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Essays In Love
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Essays In Love will appeal to anyone who has ever been in a relationship or confused about love. The book charts the progress of a relationship between a man and a woman, from their first kiss to the onset of anxiety and heartbreak. The works genius lies in the way it minutely analysis emotions weve all felt before but have perhaps never understood so well: it includes a
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Paperback, Revised Edition, 212 pages
Published
2006
by Picador
(first published 1993)
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Really rather excellent, this set of essays forming a pseudo-autobiographical novel discusses falling in, being in, and falling out of love. It is beautifully written, with intelligence and humour, and also very thought-provoking and incisive. Anyone who has ever loved, been in love, or lost love would surely find something informative here, and I certainly gained some insight into my own and other people's natures. There were some understandably difficult moments in the second half which I
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Although this book has a fictional story behind it about the narrators relationship with Chloe, its most compelling aspect is its treatment of love. It seems almost philosophical and/or theoretical at certain moments in its discussion of how humans fall in love and form their own illusions or narratives surrounding the people they adore. The text has wonderful French literature references: Stendhal, Baudelaire and Flaubert to name a few of my favourites. I was worried the text would end
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Close to 4. Enjoyable quick read.
Extremely beautiful and dramatic love story sprinkled with the psychological, philosophical and historical facts, which made it more voluminous and whole.
the most beautiful and thoughtful book about love i have ever read. de botton is extraordinary.
Mar 16, 2020
Danyal Wahid
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
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Once every few years, one comes across a book that captures an aspect of life so deftly, so profoundly, that giving it a 5/5 rating almost seems like an insult.
I happened upon this book, much like the protagonist in the narrative happened upon love, quite by accident and completely unprepared for it.
This book first seduced me and then ruined me. It tossed my heart about like a ball on a football field unrelenting in its acute and powerful kicks of insights on love on every page.
Falling in love, ...more
I happened upon this book, much like the protagonist in the narrative happened upon love, quite by accident and completely unprepared for it.
This book first seduced me and then ruined me. It tossed my heart about like a ball on a football field unrelenting in its acute and powerful kicks of insights on love on every page.
Falling in love, ...more
A thoughtful and academically rigorous book, but I mostly didnt relate to the neurotic narrator and found the frequent philosophical and literary name-dropping a little smug (unintended Im sure, but it surely makes the book unnecessarily less accessible to a non-academic readership). Mostly, this was just the wrong book at the wrong time - I would probably have loved it in my early twenties.
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I can't decide whether this book was either very insightful, or just written from the male gaze and the writer is unaware that the protagonist is an ignorant, self serving narcissist. The link with philosophy was very superficial and didn't add much to the narrative.
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In this revised version of this earlier novel, Alain de Botton writes a book that seems to blend fiction and non-fiction. The novel follows the trajectory of the love affair from the plane ride when the narrator falls in love with Chloe to a much later plane ride where their love affair ends. While he writes of the love affair, the narrator examines it all very minutely and philosophically. Each paragraph is numbered and in many ways, each one is a mini-essay. I have enjoyed other books by him,
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I loved this book so much. The way Alain de Botton writes is so beautiful; I enjoyed and wanted to take note of every sentence.
His analysis of modern love and relationships was scarily apt and still relevant today, and I felt like he had infiltrated my mind for much of the book, which I suppose goes to show that we are all much more similar than we think.
I can't wait to read something else by de Botton :)
His analysis of modern love and relationships was scarily apt and still relevant today, and I felt like he had infiltrated my mind for much of the book, which I suppose goes to show that we are all much more similar than we think.
I can't wait to read something else by de Botton :)
Love according to a philosopher. A great book from a bright man.
Unlike anything I've ever read, in the best way possible.
Short, well-written, and an enjoyable read. Insightful reflections on love and heartbreak, with a philosophical bent and a novel-like narrative to accompany it.
Tastes like hiding a medicine in cotton candy.
Short, somewhat relatable read on modern love and loss. Some enjoyable observations relating classical philosophy to an everyman's emotional states in love. Found this overall lacking in focus, as the personal narrative of the main character, perhaps in an attempt at broad appeal, loses nuance.
Love is a slippery concept, in that it's both deeply personal and broadly generic. It is good to meet a fellow sufferer along the winding path of love, to know one isn't alone in the suffering. Yet I ...more
Love is a slippery concept, in that it's both deeply personal and broadly generic. It is good to meet a fellow sufferer along the winding path of love, to know one isn't alone in the suffering. Yet I ...more
Me throughout, reading this book: "I feel personally attacked, yet why is this describing me so well"
In all seriousness, this is a brilliant book merging narrative and complex philosophical ideas, all centred around the deceivingly simple idea of love. It invites us to question how much do we really know about love? How much do we lose of ourselves when we love? I found myself relating to both the narrator and Chloe. They represent both the insecurities one might have in a relationship, as well ...more
In all seriousness, this is a brilliant book merging narrative and complex philosophical ideas, all centred around the deceivingly simple idea of love. It invites us to question how much do we really know about love? How much do we lose of ourselves when we love? I found myself relating to both the narrator and Chloe. They represent both the insecurities one might have in a relationship, as well ...more
At first, I was rather sceptic to read this book as I didn't want to be identified as a hopeless romantic. But later, I found myself highlighting pages of this book because, well, the quote can't be any relatable. The narrator's journey in impulsively falling in love, happily being in love, and desperately falling out love is actually normal; experienced by all humans who still believe in the power of love. I feel great influence of Sartre's existentialism and Stendahl's realism here, mostly by
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Love as defined according to a philosopher. It's somewhat relatable, however I must say that it's quite exciting at first, but slowly draining till the end. Maybe it's a book for someone that is lucky to be in love or used to be in love. As for my side, I only encounter bad luck in knowing guys.
This is the kind of book that you read not because of the love story but rather how the author conveyed his emotions at different stages of his relationship. Alain wrote the thoughts that I am too scared to say out loud. It's beautifully written and not too poetic.
I really enjoyed reading this book- it was honest & very brave. For the author to reveal so much about himself - his insecurities & humiliations so that we the reader can learn & empathise is truly wonderful. It is a Classic & is highly recommended.
It's with a lot of tears that I have read this beautiful book which deeply moved me. The accurate description of the author about different stages we feel while loving someone was very insightful. It was just wonderful to read about love in a philosophical way.
Perfectly captures the thoughts and feelings many of us have had during the ups and downs of a relationship. Surprisingly funny and written in a hybrid of the novel and essay style I really enjoyed it.
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Insightful beautiful little book on love. Recommended for everyone.
Surprisingly deep an insightful to have been written by a 21 year old. Very good read.
Alternate title: Romance Analysed.
Good for dwellers, not escapists.
Good for dwellers, not escapists.
To be fair, Alain de Botton does label this as essays, so this is what this book is -a collection of essays about a man who falls in and out of love. I thought it was interesting at first, because of the philosophical reasonings of the protagonists realizations and experiences. But I just personally grew disinterested. And after a few chapters, I just couldnt wait to be done. If I have one key takeaway from this book, it would be this particular quote that he wrote: Most people would throw away
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To be honest, I don't know how to feel about this book. I came into it expecting essays - and I actually get what I expected - but there is something more than that. The personal anecdote is entertaining and illustrates the points he's trying to make. There are a lot of quotable quotes and memorable lines.
Yet somehow it seems forgettable. I'll revisit my notes and see what I actually get from it.
Yet somehow it seems forgettable. I'll revisit my notes and see what I actually get from it.
A wonderfully composed meditation on love, philosophy, identity and the human spirit. This is the first De Botton work I have read, but it will not be the last. He us a very talented, erudite prose stylist.
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Alain de Botton is a writer and television producer who lives in London and aims to make philosophy relevant to everyday life. He can be contacted by email directly via www.alaindebotton.com
He is a writer of essayistic books, which refer both to his own experiences and ideas- and those of artists, philosophers and thinkers. It's a style of writing that has been termed a 'philosophy of everyday ...more
He is a writer of essayistic books, which refer both to his own experiences and ideas- and those of artists, philosophers and thinkers. It's a style of writing that has been termed a 'philosophy of everyday ...more
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“Does beauty give birth to love? Or does love give birth to beauty? Did I love Chloe because she was beautiful? Or was she beautiful because I loved her?”
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“What lies behind this tendency to read things as part of a destiny? Perhaps only its opposite, the anxiety of contingency, the fear that the little sense there is in our lives is merely created by ourselves, that there is no scroll (and hence no preordained face awaiting) and that what may or may not be happening to us (whom we may or may not be meeting on airplanes) has no sense beyond what we choose to attribute to it - in short, the anxiety that there is no God to tell our story and hence assure our loves.”
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