A revised edition of a classic book on love by the bestselling author of How Proust Can Change Your Life and The Consolations of Philosophy
Essays in Love
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"Imagine, of all impossible things, a young British Woody Allen with the benefit of a classical education and you have the nameless and exquisitely erudite narrator of Essays in Love."
-- "Boston Sunday Globe"
"The book's success has much to do with its beautifully modeled sentences, its wry humor, its unwavering deadpan respect for its reader's intelligence." -- Francine Prose in "The New Republic"
-- "Boston Sunday Globe"
"The book's success has much to do with its beautifully modeled sentences, its wry humor, its unwavering deadpan respect for its reader's intelligence." -- Francine Prose in "The New Republic"
Book Description
Essays in Love will appeal to anyone who has ever been in a relationship or confused about love. The book charts the progress of a love affair from the first kiss to argument and reconciliation, from intimacy and tenderness to the onset of anxiety and heartbreak. The work’s genius lies in the way it minutely analyses emotions we’ve all felt before but have perhaps never understood so well: it includes a chapter on the anxieties of when and how to say ‘I love you’ and another on the challenges of disagreeing with someone else’s taste in shoes. While gripping the reader with the talent of a great novelist, de Botton brings a philosopher’s sensibility to his analysis of the emotions of love, resulting in a genre-breaking book that is at once touching and thought-provoking. ‘The book’s success has much to do with its beautifully modelled sentences, its wry humour and its unwavering deadpan respect for its reader’s intelligence . . . full of keen observation and flashes of genuine lyricism, acuity and depth.’ Francine Prose, New Republic ‘Witty, funny, sophisticated, neatly tied up, and full of wise and illuminating insights.’ P. J. Kavanagh, Spectator ‘De Botton is a national treasure.’ Susan Hill ‘I doubt if de Botton has written a dull sentence in his life.’ Jan Morris, New Statesman ‘Single-handedly, de Botton has taken philosophy back to its simplest and most important purpose: helping us to live our lives.’ Independent
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
48 of 50 people found the following review helpful
By Cath B
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a wonderful book. It charts the development of a relationship between the speaker and a woman he meets on a flight. Everyone will undoubtedly relate to the different stages of the relationship, from initial uncomfortable exchanges, charged with expectation, to the concern that you are more involved than your object of desire. It's a book that contains moments of high humour and accurately depicts the frustrations, confusions, joy and desolate despair that only romantic entanglement can bring. Neatly suffused with readable and thought provoking asides, this is a fantastic book - read it.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Alison
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This was my second experience of reading Alain de Botton's work (I recently read A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary, highly recommended) and for me it was another very enjoyable book. I've not, so far, been much of a philosophical reader and there is much philosophy is this book. I admit that I had to check the meaning of some of the philosophical words that he uses but in the main his writing is accessible and easy to follow. Where I did have to check meaning, I feel that I have learnt more about philosophy. So, not only was the book enjoyable (I'm sure that we will all identify with at least some elements of his descriptions of the journey of a relationship) but it was also a philosophical learning experience for me too.
It feels like a young person's relationship and de Botton did write the book in his 20s. The book is categorised as fiction and even has an alternative title for the US market of "On Love: A Novel" but it is not a novel in the conventional sense. There is an overall story as de Botton charts his relationship with Chloe but at each stage of the relationship he examines the philosophy and inner workings of a relationship. It feels like non-fiction and I wonder how much of the relationship is fictional and how much is based on one or more relationships that de Botton has had in the past.
The numbering of paragraphs seemed odd but it's certainly an engaging read and I would recommend it.
It feels like a young person's relationship and de Botton did write the book in his 20s. The book is categorised as fiction and even has an alternative title for the US market of "On Love: A Novel" but it is not a novel in the conventional sense. There is an overall story as de Botton charts his relationship with Chloe but at each stage of the relationship he examines the philosophy and inner workings of a relationship. It feels like non-fiction and I wonder how much of the relationship is fictional and how much is based on one or more relationships that de Botton has had in the past.
The numbering of paragraphs seemed odd but it's certainly an engaging read and I would recommend it.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By alex
Format:Paperback
This is a lovely book - I have bought it again & again for my young teenagers and their friends... It's a delightful way to explore yourself and your take on life. It applies to and validates the experiences of each unique individual. It encourages free-thinking & introspection, without making a meal of it. And it's an enjoyable read - really well written!
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing
Thoroughly enjoyed this. I'd recommend it to anyone, whatever stage of life they are in and no matter how much in or out of love they are. Read more
Published 11 days ago by Gra & Co
5.0 out of 5 stars
So Good I gave it to my ex
Practical Philosophy for the love lorn age, I read it quite a few times during and after a breakup to get a good perspective.
Published 16 days ago by Mp Edmondson
4.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic
I have recommended this book to so many people. This is the first of Alain de Botton's writing that I've read and it has made me interested in readinf more. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Cutekelechi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully Crafted
I somewhat accidentally picked up an electronic copy of this book and did not put it down until I had finished it. It reads like full autobiography. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Stephen
4.0 out of 5 stars
Love-ology
This wasn't really what I expected. I have a lot of time for Alain de Botton, I loved 'A Week At The Airport' and enjoyed 'The Consolations of Philosophy'. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Peter Cronin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Words of Wisdom
This book is funny, insightful, charming and extremely well written, Such well formed sentences! A must for anyone who's ever fallen in love, which I guess is all of us... Read more
Published 14 months ago by sadietwist
5.0 out of 5 stars
special and delightful
This is my second book from Alain de Botton, I've also read "How can Proust change your life" which was great as well. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Melih Tuzunoglu
1.0 out of 5 stars
Irrelevant and misleading
If we were trying to look at 'love' from some objective viewpoint - perhaps by using the scientific method - then this work would completely fail. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Chris
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful book
Given to me by an ex......prob the only good thing to come from that relationship, was my interest in Alain de Botton.... Read more
Published on 12 July 2010 by Dr. B. C. Burrows
2.0 out of 5 stars
Average at best
This book came highly recommended to me so perhaps I expected too much but it has been a bit of a dissapointment. Read more
Published on 22 April 2010 by Oxon86
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