100 Pages A Day...Stephanie's Book Reviews

An astonishing and surprising story of a special piece of jewelery and the lives it affected throughout it's long journey.  After World War II, Lieutenant Jack Wiseman is charged to examine and organize the contents of the Hungarian Gold Train.  Filled with the items that made up the lives of Hungary's Jewish population, Jack is left to sift through thousands of dishes, linens, watches, candlesticks and jewelery, hoping that it will find it's way back to the families or any living heirs of the people it once belonged to.  Jack meets Ilona, recently released from a concentration camp and is intrigued by her strength and determination.  As he attempts to find any of Ilona's belongings among the Gold Train, he comes across a unique peacock locket that originated from Ilona's home town of Nagyvarad.  Years later, shortly before his death, Jack charges his granddaughter, Natalie to find an ancestor of the owner of his pilfered locket and return it to them. 

I found this novel absolutely engaging, heartfelt and bittersweet.  It was difficult for me to get my feelings written down for this one, since they were all over the place.  Ayelet Waldman has created a band a characters that are real and with raw emotions and actions that made this story resonate within me.  Though told from several different points of view, Jack's character is seen through several different points in his life and his quest to return the items from the Gold Train, no matter how feeble a venture it may seems, never waivers. 
        " 'You guard so conscientiously that treasure train. And for whom?'  For the Jews of Hungary, Jack wished he could reply.  But of course by now he feared that was no more than the vaguest and most unlikely of hopes."
Bravely, Love and Treasure not only deals with the thieving from the Gold Train and the poor treatment of those liberated from the concentration camps, but through another set of absorbing characters the women's suffrage movement in Budapest is explored, as well as common medical treatment for women's ailments at the time.  Nina and Gizella were awe-inspiring; their story adds richness and even more mystery to the peacock necklace.  The necklace as a character itself ties the stories of these distinct characters together and I thoroughly enjoyed the the tale it divulged as I learned it's story.   I love learning about history through fiction, and Love and Treasure brought to light parts of the past that have long been swept under the rug.  

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.