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18th out of 102 books
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94 voters
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Other People's Love Letters: 150 Letters You Were Never Meant to See
by
Bill Shapiro
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...more
Hardcover, 192 pages
Published
February 9th 2011
by Clarkson Potter
(first published October 30th 2007)
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disappointment #2 in a night spent wandering around Powells. Ya know i go to the hard work of showing up at the book store, putting up with the crowds saying things like, "oh my god! you don't like Jane Austin?! I'm a classics girl, that's the kind of reader I am", you'd think my selective grab-it-on-the-way-to-the-coffee-shop-method would reap some better materials. but Noooooooooo.....
as I read this letters i mostly felt awkward for the people that wrote them, in how trite they...more
as I read this letters i mostly felt awkward for the people that wrote them, in how trite they...more
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’You should know…that still my life is consumed by you.’
This was an interesting little book that I was not expecting to like as much as I did. The title of the book may be ‘Other People’s Love Letters’ but they aren’t all your standard love letters. These are rejection letters, text messages, telegrams, breakup letters, letters of apology, but there are also true love letters that honestly had me crying at times. I quite enj...more
’You should know…that still my life is consumed by you.’
This was an interesting little book that I was not expecting to like as much as I did. The title of the book may be ‘Other People’s Love Letters’ but they aren’t all your standard love letters. These are rejection letters, text messages, telegrams, breakup letters, letters of apology, but there are also true love letters that honestly had me crying at times. I quite enj...more
The stuff in Found magazine is so much better and diverse. these are love notes and break up notes of pathetic unimaginative white suburbanites that had some connection to the author. This gave me a stomach ache. Why would I have that reaction? Ugh.
Once this 10 volume journal was "donated" to value village. (without the owners consent, I am sure. Anyways, I read it. It spanned this womans life from abt 20 to 30 yrs old. And the whole thing was this self absorbed petty non...more
Once this 10 volume journal was "donated" to value village. (without the owners consent, I am sure. Anyways, I read it. It spanned this womans life from abt 20 to 30 yrs old. And the whole thing was this self absorbed petty non...more
Emma
rated it
First of all, this book is not what I'd expected (guess that is what you get from ordering online!). In my romanticized dream, this was going to be a compilation of love letters from famous authors, poets, or just famous people period. Instead this book is comprised of mostly short love notes with only a handful of 'letters' written by joe schmoo, who probably ended up breaking up with said 'lover' within months of composition of these notes. This book is a mosaic of modern 'love' feelings. Each...more
Much less than I expected. What was I expecting? Tales of anguish and redemption springing off each page; a book of pop-up love stories, the kind that can unfold a castle before your eyes. The problem I suspect with collating love letters in a venture of this sort is that you get a self-selecting population that reads and responds to open calls for materials published in books of this kind. That was an overly elaborate way of saying that if you were an alien reading this book you’d be convinced ...more
"I think i enjoy being single. I was very lonely for a long time after we went separate ways. I missed the emotional pulls and pushes, the physical caresses and kisses, and the intellectual challenges you gave me. I've stumble more than once without you to hold me up. And there've been many times when I've had something to share and no one to share it with. I havent met anyone who comes close to you. And, I too think maybe someday...but, I also know that I'm growing in ways I couldn't have...more
Exactly as the title describes, this is a book of love/anguish letters collected from as far back as 100 years ago. Some are very brief and get to the point, others are long, passionate, reprimanding and cover about every other emotion that can enliven or thwart a relationship. Some favorites are the e-mail that begins:
"Ken, I would definitely advise you to cultivate your courting skills. Months of emailing do not a relationship make."
Or the 1939 letter from a young...more
"Ken, I would definitely advise you to cultivate your courting skills. Months of emailing do not a relationship make."
Or the 1939 letter from a young...more
I enjoy these books, gathering little snipets of writing. I tend to go for these to help buld ideas for writing lessons in my classroom. The great thing is, you can always find a few that call out to you. So while some don't apply or you don't understand, others do and it's different for everyone. This helps me to show my students all the possibilities in writing. I would pick and choose which pieces to bring into the classroom depending on the grade level and appropriateness.
I als...more
I als...more
The "I love Mildred" notes alone made this worth a read. These are sweet, affectionate, sometimes sassy and/or ironic, mostly brief love (at times bordering on hate, but mostly love) letters. The selections were varied and, as such, interesting. This is not a book of diverse forms of love, however. (It is heteronormative up the whazoo.) The title is meant to attract the voyeuristic reader. All the writers of the letters gave their permission for publication, save for the writers who w...more
Got this book recommended to me by Amazon after reading and liking The Secret Lives of Men and Women: A PostSecret Book. Of course, I didn't buy it but borrowed from my public library. If the PostSecret book was funny, insightful, heartbreaking, freaky, and kinky, this one was mostly trite and boring. The editor put very little effort into assembling something entertaining and/or touching. A prettily made tome, but otherwise a waste of time.
Apparently other people's love letters just aren't that interesting.
I was too exited to read this book, and the more I read the more disappointed I was, it wasn't interesting for a while. Then I realized why, because it wasn't my love letters. I have no idea whom they were for, I bet that these people's letters made so much more sense to them and they drank every word up of these letters and enjoyed they so much more than a stranger (like me) ever could, because I wouldn't never understand. And just like that I realized how uniquely we are able to love, how diff...more
I thought some of the letters in the book were interesting to read, but I thought some of them didn't really need to be in there also. On top of that, I felt really weird reading this book, in an invasion-of-privacy type of way; which is I guess the point of the book to begin with, as far as using people's awkward letters to show real life. But really, was it necessary? It's like trying to read self-tabloids. Who volunteers emails they've written to their ex-spouse concerning their divorce for a...more
love letters are this secret, complicated communication zone where we produce material with the intention of only one person ever reading it. at least i know i do... and then, in this book, we can read everyone else's secret love notes, break-up letters, anniversary poems, text messages, emails, sweet comics, and even a myspace message. the amazing thing is how very much these letters and notes are just like the material produced by our own relationships. there are love letters from 1939 and 200...more
Some of the letters were sweet and others changed the idea of what could be considered a love letter. It makes you aware that modern romance is not a concept associated with long and passionate love letters. We now live in the age of one liners. At points that was refreshing and others that was just depressing. Many of the letters would only be special to the person reading them. Its worth a flip through for some of the better letters, but overall not really worth the waste of time.
I'm suprised by the amount of low ratings for this book. I really enjoyed reading the love letters and getting a glimpse into other people's relationships. I liked that they were legitimate letters that people had written- ranging from a young kindergarteners letter to a couple from long ago. I also really enjoyed how at the end there were stories about some of the letters, explaining more about what actually happened with them. All in all this was a very interesting book to read.
This was a cute book. The editor had people go out and ask exes and other people for their love letters. Some were sweet, some heartbreaking, some funny. There were letters from the early 1900's all the way until 2006. It was interesting to see what these people were thinking at that particular point in time. At the end of the letters, the ediotr is able to give an update on some of the people who wrote them. I found that just as interesting as the letters themselves.
Okay, a few letters got me choked up but all in all I wasn't feeling it. It may be because many of the love letters were break-up letters. Also, it could have been because this is more of a coffee table book and I read it in a few sittings. After reading them back to back maybe it took away some of the emotion.
I still like the concept and have to say the postscripts are what really got me. Hearing the stories behind the letters made them much more meaningful.
I still like the concept and have to say the postscripts are what really got me. Hearing the stories behind the letters made them much more meaningful.
Yes, you actually read other people's love letters and some are quite explicit while others are very touching. It was interesting to see what the letters were written on - postcards, napkins, sticky notes, and even the air sick bag from an airplane. There are letters from soldiers, emails, and memos. You almost feel like you are looking into a person's private life. I would not recommend this to anyone younger than 18 and I was a little surprised that it was recommended on the VOYA list. Th...more
I cried. I laughed. I was confused. I was disgusted. I was intrigued. The gauntlet of emotions that this book produces is endless. I was glad to get this from the library if not just to have something different to look at. Some of these stories touched my soul so profoundly that I wrote a letter to my loved one just to make sure that maybe in 100 years someone will read it and know that love is all shapes and sizes and has endless amounts of beauty.
This was a bit of a rough read for me. Some things I read made me no longer feel unique. Some of the letters I read were very similar to some I've received or written. Some of them are very easy for me to imagine having been written to me or my having written them. There were definitely some really original letters and some that were pretty funny. So many cliches were repeated throughout, and you wonder how difficult it is to be original.
Much better than "Rejection Letters".
Intimate, honest, and filled with
so much LOVE (although, there are a few
bitter ones thrown in there). I especially
enjoyed reading the older letters, as well
as the explanations and backstories at the
end for a selected few. It was nice to know
which ones had happy endings.
A great collection!
I hope to receive a letter (or two)
as epic as some of the ones featured
in this book. ;)
Intimate, honest, and filled with
so much LOVE (although, there are a few
bitter ones thrown in there). I especially
enjoyed reading the older letters, as well
as the explanations and backstories at the
end for a selected few. It was nice to know
which ones had happy endings.
A great collection!
I hope to receive a letter (or two)
as epic as some of the ones featured
in this book. ;)
A fun collection a bit in the spirit of Post Secret, this collection gives you a peek at the passionate letters and e-mails that were sent or ripped up in the name of love. The best part is trying to figure out (or just imagining) the story behind the slice of emotion put on the pages. The letters are included in their actual form, so you can see the deep folds in an older letter, or the crayon drawing of a 6-year-old.
This book was all right, but I enjoyed the postsecret books much more. It was fun to look at the letters, see the handwriting and the condition of the paper. I much prefered to read the emails and texts, though, since the font was easier on my eyes.
I was a bit surprised to see what the editior considered a love letter.
My favorite part of the book was at the very end when they told a little background on some of the letter writers and recipients and where they are now.
I was a bit surprised to see what the editior considered a love letter.
My favorite part of the book was at the very end when they told a little background on some of the letter writers and recipients and where they are now.
Allison
rated it
Recommends it for:
people in waiting rooms, airports, bus rides, dull dinner parties
think found.com meets postsecret.com meets a dusty shoebox of letters in the attic meets text messages... quite well-balanced in terms of including the dear johns, the honeymoon love bliss, the break-ups, make-ups, hate mail, sext messages, historical sonnets, etc.
Addictive, really.
One of my favorites, inscribed on an airplane sick bag:
"What I really feel...
If you were here now,
I would kiss you.
I would hold your hand and
look at you...more
Addictive, really.
One of my favorites, inscribed on an airplane sick bag:
"What I really feel...
If you were here now,
I would kiss you.
I would hold your hand and
look at you...more
You know, this was really fun at first...reading someone else's love letters, but ultimately it got a little old. I read every word to about the half way point, but I really was more interested in what the words were written on than in the words themselves. The presentation was good, but the content was simply out of context and didn't hold my interest.
Not entirely clean or devoid of strong suggestiveness. Would NOT recommend to teens or younger.
Not entirely clean or devoid of strong suggestiveness. Would NOT recommend to teens or younger.
Catherine
added it
The first half (with the actual letters) is great. Once i read the second half (the where are they now section), most of the mystery is gone. It's also interesting that my fav are the short ones. I only half skimmed the long ones. And the combo of hand written, type writer, gmail, text msg, and back of napkin notes reflect how people still do love letters (even if they use diff media).
Came downstairs this morning and this was on the counter. Picked it up, glanced at it, and put it down. Walked away, got coffee, picked it back up, and I tore through it. Funny, sweet, disturbing, and sad all at the same time. A little voyeuristic romp through other people's most intimate moments. If you aren't careful, you might see a little bit of yourself in it.
Oh my gosh, this book was so much fun! This is an actual collection of other people's real-life love letters in many different forms, shared in book form. Some are 60+ years old and some perhaps only a year old, but the messages are timeless and it's fun to sneak a glimpse into the love life of someone else. I had a great time reading this!
This was hard to read on my Kindle because they weren't retyped love letters but pictures of the actual letters. Meaning they were on notebook paper, or napkins, or were print screen of e-mails or texts. I liked how this book made me feel nosy and I could also relate to some of the notes. Which, I am assuming, is the whole point.
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