Big Books of 2026
The Course of Love

Questions About The Course of Love

by Alain de Botton (Goodreads Author)

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Answered Questions (4)

Am I the only one who thinks this is a great "how-to" manual for relationships?
A.M. Sommers If this book were required reading for couples, the divorce rate would go down.
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Where can I get it for free online?
R.A. Dalkey You mean, where can you enjoy an author's many months of hard labour without thinking he deserves to be paid a couple of dollars for it?…moreYou mean, where can you enjoy an author's many months of hard labour without thinking he deserves to be paid a couple of dollars for it?(less)
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Ever since I read this book, I've been looking for a similar read: just simple everyday life of a couple. I especially loved the tale, no need for something very philosophical... Any suggestions?
L.H. Draken I highly suggest "The Angle of Repose" by Wallace Stagner. It's an incredible story, following the full course of a complicated and profound marriage.…moreI highly suggest "The Angle of Repose" by Wallace Stagner. It's an incredible story, following the full course of a complicated and profound marriage.

The book is beautifully written - it's a novel, not philosophy - and it's stayed with me since University. (It's also one of the few books I've read more than once.) I can't recommend it enough.

It's set in the late 1800's, (I believe), America. A young woman living in New England gets passed over by the man she loves and decides to marry, slightly impulsively, a young mining engineer. The story follows her as they move out west, and the struggles and back and forth of a marriage. It's beautiful and complicated and intense and real.
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what does the author mean by Romanticism throughout the book?
L.H. Draken The period, starting from about 1750 and on, when the idea of love as the primary impetuous for marriage took root.

When poetry and novels and philoso…moreThe period, starting from about 1750 and on, when the idea of love as the primary impetuous for marriage took root.

When poetry and novels and philosophy started to see love as this idealized world, where two perfect people came together to make one more perfect thing, in a perfect world lit by sunsets. Where no one has jobs and everyone has help to manage the home and children.

We're largely still in this period of 'soul mates', but I think as people become more critical and realistic about how to live a happy life, it's changing.(less)
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Unanswered Questions (2)

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