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Review
‘[A] brilliant collection of love stories…An absolute must-read.’ Harper’s Bazaar, Editor’s picks of the month
‘Better than a bunch of flowers, if not so sweet.’ Metro
‘Eugenides has written a marvellous little essay on the love story to introduce his choices… an outstanding collection.’ Joanna Trollope, The Times
‘[Eugenides’s] artful arrangement of the stories adds to their pleasure. The collection is full of intriguing echoes that complement…one’s responses.’ Sunday Telegraph
‘There are plenty of stories here which any lover of good writing – if not perhaps every lover – will enjoy.’ Scotsman
‘Pick up this beautiful new edition…a well-chosen collection of love stories edited by Pulitzer prize-winner Jeffrey Eugenides.’ Daily Mail
‘A delicious confection of classical and contemporary love stories.’ Observer
Review
'[A] brilliant collection of love stories!An absolute must-read.' Harper's Bazaar, Editor's picks of the month 'Better than a bunch of flowers, if not so sweet.' Metro 'Eugenides has written a marvellous little essay on the love story to introduce his choices! an outstanding collection.' Joanna Trollope, The Times '[Eugenides's] artful arrangement of the stories adds to their pleasure. The collection is full of intriguing echoes that complement!one's responses.' Sunday Telegraph 'There are plenty of stories here which any lover of good writing -- if not perhaps every lover -- will enjoy.' Scotsman 'Pick up this beautiful new edition!a well-chosen collection of love stories edited by Pulitzer prize-winner Jeffrey Eugenides.' Daily Mail 'A delicious confection of classical and contemporary love stories.' Observer
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was blown away by the stories in this book, not only because the quality of the writing was so high but because of the variety of story offered. There are stories you will probably have come across before like Chekhov's 'The Lady with the Little Dog' but there are also more unusual ones by great writers like Nabokov's 'Spring in Fialta'. There are traditional, modern and post-modern stories, short and long stories, some of them very moving, and they reveal so many different kinds of love. In his introduction Jeffrey Eugenides makes an interesting distinction between love as a subject and the love story. He offers this fat book of stories, he says, as a "cure for lovesickness and an antidote to adultery." He suggests reading them "in the safety of your single bed" and letting "everybody else suffer". Me, I suffered with the people in the stories. All great stuff!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Quirky and wonderfully varied, these 'love stories' are about every possible aspect of love, not just love in a romantic, soppy sense - although there is that too. A range of stories from all range of eras, from very different writers. All beautifully chosen. The stories are carefully arranged, with some themes echoing throughout the book.
'A love story can never be about full possession,' says Eugenides. 'The happy marriage, the requited love, the desire that never dims - these are lucky eventualities but they aren't love stories.' That should give you an idea of how he's gone about compiling this fantastic collection.
This is very much NOT a 'happily ever after' book - beware if you plan to make a romantic gift of this! (Although personally I would be delighted to be given this, it isn't strictly romantic, I suspect.) Instead, it's a reflection on love and the human condition in all its varied, sometimes odd glory. Manages to fit in everything from adultery and loss to silly, giggly young love and lasting marriage - and other things in between.
From the classic to the contemporary, My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead is full of wonderful stories - Raymond Carver, Chekhov, Eileen Change and many more. Not exactly love stories, but stories that will make you laugh, cry, wonder and think about love...
'A love story can never be about full possession,' says Eugenides. 'The happy marriage, the requited love, the desire that never dims - these are lucky eventualities but they aren't love stories.' That should give you an idea of how he's gone about compiling this fantastic collection.
This is very much NOT a 'happily ever after' book - beware if you plan to make a romantic gift of this! (Although personally I would be delighted to be given this, it isn't strictly romantic, I suspect.) Instead, it's a reflection on love and the human condition in all its varied, sometimes odd glory. Manages to fit in everything from adultery and loss to silly, giggly young love and lasting marriage - and other things in between.
From the classic to the contemporary, My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead is full of wonderful stories - Raymond Carver, Chekhov, Eileen Change and many more. Not exactly love stories, but stories that will make you laugh, cry, wonder and think about love...
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have to admit that I'm a bit biased: I would probably buy a grocery list if Jeffrey Eugenides wrote it. That being said, I've had my eye on this book for ages and I absolute love it. This collection is superb--the stories are funny, poignant, and oftentimes quite punishing, but always worth the effort. In his excellent introduction, Eugenides explains that for him, love stories by default "give love a bad name". So, if you're looking for Nicholas Sparks-type love stories you won't find them here. Instead, there's a brooding and psychological pseudo-thriller by Milan Kundera, a well-known Southern Gothic, an Orwellian contribution by George Saunders, and countless others that traverse the impossibly broad topic of love. Many are coming-of-age tales, while others are steeped in memory and loss. Still others explore seemingly forbidden territory, adopting the point of view of the other woman or the scorned lover. Classic and contemporary, American and transatlantic, hetero and homosexual: this book is simply brilliant.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Amazing
What an amazing book. Give it to yourself, to your friends, to all the people you love. They'll love you for it. Don't ask any questions, just do it.
Published on 22 Mar 2010 by Marcus Aurelius
A phenomenally moving and wide-ranging collection
I purchased this some time ago, and it's been waiting patiently on my bookshelves before being tossed into my suitcase as a last minute back-up holiday read. Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2009 by purplepadma
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