlfriend in a terrible coach crash, while Moritz loses his sweetheart when he's forced to go to war. There's a lot of absences in this novel. That's what makes it so tear-jerking. (There's no denying it is tear-jerking. I weeped my heart out while reading.)
I can definitely recommend this novel.
If you want to know more and you can read Italian, please visit my blog for a full review: https://sonnenbarke.wordpress.com/201...
There's no denying this novel is oversentimental, but it is so in a good way. It is of course a love story, or rather, two love stories, so there's bound to be sentimentality in it. But it is also a story of war, because one of the two main characters, Moritz Daniecki, is a survivor of WWI, so he recounts his experiences in the war.
This is a novel on love, or better on the loss thereof. Leo loses his girlfriend in a terrible coach crash, while Moritz loses his sweetheart when he's forced to go to war. There's a lot of absences in this novel. That's what makes it so tear-jerking. (There's no denying it is tear-jerking. I weeped my heart out while reading.)
I can definitely recommend this novel.
If you want to know more and you can read Italian, please visit my blog for a full review: https://sonnenbarke.wordpress.com/201...
November 22, 2025
This book was interesting and enjoyable mostly but I found the 'philosophy of physics' a bit surreal!! Overall though, an easy read and a nice story.
July 19, 2014
Random Acts of Heroic Love is in the top 10 books I have ever read. I am slightly amazed that it is not more highly regarded or that it has not been filmed yet.
It is really two books in one. Both strands are wonderful. Try reading the opening of the book with dry eyes.In itself this is a major achievement to draw the reader in so quickly. A book for men and women,
I won't spoil by telling the story. Just that it intertwines a story from World War 1 (and unusually from the eastern front) with a modern day tale in England.
It's bloody fabulous.
It is really two books in one. Both strands are wonderful. Try reading the opening of the book with dry eyes.In itself this is a major achievement to draw the reader in so quickly. A book for men and women,
I won't spoil by telling the story. Just that it intertwines a story from World War 1 (and unusually from the eastern front) with a modern day tale in England.
It's bloody fabulous.
December 15, 2020
This book started slowly for me, after 50 pages I wasn't convinced that this novel was going to add up to much.. then it started growing on me, the epic walk back from Siberia, the deep relationships which evolve, and the linking up of the two seemingly separate stories of Leo & Moritz. Then, finally, the epilogue - not even part of the narrative but when you read that, it hits you like a rock. A real "wow" moment, that nailed it for me.
February 15, 2009
I wanted to love this book, but it just wasn't for me. It's well written, creative, and deep, but it was too graphic for my taste and I found myself skipping portions because of that. I loved the parallel love stories, and I loved the way quantum physics was gently introduced. If you can handle some gruesome stuff and are a romantic, go for it.
September 21, 2014
Didn't get past page 29, not for me.
January 27, 2024
Random acts of love occur throughout this book. Soldiers helping each when in battle and in prison camps. Friends doing their best to help a grieving friend. Some thought to be acts of love, hiding disturbing past information from descending family, were done to help, but hindered. One main story was of a young man that lost his love in an accident. He grieved his lost love for much of the book. The other main story was of a young, Jewish man caught up in WWI and the Russian revolution. He survived battles, prison camp, and walked two years to get back to his youthful love. Both stories of strong love. In the end, their stories are tied together.
February 19, 2024
Loved Leo's story but it took me way to long to get into the other side and kept wanting to skip forward but knew I needed both sides to understand the ending. I think because the blurb gave away too much and I was almost half way through the book before I finally didn't have any hints from the blurb. Loved the ending though and the start of the book had me in hysterics
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
October 13, 2017
Senti-me imediatamente absorvida pela narrativa. A forma como a situação dramática inicial é descrita transtornou-me, era como se conseguisse sentir toda a dor que é narrada. A escrita é bastante fluída, sem adornos ou pomposidades, mas consegue transmitir-nos uma série de sentimentos bastante intensos. Talvez esta sensação de subjugação à história se deva ao facto de não ter expetativas sobre o livro, mas a verdade é que houve alturas em que senti que era eu que estava a sofrer.
A história paralela contada em 1917 também é muito interessante, embora alguns trechos me tenham maçado por achar que eram um pouco repetitivos e algo monótonos.
Passei grande parte do livro a questionar-me sobre como e quando se revelaria a ligação entre ambas as histórias. Apreciei bastante essa parte e fiquei bastante agradada com o papel do pai de Leo.
Foi uma agradável surpresa.
A história paralela contada em 1917 também é muito interessante, embora alguns trechos me tenham maçado por achar que eram um pouco repetitivos e algo monótonos.
Passei grande parte do livro a questionar-me sobre como e quando se revelaria a ligação entre ambas as histórias. Apreciei bastante essa parte e fiquei bastante agradada com o papel do pai de Leo.
Foi uma agradável surpresa.
December 11, 2020
Pasakojimas pasirodė ištemptas. Pusė knygos sunkiai labai skaitėsi. Antra pusė įtraukė, o knygos atomazga verta dėmesio. Knyga apie meilę, bet pačios meilės ten nėra.
January 21, 2011
This dual-time narrative follows the stories of two very different men who can't let go of the women they love. In 1992, Leo Deakin loses his girlfriend in a bus accident in South America and struggles to get over her death, wondering how he could ever possibly move on. He sees Eleni in everything he does, yet her continued presence in his life causes him to fall into a spiral of depression. Meanwhile, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire on the outbreak of WWI, Moritz Daniecki leaves his beloved Lotte to fight the Russians. He ends up captured and placed in a Siberian POW camp, and it will take him years to trek back to Lotte after he escapes. The memory of her brief kiss keeps him going through the cold winter and the harsh life of Revolution-era Russia, but will she still be waiting for him when he makes it back to their village? And what is the link between Leo and Moritz's tales of enduring love?
I've had my eye on this book for a while but I never got around to reading it until I was lent a copy. I really enjoyed reading about the "other side" of WWI. While everyone knows about what went on in Britain, the USA, Germany and even France, Russia and other Eastern European countries often get forgotten. Moritz's story was tough and truly heartbreaking, as he devoted himself to travelling across Russia despite not knowing whether Lotte would wait for him. The descriptions of the state of the Austro-Hungarian army and the POW camp were rather horrific, and not for the faint-hearted! There were some scenes that made me feel a bit sick, but you truly understand what the soldiers experienced. Even those who have never studied this period in history will be able to appreciate this book as it gives you a flavour of the Eastern front of WWI without expecting any prior knowledge. I also loved the way that Moritz's story was told, in his death-bed speech to his oldest son during WWII. I could almost hear his voice as I read the story.
Leo's story, on the other hand, was told in third-person and I felt rather detached from it. While I was intrigued with the premise - a man waking up in a hospital in South America and having no idea how he got there - the mystery of his accident and Eleni's death was solved very quickly, and I found it difficult to connect with him. I sympathised with his plight at having lost his love, but the way that he dealt with it didn't sit well with me. Despite claiming that he was mourning Eleni, he got involved with a couple of women who he didn't care about and it made me feel rather uncomfortable. I explained the situation to my fiancee and even he thought it made Leo an unlikable character. Leo also makes friends with Roberto, a physics lecturer, and makes connections between physics and love. These were kind of interesting, but didn't mean a lot to an Arts student like myself! I was happy with the conclusion to Leo's story and I warmed up to him a lot more in the last few chapters, but overall he was difficult to connect with.
This novel is worth reading just for Moritz's story - it truly is a tale of heroic love. Leo's is heartbreaking in its own way, even if I didn't always agree with his actions. Don't read this if you're feeling sad, as the plight of Mortiz and Leo will probably just make you feel worse! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys dual-time narratives (I suspected the connection early on but it's still worth reading to uncover it!), unusual tales of love or historical fiction. And it's completely possible to read this without knowing anything about WWI, the Russian Revolution, South America or physics! I would caution that some of the war details are a bit graphic, and cursing and crude references to sex are made at several points throughout the novel. 7/10
I've had my eye on this book for a while but I never got around to reading it until I was lent a copy. I really enjoyed reading about the "other side" of WWI. While everyone knows about what went on in Britain, the USA, Germany and even France, Russia and other Eastern European countries often get forgotten. Moritz's story was tough and truly heartbreaking, as he devoted himself to travelling across Russia despite not knowing whether Lotte would wait for him. The descriptions of the state of the Austro-Hungarian army and the POW camp were rather horrific, and not for the faint-hearted! There were some scenes that made me feel a bit sick, but you truly understand what the soldiers experienced. Even those who have never studied this period in history will be able to appreciate this book as it gives you a flavour of the Eastern front of WWI without expecting any prior knowledge. I also loved the way that Moritz's story was told, in his death-bed speech to his oldest son during WWII. I could almost hear his voice as I read the story.
Leo's story, on the other hand, was told in third-person and I felt rather detached from it. While I was intrigued with the premise - a man waking up in a hospital in South America and having no idea how he got there - the mystery of his accident and Eleni's death was solved very quickly, and I found it difficult to connect with him. I sympathised with his plight at having lost his love, but the way that he dealt with it didn't sit well with me. Despite claiming that he was mourning Eleni, he got involved with a couple of women who he didn't care about and it made me feel rather uncomfortable. I explained the situation to my fiancee and even he thought it made Leo an unlikable character. Leo also makes friends with Roberto, a physics lecturer, and makes connections between physics and love. These were kind of interesting, but didn't mean a lot to an Arts student like myself! I was happy with the conclusion to Leo's story and I warmed up to him a lot more in the last few chapters, but overall he was difficult to connect with.
This novel is worth reading just for Moritz's story - it truly is a tale of heroic love. Leo's is heartbreaking in its own way, even if I didn't always agree with his actions. Don't read this if you're feeling sad, as the plight of Mortiz and Leo will probably just make you feel worse! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys dual-time narratives (I suspected the connection early on but it's still worth reading to uncover it!), unusual tales of love or historical fiction. And it's completely possible to read this without knowing anything about WWI, the Russian Revolution, South America or physics! I would caution that some of the war details are a bit graphic, and cursing and crude references to sex are made at several points throughout the novel. 7/10
July 29, 2019
Random Acts of Heroic Love is a novel I should have enjoyed. It imparts a wonderful didactic statement on love and loss through the unlikely avenue of quantum physics: physicists now believe in a holistic universe, focusing on unity and affinity between all things, maybe even love. Scheinmann seeks a scientific explanation for love, from a molecular to a universal level. And yet, the novel is never engaging.
The context is fascinating, and reason enough in itself to pick up the book. Scheinmann’s grandfather escaped from a POW camp in Siberia, trekking some three thousand miles across Russia and into Europe to reunite with his childhood sweetheart. This serves as an inspiration for Mortiz’s journey, providing an insight into the Eastern Front and the Bolshevik uprising. His is a physical one (and the more compelling of the two narratives), whereas Leo’s is a spiritual transformation. Both strands are grisly at times but more often than not, they’re tooth-achingly sentimental. The characterisation is thin and I felt a startling lack of emotional investment.
Such a brilliant, brilliant premise. The plot was meandering and the style was just too detached for me - ironically, the exploration of love was far too clinical. The novel lacks tenderness and heart.
The context is fascinating, and reason enough in itself to pick up the book. Scheinmann’s grandfather escaped from a POW camp in Siberia, trekking some three thousand miles across Russia and into Europe to reunite with his childhood sweetheart. This serves as an inspiration for Mortiz’s journey, providing an insight into the Eastern Front and the Bolshevik uprising. His is a physical one (and the more compelling of the two narratives), whereas Leo’s is a spiritual transformation. Both strands are grisly at times but more often than not, they’re tooth-achingly sentimental. The characterisation is thin and I felt a startling lack of emotional investment.
Such a brilliant, brilliant premise. The plot was meandering and the style was just too detached for me - ironically, the exploration of love was far too clinical. The novel lacks tenderness and heart.
October 26, 2020
This is difficult for me to write without spoilers. So I'll say this, I love how the book is either told from the start of something, while referencing we, as the readers where not part of. Eleni and Leo. We get it at the end of a life, but the start of mourning.
The soldier and his Lotte, right at the start of their budding romance a war starts. So we see his journey in and through the war.
We don't see Leo's dad story, but we have a hint of what it will be for the remainder of their lives.
It's hard to put my thoughts and not spoil it. So I'll stop here.
The soldier and his Lotte, right at the start of their budding romance a war starts. So we see his journey in and through the war.
We don't see Leo's dad story, but we have a hint of what it will be for the remainder of their lives.
It's hard to put my thoughts and not spoil it. So I'll stop here.
April 19, 2021
2e lezing april '21. Sterretje verminderd naar 3 en uit lijst favoriete boeken gehaald. Nog altijd een heel goed boek, dat wel.
"Random acts of heroic love", de titel in het Engels is zoveel mooier... Vroeger één van mijn favoriete boeken, nu nog es herlezen... Hoewel het af en toe melig is/wordt, blijft het toch een aanrader... Er zitten ook heel wat levenslessen in over dood, liefde én verlies, dus ook 'Celestijns beloftegewijs' is het best te pruimen...
"Random acts of heroic love", de titel in het Engels is zoveel mooier... Vroeger één van mijn favoriete boeken, nu nog es herlezen... Hoewel het af en toe melig is/wordt, blijft het toch een aanrader... Er zitten ook heel wat levenslessen in over dood, liefde én verlies, dus ook 'Celestijns beloftegewijs' is het best te pruimen...
April 21, 2015
Great read. sometimes harrowing (very),sometimes sad (very). How you cope with the death of a loved one is very personal but in the end we all find a way through it - and come out the other side , maybe a slightly different person than before because it does fundamentally change you. For the better as far as I'm concerned tho it took me a while to understand that.
August 1, 2017
The camp escape sections are a solid 4/5 stars on their own. In comparison, the contemporary sections don't have the drive and compelling characters. The inevitable storyline-linking at the end is predictable and only held out of reach for the whole novel because one character is inexplicably antsy about telling a heroic truth.
August 10, 2019
I’m glad this book popped up on my feed as I loved this book but couldn’t remember the title! It was lent to me by a friend whose recommendations are always spot on but at the beginning I wasn’t sure it was for me but I persevered and loved it, I can’t remember a lot except there was a shaman in it!!!
October 29, 2019
This is a book to get lost in. Emotions are brought to the fore in a myriad of ways. Two stories of two lives in one book.... or is it? This really made me think about love, the way our hearts and minds work, grief, unspoken stories. A light, metaphorically, shining bright. I actually cried several times, one of the best books I e read in some time.
September 18, 2018
Moving, heartbreaking and exquisite
There are so many breathtaking moments that allow the reader to reflect on love while at the same time be immersed in another's epic love story.
There are so many breathtaking moments that allow the reader to reflect on love while at the same time be immersed in another's epic love story.
March 11, 2009
Really great story. There are descriptions of the horrors of WW1 so not for the sqeamish.
I found Leo's descent into despair very believable. It was a book that was hard to put down.
I found Leo's descent into despair very believable. It was a book that was hard to put down.
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