On Love
A Novel
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4.4 • 31 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The New York Times–bestselling author's modern classic that "takes a conventional love story and textures it with philosophical ruminations" (Kirkus Reviews).
A man and a woman meet over casual conversation on a flight from Paris to London, and so begins a love story—from first kiss to first argument, elation to heartbreak, and everything in between. Each stage of the relationship is illuminated with starling clarity, as novelist and philosopher Alain de Botton explores young love and its emotions, often felt but rarely understood.
With a brilliant new introduction by Sheila Heti, the New York Times-bestselling author of How Should a Person Be?, On Love is a contemporary classic from an author "who seems to have been born to write" (The Boston Globe).
"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." —Francine Prose, New Republic
"Witty, funny, sophisticated…full of wise and illuminating insights." —P.J. Kavanagh, Spectator
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Two words on the cover (``a novel'') are the only hint that this unusual first book is fiction and not autobiography. The unnamed narrator is a London architect who becomes involved with Chloe, a graphic designer. After about a year, Chloe leaves him for an office-mate, and, as a result, the narrator tries (unsuccessfully) to kill himself. Eventually he gets over Chloe and falls in love with someone else. The novel's action is minimal; the balance of the book is given over to the narrator's obsessive analysis of his relationship with Chloe. (There are diagrams--such as the seating chart of the Boeing 767 where they met--that are meant to illustrate various ideas with which the narrator toys.) The book was likely intended as a Barthesian look at that peculiar heart condition called love, but the overblown and pretentious writing obliterates any comparison, peppered as it is with such winking turns-of-phrase as ``cartographic fascism.'' The author is clearly intelligent and well- read; perhaps some day he will put those assets to good literary use.
Customer Reviews
Amour's Labyrinth
To genuinely free ourselves from the quixotic chase of "ultimate love" stands as a paramount act of self-enlightenment.
De Botton intricately examines romantic interplay, employing the tale of Chloe and the narrator's fervent journey to make sense of the overwhelming rapture of a sentiment that humanity universally cherishes.
Navigating the tumult of disagreements, the magnanimity of forgiveness, the evolution from strangers to confidants, and, inevitably, the poignant detachment, De Botton provides lucid insights into the episodic manifestation of authentic love in contrast to its idyllic, almost coercive representation in romantic ideologies.
Readers are swiftly introduced to the inherent incongruities of romanticism, both as an intellectual construct and as a canon of affection.
"On Love" adeptly delineates the divide between our aspirational desires and the pragmatic realm of relationships, presenting a method that constructively reevaluates our deepest uncertainties regarding ourselves and our partners, past or present. This introspection empowers us to approach love with a refined perspective, undeniably fostering a more wholesome approach.
"On Love" is an essential exploration for young adults, with the innate ability to cultivate understanding for our partners' imperfections, thereby shaping us into more discerning, compassionate companions.