The Lover's Dictionary in Around the World in 80 Books

Mar 27, 2011 Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance rated it really liked it

Shelves: creativity, relationships, happiness, poetry, concept-book

I consider myself a little bit of a book snob, but there are certain bookish genres that snag me every time. One of these is the concept-book. The Lover's Dictionary is a concept-book. Its charm lies in the cleverness of its form. The entire book is written in the form of dictionary entries. (Amy Krause Rosenthal did something similar in her book, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.)

And I loved it. The entries were thoughtful and true and surprising. Book gimmick, you got me again.

Here is a littl ...more

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Nov 26, 2013 SarahC rated it liked it

I honestly cannot decide on a star rating for this book. The concept of the book is fascinating and it kept my interest while I "explored" it. I term it that way because I didn't really feel like I was "reading" but rather investigating it? researching it? After all, it says it is a dictionary? This book does tell the natural progression of a particular relationship, with humor, insight, and sadness. It really is a story in dictionary form.

And some of the sadness this book reflects for me perso ...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Sunflower rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction-read-2011, favorites

This book is funny, real, and poignant. It's the story of a relationship told in alphabetical dictionary entries. But the entries,(although alphabetical), are not chronological.Clever format, but more than that it reads like poetry.
Word for word it probably isn't worth the money you pay for a book-each page has only one entry and some of them are really short, but that causes the reader to pause and think a little while the eyes scan on to the next page for the next entry.
I read it in one sitt ...more

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