It's taken me several days to allow Love in Five Acts to settle properly. It's the sort of book that you either love or feel disconnected from. 

The overlapping stories of five women in contemporary Germany are sweeping vignettes of their lives. Each one has tragedy, love and unmet emotional needs in her life. If this were written by a man, he would definitely be accused of being a sexist. However, I think it is very real and honest. In this age of ultra feminism and cancel culture, it is easy to overlook the fact that all of us need emotional connections whether romantically, platonically or maternally. It isn't weak to admit that you want to be loved. It's human.

I found it fascinating to see how one woman's story and character changes when viewed from another woman's perspective. The men weren't great, but also realistic because we're all flawed, some more so than others, but that usually doesn't stop one person from loving another. 

Not sure if it is the German language that translates well but I've found German books often are. However I feel that Jamie Bulloch has done an even better job of translating this book. 

I vascillated with giving this 4.75 or 5 stars, but I have erred on the generous side for once. Of course, a reread of this at a later point may alter this rating, but this is what I feel now.