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Product Description
Product Description
Fevered notes scribbled on napkins after first dates. Titillating text messages. It's-not-you-it's-me relationship-enders. In Other People’s Love Letters, Bill Shapiro has searched America’s attics, closets, and cigar boxes and found actual letters–unflinchingly honest missives full of lust, provocation, guilt, and vulnerability–written only for a lover’s eyes. Modern love, of course, is not all bliss, and in these pages you’ll find the full range of a relationship, with its whispered promises as well as its heartache. But what at first appears to be a deliciously voyeuristic peek into other people’s most passionate moments, will ultimately reawaken your own desires and tenderness…because when you read these letters, you’ll find the heart you’re looking into is actually your own.
• "i think UR great. wanna have wine & Tequila again sometime?"
• "I can't believe you're real, and I think about you constantly in some way or the other all day. I haven't given the finger to anyone driving since I met you."
• "With you I learned how to fight cleaner, how to talk things out better, and how to make a strong loving family out of nothing. These are priceless gifts that I will carry with me the rest of my life. One more thing you did for me: you left, and I had to get through it."
• "P.S. I look forward to your letters too much to call. Also, where do you stand on chains?"
• "i think UR great. wanna have wine & Tequila again sometime?"
• "I can't believe you're real, and I think about you constantly in some way or the other all day. I haven't given the finger to anyone driving since I met you."
• "With you I learned how to fight cleaner, how to talk things out better, and how to make a strong loving family out of nothing. These are priceless gifts that I will carry with me the rest of my life. One more thing you did for me: you left, and I had to get through it."
• "P.S. I look forward to your letters too much to call. Also, where do you stand on chains?"
About the Author
Bill Shapiro is the former editor of LIFE magazine. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I must admit, I don't think am quite as overcome as the other 2 reviewers... in fact, some of the letters in here struck me as pretentious - bordering on emo - as seems to be our wont when we're falling in love. Then there are a fair few which simply freak me out - there's both love and hatred on these pages, and being confronted with a genuine, searing example of the latter is uncomfortable reading.
There's the bids to sound casually indifferent (coupled with thoughts of "Did I sound that obvious, too?"); the attempts to sound like it wasn't just cheap, meaningless sex and yes, yes, of course you'll still respect them in the morning... there are letters after years of marriage; letters written in the throes of new love, and letters that chronicle the end when it came.
All of the letters in here will give you *some* degree of reaction. After all, these are real letters, from real people, experiencing real joy/pain/love/insanity, and we can't help but feel a shock of recognition when we see those feelings in others. But, as I said, the degree of pretentious Byronesque navel-gazing prevented me from becoming truly affected by it all.
Until I read one specific letter:
"Anna, I figured there had to be something 'auspicious' about your first birthday as my wife, but I couldn't figure it out. That is, until I thought about how every birthday of yours hereafter, I will be next to you celebrating it - as we grow old together in love. Yours..."
The writee and myself being namesakes isn't what did it. It was the simple, honest, unassuming love that came off the page from this new husband to his new wife. No flowery words or insincerity; no claims of cutting her name into his flesh; no scrawls and aching song lyrics - just simple, honest love. After that, there were several others.
And that is this book's strength, I think. Humans are inherently voyeuristic - there's a frisson of excitement at being able to read the thoughts that are written down in private. There's much enjoyment in that, yes. But, equally, I really believe every person who reads this will stumble across at least one letter that will truly, deeply and profoundly resonate, for whatever personal reason, and that's something special.
I want to add that I write this as someone who is relatively newly single, and I ordered this 6 months ago, when I wasn't. I was half expecting reading this to cause great pain and sadness - but it doesn't. If you're afraid of reading it for that reason, please know that this won't hurt you, and it may even warm your heart a little.
So, way I see it, given there are 150 letters in here, there are 150 reasons to buy this book. What is turgid, pretentious nonsense to me will be someone else's letter to new wife Anna - there's something magical in here for all of us, and there are another 149 insights into how we work as a species when we feel this funny thing we call love.
This book is fascinating, affecting, and really quite profound.
There's the bids to sound casually indifferent (coupled with thoughts of "Did I sound that obvious, too?"); the attempts to sound like it wasn't just cheap, meaningless sex and yes, yes, of course you'll still respect them in the morning... there are letters after years of marriage; letters written in the throes of new love, and letters that chronicle the end when it came.
All of the letters in here will give you *some* degree of reaction. After all, these are real letters, from real people, experiencing real joy/pain/love/insanity, and we can't help but feel a shock of recognition when we see those feelings in others. But, as I said, the degree of pretentious Byronesque navel-gazing prevented me from becoming truly affected by it all.
Until I read one specific letter:
"Anna, I figured there had to be something 'auspicious' about your first birthday as my wife, but I couldn't figure it out. That is, until I thought about how every birthday of yours hereafter, I will be next to you celebrating it - as we grow old together in love. Yours..."
The writee and myself being namesakes isn't what did it. It was the simple, honest, unassuming love that came off the page from this new husband to his new wife. No flowery words or insincerity; no claims of cutting her name into his flesh; no scrawls and aching song lyrics - just simple, honest love. After that, there were several others.
And that is this book's strength, I think. Humans are inherently voyeuristic - there's a frisson of excitement at being able to read the thoughts that are written down in private. There's much enjoyment in that, yes. But, equally, I really believe every person who reads this will stumble across at least one letter that will truly, deeply and profoundly resonate, for whatever personal reason, and that's something special.
I want to add that I write this as someone who is relatively newly single, and I ordered this 6 months ago, when I wasn't. I was half expecting reading this to cause great pain and sadness - but it doesn't. If you're afraid of reading it for that reason, please know that this won't hurt you, and it may even warm your heart a little.
So, way I see it, given there are 150 letters in here, there are 150 reasons to buy this book. What is turgid, pretentious nonsense to me will be someone else's letter to new wife Anna - there's something magical in here for all of us, and there are another 149 insights into how we work as a species when we feel this funny thing we call love.
This book is fascinating, affecting, and really quite profound.
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an outstanding book that make me laugh, made me smile and made me sob. Some of the letters in this book are just heart-breaking. Some of the letters are quirky, others are just for fun. There is a 'what happened next' section at the back of the book that explains what happened after some of the love letters were given. Without giving any of the book's secrets away, all I can say is that this is one of the most beautiful books I have ever owned and had the pleasure of reading. I literally couldn't put it down.
Buy this book. You will not be disappointed.
Buy this book. You will not be disappointed.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a hopeless romantic, I bought this book to remind myself that love indeed is real and that it does exist. It is not just a myth..
As I started reading this book each letter came to life in its own special way. Some are one liners, some are pages long but all of them have a special story to tell and a very special meaning. This book was unputdownable and has had me welling up on a packed bus and laughing outloud on the tube. It has been an emotional rollercoaster ride and I am incredibly happy to have owned it. I say owned it, as I gave my first copy away to someone who I knew would love and treasure it as much as I did..
And now I'm getting my second copy.. Cos I miss it..
You would to if you ever parted from it!
As I started reading this book each letter came to life in its own special way. Some are one liners, some are pages long but all of them have a special story to tell and a very special meaning. This book was unputdownable and has had me welling up on a packed bus and laughing outloud on the tube. It has been an emotional rollercoaster ride and I am incredibly happy to have owned it. I say owned it, as I gave my first copy away to someone who I knew would love and treasure it as much as I did..
And now I'm getting my second copy.. Cos I miss it..
You would to if you ever parted from it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Love letters
This book is a lovely read, its all about other peoples 'loves' funny, sad in equal measures, its a pick it up and open a page book, for afew minutes you dip into someone elses... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Twinkly
Recommend to everyone!
I received this book for Christmas and absolutely loved it. The range of letters is very diverse; I wouldn't necessarily call them all "love letters" as many are letters to ex's. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Charlotte
Snapshot of private lives
I was looking for a little more, although I suppose I should have guessed that these letters and notes have to be fit for public consumption. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Louise Preston
Good... Not Great.
This book is full of Love Letters, true, but just standard Love Letters that anybody could write, really. Read more
Published on 30 Jan 2010 by Ms. L. J. Braisby
Post secret v2
It's just like post secret except this time with love letters. Some of these are rather funny, some touching, some crazy...well worth a read.
Published on 20 Jan 2010 by K1ng
Fabulous!
I purchased this book on the strength of the review above and I was certainly not disappointed. This beautifully crafted book contains a collection of letters, notes and even texts... Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2008 by Mrs. K. H. Perry
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