Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #224262 in Books
• Published on: 1994-08-26
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Synopsis
Charting the progress of an affair, from first kiss to argument and reconciliation, from intimacy and tenderness to anxiety, this is a wholly modern attempt to define the age-old dilemmas of the heart by detailing the highs and lows of contemporary romance.

Customer Reviews

lurverly!!!!
i first read this book by accident 3 years ago when it picked me in the library!!! A philosohical journey through the peaks and troughs of love and all that it brings.beautifully written ,raw in parts it stirred up a myriad of emotions from sadness to mirth, from despair to hope. some of it frightened me to death (love can sometimes be transparent and fickle). This book was soo very personal too me i never recommended it to anyone else for fear they would not enjoy the beauty of not just the written words , but that which remains unspoken. recently i did recommend it to someone i" marshmallow" and sure enough he loved it. its not everybodys read mind , one of those dolly mixture books either u love it or u dont!!!! and we all have our favourite bits.!!!

This is nearing perfection
Alain de Botton's 'Essays in Love' is a thought-provoking masterpiece in the description of western society's most powerful emotion. The analysis of the stages of his love affair with Chloe are fresh in viewpoint and full of the dissection needed to conquer such an emotive topic without ever becoming suffocatingly sickly. If you've ever fallen in love and have wondered whether feelings of inadequacy are unique then you should read this. It combines a beautifully penned introduction to European philosophy with a thorough scrutiny of love that will provide a real truth to an experience often impossible to analyse on a personal basis. I loved this book almost as much as the woman who recommended it.

Too scientific for love
Alain de Botton merges contemporary cultural theory and philosophy with the age-old tale of love. This unique way of analysing the process of falling in love through to the devastation of breaking up is cleverly done. While at times interesting, at others this approach feels far to clinical.
If you like poetic language, and cling to the idea of love as a romantic and individualised sentiment, this book is not for you as it reads much more like a tale of unfelt 'how to' love.
Furthermore, ill never look at a marchmallow the same way again!