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AMOUR: HOW THE FRENCH TALK ABOUT LOVE
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 2, 2020
"AMOUR: How the French Talk about Love" is one of the most candid, refreshing, and deeply affecting books I've read in a very long time. The book is the author's labor of love and is made up of the various interviews she had across France and in Martinique and Guadeloupe (which are legally parts of France itself) with single individuals, heterosexual couples, and single sex couples (men and women alike) of varied ages. There are also in the book photographs of many of the interviewees and of the places where they reside, which I much enjoyed seeing, for they gave me a better feel into the lives of these people.
I first heard of this book from an interview Stefania Rousselle had with BBC Radio London a short time ago. Anyone who reads this book -- even if he/she has yet to experience the stirrings of love in their lives -- will find something with which to relate. For example, the following remarks by a 24 year old organic farm volunteer struck a deep chord and made me feel sad for him, especially given his youth:
"I think girls want a dominant, strong type of guy, not the sensitive man who is too emotional, like me. I am always overthinking things. I want to love one person.
"I think I have waited too long now. I have a friend who I fell in love with two years ago. I said, 'I like you a lot,' and she told me she liked me too, but she had another boy, and she's not a polygamist. ... I had big expectations and put too much pressure on myself...."
"Most of the time, I am happy. But I am sad in the evenings. It's sad to be alone. It would be nice to sleep and wake up next to somebody and be like: 'Good morning, it's gray outside.' "
These are real-life stories -- many of which probably parallel our own individual experiences of being in love and in romantic relationships with that special person or persons over time --- that show love in its various manifestations and its varied impacts on the heart, soul, and everyday life. Some of them made me joyful and others made me deeply sad to the point of tears.
"AMOUR" is one book that I would gladly read again and again and again. After all, love is the most basic need anyone has as a way of finding and maintaining lasting and meaningful fulfillment in life.
I first heard of this book from an interview Stefania Rousselle had with BBC Radio London a short time ago. Anyone who reads this book -- even if he/she has yet to experience the stirrings of love in their lives -- will find something with which to relate. For example, the following remarks by a 24 year old organic farm volunteer struck a deep chord and made me feel sad for him, especially given his youth:
"I think girls want a dominant, strong type of guy, not the sensitive man who is too emotional, like me. I am always overthinking things. I want to love one person.
"I think I have waited too long now. I have a friend who I fell in love with two years ago. I said, 'I like you a lot,' and she told me she liked me too, but she had another boy, and she's not a polygamist. ... I had big expectations and put too much pressure on myself...."
"Most of the time, I am happy. But I am sad in the evenings. It's sad to be alone. It would be nice to sleep and wake up next to somebody and be like: 'Good morning, it's gray outside.' "
These are real-life stories -- many of which probably parallel our own individual experiences of being in love and in romantic relationships with that special person or persons over time --- that show love in its various manifestations and its varied impacts on the heart, soul, and everyday life. Some of them made me joyful and others made me deeply sad to the point of tears.
"AMOUR" is one book that I would gladly read again and again and again. After all, love is the most basic need anyone has as a way of finding and maintaining lasting and meaningful fulfillment in life.
July 17, 2020
Stefania Rousselle, an award-winning journalist and documentary maker, had been covering horrific assignments for some time. She had almost stopped believing in love. So she decided to travel across France to photograph and talk to strangers about the meaning of love. Those meditations and reflections resulted in 'Amour: How the French Talk About Love'. ✍️
Guys, there’s no other way to say this: you need to read this book. ✨ It’s timeless. First, the photographic work is amazing. I absolutely loved how Rousselle captured these people.
Then, the stories these strangers share will make you smile, cry, hurt, feel empathy and question. I believe love is an universal feeling but the way we experience is quite unique. What fascinates me the most is the human mind and behavior and 'Amour' was a great way to reflect on mankind, on our needs, on our fears and on our strengths.
You will be able to find all kinds of stories there. Stories you relate to, stories you don’t want for yourself, stories you dream of, stories that make you ask yourself: could I ever share a love like this? I was surprised to find so many polygamists on this book. It was truly interesting to read about their love. And, don’t forget, these stories are attached to faces you're able to contemplate. Seriously, get this book and read it! Besides, can we please take a moment to fully appreciate this cover? It’s one of the most beautiful books I own!
Thanks to @vikingbooksuk for kindly gifting me this copy! For more reviews, follow me on Instagram @booksturnyouon.
Guys, there’s no other way to say this: you need to read this book. ✨ It’s timeless. First, the photographic work is amazing. I absolutely loved how Rousselle captured these people.
Then, the stories these strangers share will make you smile, cry, hurt, feel empathy and question. I believe love is an universal feeling but the way we experience is quite unique. What fascinates me the most is the human mind and behavior and 'Amour' was a great way to reflect on mankind, on our needs, on our fears and on our strengths.
You will be able to find all kinds of stories there. Stories you relate to, stories you don’t want for yourself, stories you dream of, stories that make you ask yourself: could I ever share a love like this? I was surprised to find so many polygamists on this book. It was truly interesting to read about their love. And, don’t forget, these stories are attached to faces you're able to contemplate. Seriously, get this book and read it! Besides, can we please take a moment to fully appreciate this cover? It’s one of the most beautiful books I own!
Thanks to @vikingbooksuk for kindly gifting me this copy! For more reviews, follow me on Instagram @booksturnyouon.
October 11, 2021
There are few themes in literature that parallel the ubiquity of love. It’s ‘literally’ everywhere. But even with all kinds of discourses available on and around the topic, I feel that there’s really no way one can answer what it’s supposed to encapsulate.
If I were asked what is love to me, I don’t think I’d be able to come up with a decently coherent response. But if pushed for an answer, what I do know for sure is that love implied different things for me at different stages of my life. There was a time I really believed that love was all it took to give life meaning (oh, the delusions of teenage!). Then came a phase when I had expunged it from my life altogether. And then, love was back in my life but I looked at it more pragmatically. It was important to me but it was not everything, not by a long shot.
If my own experience is anything to go by, I can say with some conviction that love is never one thing. And it is this multiplicity of love, its quandaries, its facets, its contours that Stefania Rousselle brings alive in Amour.
The book was born at a time when Rouselle, a journalist by profession, had lost faith in love. The job of a journalist is no mean feat. Witnessing the world falling apart one cruelty at a time from close quarters is bound to take its toll, sooner or later. The darkness of what she saw in the field everyday coupled with the dregs of a toxic relationship had crushed her.
But she decided she would try, for one last time, to see for herself if love existed.
Thus began Rousselle’s journey to the north of France where she travelled to different cities and met all kinds of people. She asked them about love and relationships. What she got in return was a gift so enriching she felt her broken heart heal. People opened up their hearts to her, they let her in on their vulnerabilities and dreams, their hopes and fears, their heartbreaks and promises. She put it all together in Amour, a portrait of love, so unique yet so universal.
If I were asked what is love to me, I don’t think I’d be able to come up with a decently coherent response. But if pushed for an answer, what I do know for sure is that love implied different things for me at different stages of my life. There was a time I really believed that love was all it took to give life meaning (oh, the delusions of teenage!). Then came a phase when I had expunged it from my life altogether. And then, love was back in my life but I looked at it more pragmatically. It was important to me but it was not everything, not by a long shot.
If my own experience is anything to go by, I can say with some conviction that love is never one thing. And it is this multiplicity of love, its quandaries, its facets, its contours that Stefania Rousselle brings alive in Amour.
The book was born at a time when Rouselle, a journalist by profession, had lost faith in love. The job of a journalist is no mean feat. Witnessing the world falling apart one cruelty at a time from close quarters is bound to take its toll, sooner or later. The darkness of what she saw in the field everyday coupled with the dregs of a toxic relationship had crushed her.
But she decided she would try, for one last time, to see for herself if love existed.
Thus began Rousselle’s journey to the north of France where she travelled to different cities and met all kinds of people. She asked them about love and relationships. What she got in return was a gift so enriching she felt her broken heart heal. People opened up their hearts to her, they let her in on their vulnerabilities and dreams, their hopes and fears, their heartbreaks and promises. She put it all together in Amour, a portrait of love, so unique yet so universal.
January 25, 2022
A bittersweet look into what constitutes love for different types of people. The more positive stories were from people who "grew" with their partner or worked as a team to overcome any curveballs life threw in their way.
July 30, 2020
I have had one love in my life, and that was Michel. I loved him passionately. He was my man. What do I miss about him the most? His kisses. They made me climb to the seventh heaven.
I don't like one-night stands. I've had some, but I get attached too fast and too much. I am hypersensitive. I have so much to give.
He is not my best friend. He is my man. I don't like to say "my husband". "My man" is more physical. In friendship, there is no physical aspect.
I was married for twenty-two years without really being in love. The day of the wedding was fun, but was the party that I loved or my wife?
Most of the time, I am happy. But I am sad in the evenings. It's sad to be alone. It would be nice to sleep and wake up the next to somebody and be like: "Good morning, it's gray outside".
I am grateful that he left me because I had to learn to exist on my own. I had to learn how to say no. Today, I am capable of so many things. I am taking care of myself now.
I think I would do anything for love. I would never kill anyone for it. Just maybe one person: myself.
But I became jealous of the baby. I became jealous thinking of all the moments alone with Arnaud that I was going to miss out on. I was still thirsty for us.
I don't like one-night stands. I've had some, but I get attached too fast and too much. I am hypersensitive. I have so much to give.
He is not my best friend. He is my man. I don't like to say "my husband". "My man" is more physical. In friendship, there is no physical aspect.
I was married for twenty-two years without really being in love. The day of the wedding was fun, but was the party that I loved or my wife?
Most of the time, I am happy. But I am sad in the evenings. It's sad to be alone. It would be nice to sleep and wake up the next to somebody and be like: "Good morning, it's gray outside".
I am grateful that he left me because I had to learn to exist on my own. I had to learn how to say no. Today, I am capable of so many things. I am taking care of myself now.
I think I would do anything for love. I would never kill anyone for it. Just maybe one person: myself.
But I became jealous of the baby. I became jealous thinking of all the moments alone with Arnaud that I was going to miss out on. I was still thirsty for us.
March 12, 2020
The title of this nonfiction book intrigued me. The French are masters of the art of love, or so the mythologizing says. So, what did they have to say on the subject? As a journalist, Rousselle covered hard subjects, terrorist attacks, refugees, and far-right parties. She felt despair and decided to look for the antidote-love. What follows are interviews and photographs of ordinary people and how they see love. The whole spectrum of emotions is here from those whose search has ended in despair to the long-married couples who still hold hands. Each story is as individual as the person who tells it. Do I know any more about love? If anything, the lesson is that we each seek what matters to us, love is about more than the physical, it’s the rightness, the connectedness, the individual.
March 27, 2021
At the start of each page, it felt like an apprehensive peek into the private lives of strangers whom you have never met. At the end of each page, it dawned on me how universal and elusive ‘love’ can be. Very grateful to be able to take a glimpse into the lives of these people.
March 7, 2021
A beautiful collection of photographs and personal stories about what love is. Similar in style and approach to the Museum of broken relationships.
January 19, 2023
so so lovely
August 21, 2023
Will be rereading some of these stories for the rest of my life. Will share this with friends, family, and future partners.
November 18, 2025
bought as more of a coffee table book but ended up reading all the stories and loved how everyone's story/perspective on love was different but had common themes 🥲
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews