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I Could Love You
When Belinda discovers her husband is having
an affair, her world is turned upside down;
she’s furious, hurt, and bent on evening the
score. But Belinda isn’t the only one in her
affluent suburban neighborhood suffering
the indignities and disappointments of middle
life. Instead of resting comfortably in the
glow of earlier good decisions, she and her
neighbors have just as much angst as they did
in their twenties, even if the drama is buried
under accreting layers of everyday life.
One of Belinda’s friends fears her own
husband is having an affair. But when she finds
out there’s no other woman—that he’s found
God instead—this, to her, is the biggest betrayal.
A renowned artist, near death, is convinced
that his entire life has been a waste. And a
schoolteacher, upon achieving his dream of
selling a screenplay to Hollywood, finds himself
buffeted by the maddening whims of the
studio execs (who are no longer looking for a
serious drama, but a low-brow comedy about
a talking dog).
And as the grownups in this searching,
beautifully told story try to claw back the
happiness that has slipped away, two college
kids who believed they’d never find love discover
a glimmer of hope.
an affair, her world is turned upside down;
she’s furious, hurt, and bent on evening the
score. But Belinda isn’t the only one in her
affluent suburban neighborhood suffering
the indignities and disappointments of middle
life. Instead of resting comfortably in the
glow of earlier good decisions, she and her
neighbors have just as much angst as they did
in their twenties, even if the drama is buried
under accreting layers of everyday life.
One of Belinda’s friends fears her own
husband is having an affair. But when she finds
out there’s no other woman—that he’s found
God instead—this, to her, is the biggest betrayal.
A renowned artist, near death, is convinced
that his entire life has been a waste. And a
schoolteacher, upon achieving his dream of
selling a screenplay to Hollywood, finds himself
buffeted by the maddening whims of the
studio execs (who are no longer looking for a
serious drama, but a low-brow comedy about
a talking dog).
And as the grownups in this searching,
beautifully told story try to claw back the
happiness that has slipped away, two college
kids who believed they’d never find love discover
a glimmer of hope.
361 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
8 people are currently reading
268 people want to read
About the author
William Nicholson
219 books482 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
William Nicholson was born in 1948, and grew up in Sussex and Gloucestershire. His plays for television include Shadowlands and Life Story , both of which won the BAFTA Best Television Drama award in their year; other award-winners were Sweet As You Are and The March . In 1988 he received the Royal Television Society's Writer's Award. His first play, an adaptation of Shadowlands for the stage, was Evening Standard Best Play of 1990, and went on to a Tony Award winning run on Broadway. He was nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay of the film version, which was directed by Richard Attenborough and starred Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger.
Since then he has written more films - Sarafina, Nell, First Knight, Grey Owl , and Gladiator (as co-writer), for which he received a second Oscar nomination. He has written and directed his own film, Firelight ; and three further stage plays, Map of the Heart , Katherine Howard and The Retreat from Moscow , which ran for five months on Broadway and received three Tony Award nominations.
His novel for older children, The Wind Singer, won the Smarties Prize Gold Award on publication in 2000, and the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award in 2001. Its sequel, Slaves of the Mastery , was published in May 2001, and the final volume in the trilogy, Firesong , in May 2002. The trilogy has been sold in every major foreign market, from the US to China.
He is now at work on a new sequence of novels for older children, called The Noble Warriors . The first book, Seeker , was published in the UK in September 2005.The second book, Jango, in 2006 and the third book NOMAN, will be published in September 2007.
His novels for adults are The Society of Others (April 2004) and The Trial of True Love (April 2005).
He lives in Sussex with his wife Virginia and their three children.
from williamnicholson.co.uk
William Nicholson was born in 1948, and grew up in Sussex and Gloucestershire. His plays for television include Shadowlands and Life Story , both of which won the BAFTA Best Television Drama award in their year; other award-winners were Sweet As You Are and The March . In 1988 he received the Royal Television Society's Writer's Award. His first play, an adaptation of Shadowlands for the stage, was Evening Standard Best Play of 1990, and went on to a Tony Award winning run on Broadway. He was nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay of the film version, which was directed by Richard Attenborough and starred Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger.
Since then he has written more films - Sarafina, Nell, First Knight, Grey Owl , and Gladiator (as co-writer), for which he received a second Oscar nomination. He has written and directed his own film, Firelight ; and three further stage plays, Map of the Heart , Katherine Howard and The Retreat from Moscow , which ran for five months on Broadway and received three Tony Award nominations.
His novel for older children, The Wind Singer, won the Smarties Prize Gold Award on publication in 2000, and the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award in 2001. Its sequel, Slaves of the Mastery , was published in May 2001, and the final volume in the trilogy, Firesong , in May 2002. The trilogy has been sold in every major foreign market, from the US to China.
He is now at work on a new sequence of novels for older children, called The Noble Warriors . The first book, Seeker , was published in the UK in September 2005.The second book, Jango, in 2006 and the third book NOMAN, will be published in September 2007.
His novels for adults are The Society of Others (April 2004) and The Trial of True Love (April 2005).
He lives in Sussex with his wife Virginia and their three children.
from williamnicholson.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
September 11, 2011
I picked this book up rather at random, and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I feel like I've read a few books about the mundane relationships of suburban life (not that the books have been mundane; just the relationships), but this is the first one I've read written by a man, and I think his views were slightly different. I also love that it takes place in England. It's fun seeing, what I think of as, the same old American issues crop up in another landscape.
The book involves myriad characters in various stages of life (in fact, sometimes remembering which character is doing what and with whom is a little frustrating): there's plenty of middle-age marriages, some college age kids, a young boy infatuated (platonically, fraternally) with an older man, an elderly artist. People are in various phases of life: first love, old love, adulterous love, unloved.
Nicholson does a great job of involving you in each character's life, to the point where you're disappointed to move on to the next chapter/character... at least until you're in the middle of the next chapter and eager to follow the new character. The adultery angle was interesting, and the only time I felt like I could tell the author was a man. The insight into the male mind in this situation was fascinating, but the ultimate resolution didn't completely ring true.
But I enjoyed reading this book and I feel compelled to read his earlier one.
The book involves myriad characters in various stages of life (in fact, sometimes remembering which character is doing what and with whom is a little frustrating): there's plenty of middle-age marriages, some college age kids, a young boy infatuated (platonically, fraternally) with an older man, an elderly artist. People are in various phases of life: first love, old love, adulterous love, unloved.
Nicholson does a great job of involving you in each character's life, to the point where you're disappointed to move on to the next chapter/character... at least until you're in the middle of the next chapter and eager to follow the new character. The adultery angle was interesting, and the only time I felt like I could tell the author was a man. The insight into the male mind in this situation was fascinating, but the ultimate resolution didn't completely ring true.
But I enjoyed reading this book and I feel compelled to read his earlier one.
December 31, 2011
I received this book as a goodreads first-reads giveaway. It was incredibly easy to get into though I must admit...a bit confusing. I had to finally write down the characters and the triangles they were in so I could keep everyone straight. Once I got the hang of where everyone belonged, it read like a sit-com or made for TV movie about love and the complicating relationships resulting of it. It was a fluffy read, that's for sure. I believe the author intended it to be that way. Not too deep on plot, not too deep on character development, not too mind-bending to have you gasping for air though...there were moments. EX: Belinda's experience with an old high school interest in the hotel room...(O-M-G!!!) or poor Matt's confrontation with his mother as he is trying to (finally) kindle a relationship with a woman (I'd like to strangle his mom). I found myself wanting more from the backgrounds of the characters and more depth to their characters...WHICH I could find in the previous book that the author wrote. Finding out that I Could Love You was a continuation of the stories in a previous novel was a little too late as that information was noted in the back of the book along with the bio of the author. I think every reader could find one of these characters and intimately say...YES, I feel like that or I remember feeling that way. There is a piece of us in all of them...
All in all....a great story that reads like a fun weekly TV drama. Thanks for the opportunity to be one of the first-readers!
All in all....a great story that reads like a fun weekly TV drama. Thanks for the opportunity to be one of the first-readers!
December 11, 2011
The author is a screenplay-writer, which makes the scenes about Alan, the writer of screenplays, especially delightful. I read those parts to my husband, who chortled (yes, it was odd), albeit with mixed feelings. Some years ago he went through almost exactly that experience writing an episode of drama for NZ TV. They loved the story, but it needs more * . Yes, now it has more * but it's missing #. Now you've added * and # but the story is formulaic. Etc. A very painful experience, and it must go on all the time. That romantic comedy you just saw? Was probably originally written as a social commentary. That action flick? Originally a new take on life during the Holocaust. Coming soon: Rockefeller, the investment banker dog.
September 2, 2011
The author wrote the screenplays for Shadowlands and Gladiator - which I find very interesting. The book centers on relationships - between married couples, young singles, and artists and their work. I read it in a day (granted, it was my day off and I was bored) but I found it fascinating. My husband hates it when I read books that make me think about relationships and why they are satisfactory or not. I get moody and question our own relationship (which is the part he doesn't like!). I will admit this wasn't a feel good book. It dove deep into the issues of sex, love, lost love, and hope.
Read this if you enjoy Joanna Trollope, Nick Hornby, or Jonathan Tropper.
Read this if you enjoy Joanna Trollope, Nick Hornby, or Jonathan Tropper.
September 2, 2011
The author wrote the screenplays for Shadowlands and Gladiator - which I find very interesting. The book centers on relationships - between married couples, young singles, and artists and their work. I read it in a day (granted, it was my day off and I was bored) but I found it fascinating. My husband hates it when I read books that make me think about relationships and why they are satisfactory or not. I get moody and question our own relationship (which is the part he doesn't like!). I will admit this wasn't a feel good book. It dove deep into the issues of sex, love, lost love, and hope.
Read this if you enjoy Joanna Trollope, Nick Hornby, or Jonathan Tropper.
Read this if you enjoy Joanna Trollope, Nick Hornby, or Jonathan Tropper.
September 21, 2019
When I first began “I Could Love You” – the title of the book threw me a bit. It just sounded so…halfhearted? The “could” was such a qualifier that I didn’t know what to expect.
What I got was a book that starts off with what seem too many characters who are too interconnected, but that grows in emotional depth and honesty. The reader is given a view of love and sex at many stages of life, in many different forms and from very differing points of view.
Some loves are secret, some are brand new, some decades old and undergoing great change. The reader is able to view the relationships from both partner’s perspectives which at times proves fascinating.
“What more can he offer her? Love? This thing that women distinguish from sex, the sticky residue that’s left over when you take sex out of the equation. The thing that lasts, where everyone knows sex is fleeting. But love and sex can’t be separated like this, they’re both somewhere in the seething mess along with vanity and habit and dread and self-doubt. Even on its own no one knows what love is. Is it the flush of infatuation? Is it the confession of desperate need? Or a heightened form of friendship?”
To which the answer seems to be, it is all of these things and more. It depends on the circumstances of the people, the way they meet, where they are in their lives at the time, what their pasts and futures hold.
These characters are torn between those they love and desire and those who love or desire them. Which is stronger? Which proves to be of a greater power? Desire or being desired? Loving or being loved? Beauty or being seen as beautiful?
“…beauty. We define it so variously that it doesn’t exist. What does exist, what remains constant, is our feelings about beauty: what we seek is a certain feeling about ourselves which is stimulated by the perception of others. The entire process actually happens in the mind, in our own minds and in the minds of the people round us.”
Some characters stood out more than most…Belinda and Tom and Meg and the effects of infidelity. Alice and Jack and Chloe and young love and heartbreak.
And by the end of the book, after looking at love from all sides and places and times, the title makes much more sense. It isn’t half-hearted at all. It’s gentle hearted, a whisper of hope, that after all, “”I Could Love You”.
What I got was a book that starts off with what seem too many characters who are too interconnected, but that grows in emotional depth and honesty. The reader is given a view of love and sex at many stages of life, in many different forms and from very differing points of view.
Some loves are secret, some are brand new, some decades old and undergoing great change. The reader is able to view the relationships from both partner’s perspectives which at times proves fascinating.
“What more can he offer her? Love? This thing that women distinguish from sex, the sticky residue that’s left over when you take sex out of the equation. The thing that lasts, where everyone knows sex is fleeting. But love and sex can’t be separated like this, they’re both somewhere in the seething mess along with vanity and habit and dread and self-doubt. Even on its own no one knows what love is. Is it the flush of infatuation? Is it the confession of desperate need? Or a heightened form of friendship?”
To which the answer seems to be, it is all of these things and more. It depends on the circumstances of the people, the way they meet, where they are in their lives at the time, what their pasts and futures hold.
These characters are torn between those they love and desire and those who love or desire them. Which is stronger? Which proves to be of a greater power? Desire or being desired? Loving or being loved? Beauty or being seen as beautiful?
“…beauty. We define it so variously that it doesn’t exist. What does exist, what remains constant, is our feelings about beauty: what we seek is a certain feeling about ourselves which is stimulated by the perception of others. The entire process actually happens in the mind, in our own minds and in the minds of the people round us.”
Some characters stood out more than most…Belinda and Tom and Meg and the effects of infidelity. Alice and Jack and Chloe and young love and heartbreak.
And by the end of the book, after looking at love from all sides and places and times, the title makes much more sense. It isn’t half-hearted at all. It’s gentle hearted, a whisper of hope, that after all, “”I Could Love You”.
January 3, 2023
isn’t it interesting that some people love this book enough to give it five stars and others do not? I think his writing is perfect for showing the ongoing crises that people invent for themselves. Robert Browning wrote, “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”. Many of these people keep looking for something and never quite grasp it. I loved that some of them find what they were looking for and others continue. Just like life.
January 28, 2024
I love a good ensemble cast, and this one shows the different points within the love journeys of the characters. While some are in a crisis and contemplating what the point of dedicating yourself to one is when you’ll be ultimately betrayed, others learn that love doesn’t have to be all-consuming or intense for it to be just as valid, hence the title “I Could Love You.”
May 17, 2011
If you are middle class, or doing a little better, "I Could Love You," is not so much an escape as it is a mirror.
William Nicholson's characters can be difficult to distinguish from one another. They have generic names (Alice, Laura, Jack), are all white, and each luxuriating in the search for meaning or LOVE.
They talk similarly as well. Idioms, slang, and varied voices are not the author's strong suit, but narration itself changes pitch and tone as his assemblage of characters take turns under the literary microscope.
"I Could Love You," comes off as one of those ensemble movies that Hugh Grant stars in, featuring lots of people living in close proximity, yet only mildly conscious of one another.
"Love Actually," comes to mind.
And that's the set-up. Sometimes paths cross unexpectedly and narrative flames are sparked as a result.
This is a zeitgeist piece including references to Facebook and the MP3 player. If you are wondering whether you'll have much in common with these folks, you will, unless you're the kind who helps people in Africa or works as an undercover agent in the war on terror.
Whether you'll care about them is another question, but Nicholson is a writer of true command, a deft hand relaying a story that seems milquetoast on the surface, but offers edgy and insightful moments, meanings, and passages.
"Once you know that you don't know," he writes, "everything changes. The absurdity of so much of our lives ceases to be a puzzle. Of course we're ridiculous. Of course we make fools of ourselves. Why wouldn't we? We are fools. We know so little. But are not any the less loveable for all that."
One of the novel's strengths is its multi-generational tack. Literature has never scanted young love, but Nicholson renders the complexities and epiphanies of middle-age very nicely.
For example, Tom Redknapp finds himself oddly removed from a big issue at the hospital where he performs plastic surgeries. As the conference room debate rages, he is thinking about his extramarital affair:
"In some strange way he feels as if he's started his life over again. This time round there's no drive to achieve, no deferring of pleasure in the interests of later gain. This time, the pleasure."
The art world comes in for some particularly pointed observations the indoctrinated, and not-so-indoctrinated, may find provocative.
Nicholson's portrait of the forgotten and declining painter Anthony Armitage is a strong departure and counterpoint to the rest of the youthful, mainstream ensemble.
But as the title suggests, love is the big issue here and the characters' experiences are varied enough to offer succor, advice, and cautionary tales for those who like, enjoy, desire, or think a lot about the big L.
The author does an intelligent job of putting something across that is light and entertaining, yet somehow substantive and unsettling.
His larger point is best summed up in this passage, also from the brain of Tom Redknapp, daydreaming of his paramour who is no great shakes in the looks department:
"Nothing to write home about. And there's the wonder of it. Beauty turns out not to create desire after all. Desire creates beauty."
With its many contemporary and hip references, "I Could Love You," is not bound for the classics shelf, but its author was not trying to achieve that.
Still, what Nicholson sets out to do, he does well in this easy and entertaining read.
William Nicholson's characters can be difficult to distinguish from one another. They have generic names (Alice, Laura, Jack), are all white, and each luxuriating in the search for meaning or LOVE.
They talk similarly as well. Idioms, slang, and varied voices are not the author's strong suit, but narration itself changes pitch and tone as his assemblage of characters take turns under the literary microscope.
"I Could Love You," comes off as one of those ensemble movies that Hugh Grant stars in, featuring lots of people living in close proximity, yet only mildly conscious of one another.
"Love Actually," comes to mind.
And that's the set-up. Sometimes paths cross unexpectedly and narrative flames are sparked as a result.
This is a zeitgeist piece including references to Facebook and the MP3 player. If you are wondering whether you'll have much in common with these folks, you will, unless you're the kind who helps people in Africa or works as an undercover agent in the war on terror.
Whether you'll care about them is another question, but Nicholson is a writer of true command, a deft hand relaying a story that seems milquetoast on the surface, but offers edgy and insightful moments, meanings, and passages.
"Once you know that you don't know," he writes, "everything changes. The absurdity of so much of our lives ceases to be a puzzle. Of course we're ridiculous. Of course we make fools of ourselves. Why wouldn't we? We are fools. We know so little. But are not any the less loveable for all that."
One of the novel's strengths is its multi-generational tack. Literature has never scanted young love, but Nicholson renders the complexities and epiphanies of middle-age very nicely.
For example, Tom Redknapp finds himself oddly removed from a big issue at the hospital where he performs plastic surgeries. As the conference room debate rages, he is thinking about his extramarital affair:
"In some strange way he feels as if he's started his life over again. This time round there's no drive to achieve, no deferring of pleasure in the interests of later gain. This time, the pleasure."
The art world comes in for some particularly pointed observations the indoctrinated, and not-so-indoctrinated, may find provocative.
Nicholson's portrait of the forgotten and declining painter Anthony Armitage is a strong departure and counterpoint to the rest of the youthful, mainstream ensemble.
But as the title suggests, love is the big issue here and the characters' experiences are varied enough to offer succor, advice, and cautionary tales for those who like, enjoy, desire, or think a lot about the big L.
The author does an intelligent job of putting something across that is light and entertaining, yet somehow substantive and unsettling.
His larger point is best summed up in this passage, also from the brain of Tom Redknapp, daydreaming of his paramour who is no great shakes in the looks department:
"Nothing to write home about. And there's the wonder of it. Beauty turns out not to create desire after all. Desire creates beauty."
With its many contemporary and hip references, "I Could Love You," is not bound for the classics shelf, but its author was not trying to achieve that.
Still, what Nicholson sets out to do, he does well in this easy and entertaining read.
August 25, 2011
There are quite a few characters in this book, and most are intertwined in some way.
Belinda and Tom Redknapp, kids Chloe and Alex
-Tom is having an affair with Meg. Plastic surgeon and says he just wants to be "desired". Someone in his office outs his affair to his wife. Believes all men would cheat if he had the chance and wouldn't get caught.
-Belinda tries to act the part of a perfect wife. She's pretty and kept her figure through the years and two children, wants to be young again. Determined to get back at her husband. Fantasies about a teenage crush. Her perfect life comes crashing down when she finds out about Tom's affair
-Chloe starts out as a selfish bitch and turns submissive after meeting and sleeping with Guy. In college
-Alex doesn't make an appearance besides a telephone call, lives in London
Laura and Henry Broad, kids Jack and Carrie. Laura is the sister of Diana
-Laura, her sister asks her to talk to Roddy to find out what's going on with him
-Carrie is 17, a cynical pessimist, painted by Anthony. Upset when she finds out Anthony is living in the cottage because she considers it "her cottage"
-Jack is in college, and pining after Chloe. Set up unknowingly with Alice by Chloe.
Meg Strachan, Alan's sister
-Not married, sleeping with Tom, wants him to leave Belinda for her. PR rep for Tom's practice
Alan Strachan and Liz Dickinson, kids Alice (biological daughter of Guy) and Casper
-Alan is a playwright turned screenwriter
-Alice, a pessimist, tries not to get her hopes up and tries to do the same for Casper. Set up with Jack by Chloe
-Casper, the typical optimistic child, considers Guy his "half-father"
Christina
-Filming Joe Nola and his exhibition, has a crush on Joe.
Joe Nola
-Artist, taught by Anthony. Trashes his own exhibition
Matt Early, plumber and over-all handy-man, working on Alan and Liz's house and fixes Meg bathroom
-Lives with his mother. He has a shed out back that is his refuge from his cruel and overbearing mother. He plays and repairs broken violins.
Diana and Roddy, Diana is Laura's sister, kids Isla and Max
-Diana, concerned Roddy is having an affair or mental breakdown when he stops talking and "has a weird smile on his face all the time"
-Kids do not make an appearance
Guy
-Biological father of Alice, starts sleeping with Chloe
Anthony Armitage
-Artist, lived in the American Cottage. Planning a showing for his art. "Befriends" Carrie and paints her, boosts her self-esteem a little.
I was all set to give this 1 star, but the end redeemed itself, little by little.
I wanted to throw items at Guy and Tom. They could have been best friends, for all they talked about sex, how it's no big deal and how all men will cheat given the chance and if they wouldn't get caught. They treat their respectful partners as if they are just for sex and their desire.
I almost quit reading this book multiple times, but only kept on because I wanted to know what happened to Matt (too bad his horrible mother sent Meg away) and Alice and Jack. I hated the way that the book treated religion in the book, saying that Roddy was, "trying to find God" and everyone laughing at him saying he had lost it and he only needed a shed out back to work on a hobby.
The only reason I gave this 2 stars is the end for Alice and Jack.
I can't recommend this book to anyone I know.
I received this book for free from Goodreads giveaway
Belinda and Tom Redknapp, kids Chloe and Alex
-Tom is having an affair with Meg. Plastic surgeon and says he just wants to be "desired". Someone in his office outs his affair to his wife. Believes all men would cheat if he had the chance and wouldn't get caught.
-Belinda tries to act the part of a perfect wife. She's pretty and kept her figure through the years and two children, wants to be young again. Determined to get back at her husband. Fantasies about a teenage crush. Her perfect life comes crashing down when she finds out about Tom's affair
-Chloe starts out as a selfish bitch and turns submissive after meeting and sleeping with Guy. In college
-Alex doesn't make an appearance besides a telephone call, lives in London
Laura and Henry Broad, kids Jack and Carrie. Laura is the sister of Diana
-Laura, her sister asks her to talk to Roddy to find out what's going on with him
-Carrie is 17, a cynical pessimist, painted by Anthony. Upset when she finds out Anthony is living in the cottage because she considers it "her cottage"
-Jack is in college, and pining after Chloe. Set up unknowingly with Alice by Chloe.
Meg Strachan, Alan's sister
-Not married, sleeping with Tom, wants him to leave Belinda for her. PR rep for Tom's practice
Alan Strachan and Liz Dickinson, kids Alice (biological daughter of Guy) and Casper
-Alan is a playwright turned screenwriter
-Alice, a pessimist, tries not to get her hopes up and tries to do the same for Casper. Set up with Jack by Chloe
-Casper, the typical optimistic child, considers Guy his "half-father"
Christina
-Filming Joe Nola and his exhibition, has a crush on Joe.
Joe Nola
-Artist, taught by Anthony. Trashes his own exhibition
Matt Early, plumber and over-all handy-man, working on Alan and Liz's house and fixes Meg bathroom
-Lives with his mother. He has a shed out back that is his refuge from his cruel and overbearing mother. He plays and repairs broken violins.
Diana and Roddy, Diana is Laura's sister, kids Isla and Max
-Diana, concerned Roddy is having an affair or mental breakdown when he stops talking and "has a weird smile on his face all the time"
-Kids do not make an appearance
Guy
-Biological father of Alice, starts sleeping with Chloe
Anthony Armitage
-Artist, lived in the American Cottage. Planning a showing for his art. "Befriends" Carrie and paints her, boosts her self-esteem a little.
I was all set to give this 1 star, but the end redeemed itself, little by little.
I wanted to throw items at Guy and Tom. They could have been best friends, for all they talked about sex, how it's no big deal and how all men will cheat given the chance and if they wouldn't get caught. They treat their respectful partners as if they are just for sex and their desire.
I almost quit reading this book multiple times, but only kept on because I wanted to know what happened to Matt (too bad his horrible mother sent Meg away) and Alice and Jack. I hated the way that the book treated religion in the book, saying that Roddy was, "trying to find God" and everyone laughing at him saying he had lost it and he only needed a shed out back to work on a hobby.
The only reason I gave this 2 stars is the end for Alice and Jack.
I can't recommend this book to anyone I know.
I received this book for free from Goodreads giveaway
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2016
I was very excited about reading this book, based on the description. However, in the end, it was a good book but not a great one. If I could give 3.5 stars, that's what I would have chosen.
The good: The author's writing is at times excellent. I also appreciated another insight into cheating (although it certainly doesn't excuse it). Clearly "thinking about someone else" rather than ones' self, is a major theme. The 2 main story lines, Belinda-Tom & Jack-Alice, were well-developed.
The bad: In the early chapters, it felt like a new character was walking into the picture in every chapter. With so many different characters, it was hard to really know any of them as well and some seemed like unfinished sketches. Clearly this works well on tv or the movies where you can see visually what the character is wearing, how the character acts, etc. but it's sometimes nicer to have just a few characters that are deeply examined in a book. (For example, Laura could have had more time.)
Summary: The book reflects many of the types of relationships that are out there right now. It's difficult to stay married and find compromises and this book shows some ways to get there. On the flip side, it also shows how difficult it is to find someone - how Austin is still relevant, how right choices are hard and wrong choices are easy, and how we can misjudge easily. If you want a quick read that mirrors many of the current media with a few good story lines, this would be the book.
The good: The author's writing is at times excellent. I also appreciated another insight into cheating (although it certainly doesn't excuse it). Clearly "thinking about someone else" rather than ones' self, is a major theme. The 2 main story lines, Belinda-Tom & Jack-Alice, were well-developed.
The bad: In the early chapters, it felt like a new character was walking into the picture in every chapter. With so many different characters, it was hard to really know any of them as well and some seemed like unfinished sketches. Clearly this works well on tv or the movies where you can see visually what the character is wearing, how the character acts, etc. but it's sometimes nicer to have just a few characters that are deeply examined in a book. (For example, Laura could have had more time.)
Summary: The book reflects many of the types of relationships that are out there right now. It's difficult to stay married and find compromises and this book shows some ways to get there. On the flip side, it also shows how difficult it is to find someone - how Austin is still relevant, how right choices are hard and wrong choices are easy, and how we can misjudge easily. If you want a quick read that mirrors many of the current media with a few good story lines, this would be the book.
November 6, 2016
British writer William Nicholson shines a light on love - young love and old love - in his new novel, "I Could Love You". Set in London in that fearful December, 2008, when the world was reeling from the financial meltdowns, Nicholson introduces ten or so main characters, and a few peripheral ones, who face the Christmas holidays with eagerness and trepidation. Much of the trepidation deals with "love", "fidelity", "honor", and "happiness".
Nicholson's book brings to mind the movie "Love, Actually", which also featured many characters in a short time frame, also at the holidays. That was a very good movie, and this is a very good book. Some other reviewers have remarked on the number of characters and how difficult it was to keep them straight. I suppose there were many characters, both old and young, but somehow their stories overlapping made it easier for me to keep track of them. Is "love" and the pursuit of it limited by age? Nicholson seems to say "no", that love and happiness can happen at any age. Is it "fate" or "kismet" that bring people together? Sometimes it is, and sometimes love can happen - and reignite itself - under bad circumstances.
Nicholson has written a thoughtful novel. It comes after his first novel about many of the same characters, "Secret Intensity of Everyday Life" which I have not read but will do. It's always interesting to see how characters in a book age and learn.
Nicholson's book brings to mind the movie "Love, Actually", which also featured many characters in a short time frame, also at the holidays. That was a very good movie, and this is a very good book. Some other reviewers have remarked on the number of characters and how difficult it was to keep them straight. I suppose there were many characters, both old and young, but somehow their stories overlapping made it easier for me to keep track of them. Is "love" and the pursuit of it limited by age? Nicholson seems to say "no", that love and happiness can happen at any age. Is it "fate" or "kismet" that bring people together? Sometimes it is, and sometimes love can happen - and reignite itself - under bad circumstances.
Nicholson has written a thoughtful novel. It comes after his first novel about many of the same characters, "Secret Intensity of Everyday Life" which I have not read but will do. It's always interesting to see how characters in a book age and learn.
July 22, 2011
I've got to admit it was a pretty good book. I didn't see it coming. Belinda is tempted to complicate her life with an affair, until she discovers she is on the other side of one. Her husband is having an affair! Chloe is madly in love with an older man who shows her how it feels to be "dumped". Matt, Meg's plumber, is in love with Meg, but doesn't know how to approach her. Jack is disappointed that all he can get is Alice, until he realizes the simple and comfortable way they are together. Meanwhile, little Casper tries to find his "half father" in the big city, and former great artist, Anthony Armitage, tries to find logic in this world of modern art. Oh what a tangled web we weave!
And Mr. Nicholson has definitely woven a confusing web here. It was very difficult at first to try to keep all the characters and their respective triangles straight. But, after I became accustomed to it, I admit, I enjoyed the peek into the intimate lives of his characters. Mr. Nicholson made me really think about how we fall in love, and why we consider someone to be beautiful.
And Mr. Nicholson has definitely woven a confusing web here. It was very difficult at first to try to keep all the characters and their respective triangles straight. But, after I became accustomed to it, I admit, I enjoyed the peek into the intimate lives of his characters. Mr. Nicholson made me really think about how we fall in love, and why we consider someone to be beautiful.
January 5, 2012
I was so excited to win this book from one of the giveaways, and really enjoyed reading it. This book had a lot of different characters, with different story lines, but they all connected. Every chapter is from a different characters point of view so you're reading about all these people and what is happening in their lives and see them interacting with some of the other characters.
It felt like reading short stories that are related. I also could see it being a play. The one thing that bothered me is that some of the story lines seemed to end abruptly. There were certain characters and families that were talked about more, but some of the more minor ones were interesting too. When it ended I realized that some of the characters stories had ended several chapters earlier, without really having a conclusion.
Overall, a very interesting read.
It felt like reading short stories that are related. I also could see it being a play. The one thing that bothered me is that some of the story lines seemed to end abruptly. There were certain characters and families that were talked about more, but some of the more minor ones were interesting too. When it ended I realized that some of the characters stories had ended several chapters earlier, without really having a conclusion.
Overall, a very interesting read.
January 24, 2012
I received a free copy as part of the Goodreads First Read Giveaway.
I really liked this book. Nicholson presents mutliple examples of different types of relationships including relationships between married couples, young singles, and artists and their work and then has small stories about these relationships. The different chapters switch from character set to character set which can get confusing after a while. I sometimes had to go back and re-read chapters in an effort to remember who someone was.
Nicholson's background is in script writing which is really apparent in some of the stories. The chapters read more like a script that a story. Some of the stories are never resolved and some are. There was a bit more sex stuff than I would have wanted, but overall I really enjoyed reading the book.
I really liked this book. Nicholson presents mutliple examples of different types of relationships including relationships between married couples, young singles, and artists and their work and then has small stories about these relationships. The different chapters switch from character set to character set which can get confusing after a while. I sometimes had to go back and re-read chapters in an effort to remember who someone was.
Nicholson's background is in script writing which is really apparent in some of the stories. The chapters read more like a script that a story. Some of the stories are never resolved and some are. There was a bit more sex stuff than I would have wanted, but overall I really enjoyed reading the book.
May 1, 2013
It's British, it's multiple storylines somewhat interconnected with eachother, and ultimately it's about love. There's a cheating spouse, unrequited love, true love, and love frustrated by a too-dependent family member.
Yep, it's "Love, Actually" in book form.
I enjoyed it. Well-written and engaging.
(While I am comparing it to "Love, Actually," I should probably add that the love stories aren't tied into as many neat bows as they are in that movie, nor are they as contrived. There's no running in airports, and the Prime Minister does not make an appearance. The similarities are largely that each character is going through a love-related crises, the characters lives are interconnected, and some stories are resolved more fully than others. Also, I love "Love Actually", so comparing the two isn't a knock in my book.)
Yep, it's "Love, Actually" in book form.
I enjoyed it. Well-written and engaging.
(While I am comparing it to "Love, Actually," I should probably add that the love stories aren't tied into as many neat bows as they are in that movie, nor are they as contrived. There's no running in airports, and the Prime Minister does not make an appearance. The similarities are largely that each character is going through a love-related crises, the characters lives are interconnected, and some stories are resolved more fully than others. Also, I love "Love Actually", so comparing the two isn't a knock in my book.)
February 11, 2012
Ahhh, middle class suburbia! This book brings to life all the mundane issues of just that, middle class suburbia. I read it through easily, though the characters were a bit on the confusing side, and I did enjoy it. There is a cheating husband and a livid wife, a wife who's husband is "cheating" on her with God leaving the wife feeling betrayed and frustrated, a dying artist, and a schoolteacher. Basically, this is middle class America, but, set in England. People are people around the world.
Anyway, for the most part the characters are well developed and quite understandable...even likable. The writing is a delight and the twists on the cheating viewpoints are interesting.
Anyway, for the most part the characters are well developed and quite understandable...even likable. The writing is a delight and the twists on the cheating viewpoints are interesting.
May 19, 2011
This is a smooth, easy read, involving many characters that are all sharply defined and characterized. Lives of the inhabitants of a small English town collide and separate and go about their lives during a pre-Christmas week. The author's experience as a screenwriter is evident in the bracing dialogue and believable situations. So why didn't I like it more? Probably because if I am drawn to these English comedies of manners and just may be a bit burnt out on them. The situations, while believable, are quite predictable. The tensions, familiar.
July 15, 2011
This book had some laugh out loud moments; however, this book was rather depressing through the most of it. Belinda finds out her husband has been cheating on her. An old artist feels his life has been a waste and is angry at the world.
The prevailing feeling in here was that there was no point in trying for anything because it never gets any better. But underneath it all, there is a little bit of hope and each of the characters do have that little grain of hope that things will get better and they could find love and be loved in return.
The prevailing feeling in here was that there was no point in trying for anything because it never gets any better. But underneath it all, there is a little bit of hope and each of the characters do have that little grain of hope that things will get better and they could find love and be loved in return.
July 23, 2011
Received this as a GoodReads First Read.
A seven day soap opera. A small town in England, several families and others interconnected through relationships and friendships and acquaintanceships. Marriages are faltering and strengthening; relationships are strengthening and breaking apart. Adults are trying to figure out this thing called life, their teenage kids are trying to figure out this thing called life. The one thing that everyone figures out, “It isn’t about being happy.”
Great easy reading, a bit harsh language, but as I said, “soap opera.”
A seven day soap opera. A small town in England, several families and others interconnected through relationships and friendships and acquaintanceships. Marriages are faltering and strengthening; relationships are strengthening and breaking apart. Adults are trying to figure out this thing called life, their teenage kids are trying to figure out this thing called life. The one thing that everyone figures out, “It isn’t about being happy.”
Great easy reading, a bit harsh language, but as I said, “soap opera.”
October 11, 2012
I found it difficult in the beginning to follow the characters. But basically this is a soap opera of every day life that happens to every day people. There is a couple who the husband is having an affair. A wife who thinks her husband is having an affair, but he has found God. There is college life and puppy love.
All in all, it was a great read.
I highly recommend this book for anyone
FTC: I received a free copy of this book and was not reimbursed in any other way.
All in all, it was a great read.
I highly recommend this book for anyone
FTC: I received a free copy of this book and was not reimbursed in any other way.
February 4, 2012
2.9 stars.
O boy. Won this one in goodreads first reads program. I love and hate this book. Some chapters are 5 star worthy some aren't even worth half a star. Too many characters most of them not very likable. Some characters do not mature or reach any sort of conclusion. They're just there, and then they're not there. Overall I did enjoy it, but points off for the pointless characters that feel like a waste of time.
O boy. Won this one in goodreads first reads program. I love and hate this book. Some chapters are 5 star worthy some aren't even worth half a star. Too many characters most of them not very likable. Some characters do not mature or reach any sort of conclusion. They're just there, and then they're not there. Overall I did enjoy it, but points off for the pointless characters that feel like a waste of time.
January 17, 2012
I received this book as a Goodreads First Reads. Thanks. It made me think about various topics..infidelity,aging, relationships,etc.but I never felt a connection to the characters.I often found myself skimming over paragraphs...too many nonessential words ...it just didn't flow for me.I usually like books that have different story lines going at the same time,but didn't feel an any emotion or connection with this novel.
February 28, 2014
Interesting to note that most of the reviewers failed to realize that this book is actually the sequel to "The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life." It follows the same characters eight years later, in 2008. Much more would be gained from this book if the reader has already read the first one. It's also loosely connected to the author's book "Motherland," which is a story of one of the character's parents. 4.5 stars.
August 8, 2011
'I Could Love You' is well-written and very insightful. The characters are people you know, people you think you know. You might even find yourself in here. The author, William Nicholson, has woven a tapestry of several lives that seem disparate in many ways, but ultimately are completely intertwined with each other. 'I Could Love You' is a great study of modern sociology.
August 28, 2011
I enjoyed the book. It was a twisted story on how people think. I wasn't sure I liked how it ended. It was enough to keep me interested. The honest
feelings of what people really thought were displayed in the story which is sometimes hard to take. I suppose people really think this way. The book cover is pretty and I think it was an unusual book for me.
feelings of what people really thought were displayed in the story which is sometimes hard to take. I suppose people really think this way. The book cover is pretty and I think it was an unusual book for me.
March 7, 2012
This is a "my what webs we weave" kind of book. Characters were a little difficult to get familiar with, but gradually all connected. All in all, it was a good story, giving the "all American" kind of nature of the characters, although not set in America. It was a good story with many tells to be told.
July 27, 2011
I enjoyed this very much. It was an entertaining read that you will surely identify with the characters. When we are young we are seeking love and as we mature we seek happiness. Nicholson does a very good job of developing his characters.
August 5, 2011
I loved the author's earlier book The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life, and this one was just as wonderful. I inhaled the very tiny details of the lives of the characters, and the very loving way Nicholson tells their story.
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August 9, 2011This is an annoying book. There is a lot of sex and sexual talk in the book - very little "romance". The characters are not particularly intersting or well developed. Since Nicholson has been a successful screenplay writer, perhaps he should stick to that.
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