Author: Alain de Botton | Paperback
On Love is globally bestselling novelist-philosopher Alain De Botton's iconic debut--the novel that launched his decorated literary career; and a funny, profound, and searingly true-to-life exploration of love.
A man and a woman meet over casual conversation on a flight from Paris to London, and so begins a love story--from fist kiss to first argument, elation to heartbreak, and everything in between. Each stage of the relationship is illuminated with starling clarity, as de Botton explores emotions often felt but rarely understood. Now, in tandem with the arrival of The Course of Love--de Botton's first novel in twenty years and one about mature love--we celebrate the timeless debut about young love that serves as The Course of Love's precursor and companion.
Reissued with a brilliant introduction by the New York Times bestselling author of How Should a Person Be?, Shelia Heti, On Love is a contemporary classic that should be read by anyone who has ever fallen in love.
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**Diane's Staff Pick**
In unique yet classic Alain de Botton style, this novel follows the life-cycle of a romantic relationship between two cis lovers, told from the perspective of the male. The narrator shares an intimate look of his experience in the relationship, peppering his tale with personal reflections that are as universally relatable as they are slightly neurotic. What we get is a philosophical reasoning to one of the most practical questions we face: how do we "do" love? A super fun book to read with lots of useful and sharp philosophical insight into the experiences and territory of intertwining your life with another, and what this blending means for us as individuals.
***********************
"Smart and ironic . . . The book's success has much to do with its beautifully modeled sentences, its wry humor, and its unwavering deadpan respect for the reader's intelligence . . . full of keen observation and flashes of genuine lyricism, acuity and depth." --Francine Prose, New Republic
"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 On Love, a first novel by Alain de Botton, who seems to have been born to write." --Amanda Heller, Boston Globe
"An intricate deconstruction of a love affair done in an intellectual, Seinfeldian style . . . The commentary hits the nail on the head." --Amy Sohn, The Week
"The smart and funny On Love is just the strong cup of coffee needed to clear your head after a sticky sweet like The Bridges of Madison County. On Love is romantic reality." --News & Observer
"A tour de force pleasure of a first novel . . . A dissertation/novel on romantic narcissism that's both intellectually stimulating and emotionally touching. A very promising debut." --Kirkus
Publisher: Grove Press | Pub Date: January 06, 2006 | Format: Paperback | Pages: 194 | Dimensions: 0.63" H x 7.5" L x 5.06" W | 0.44 lbs
Author: Alain de Botton | Paperback
On Love is globally bestselling novelist-philosopher Alain De Botton's iconic debut--the novel that launched his decorated literary career; and a funny, profound, and searingly true-to-life exploration of love.
A man and a woman meet over casual conversation on a flight from Paris to London, and so begins a love story--from fist kiss to first argument, elation to heartbreak, and everything in between. Each stage of the relationship is illuminated with starling clarity, as de Botton explores emotions often felt but rarely understood. Now, in tandem with the arrival of The Course of Love--de Botton's first novel in twenty years and one about mature love--we celebrate the timeless debut about young love that serves as The Course of Love's precursor and companion.
Reissued with a brilliant introduction by the New York Times bestselling author of How Should a Person Be?, Shelia Heti, On Love is a contemporary classic that should be read by anyone who has ever fallen in love.
***********************
**Diane's Staff Pick**
In unique yet classic Alain de Botton style, this novel follows the life-cycle of a romantic relationship between two cis lovers, told from the perspective of the male. The narrator shares an intimate look of his experience in the relationship, peppering his tale with personal reflections that are as universally relatable as they are slightly neurotic. What we get is a philosophical reasoning to one of the most practical questions we face: how do we "do" love? A super fun book to read with lots of useful and sharp philosophical insight into the experiences and territory of intertwining your life with another, and what this blending means for us as individuals.
***********************
"Smart and ironic . . . The book's success has much to do with its beautifully modeled sentences, its wry humor, and its unwavering deadpan respect for the reader's intelligence . . . full of keen observation and flashes of genuine lyricism, acuity and depth." --Francine Prose, New Republic
"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 On Love, a first novel by Alain de Botton, who seems to have been born to write." --Amanda Heller, Boston Globe
"An intricate deconstruction of a love affair done in an intellectual, Seinfeldian style . . . The commentary hits the nail on the head." --Amy Sohn, The Week
"The smart and funny On Love is just the strong cup of coffee needed to clear your head after a sticky sweet like The Bridges of Madison County. On Love is romantic reality." --News & Observer
"A tour de force pleasure of a first novel . . . A dissertation/novel on romantic narcissism that's both intellectually stimulating and emotionally touching. A very promising debut." --Kirkus
Publisher: Grove Press | Pub Date: January 06, 2006 | Format: Paperback | Pages: 194 | Dimensions: 0.63" H x 7.5" L x 5.06" W | 0.44 lbs
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