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Essays in Love
- Narrated by: James Wilby
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
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Summary
Essays in Love is a stunningly original love story. Taking in Aristotle, Wittgenstein, history, religion and Groucho Marx, Alain de Botton charts the progress of a love affair from the first kiss to argument and reconciliation, from intimacy and tenderness to the onset of anxiety and heartbreak.
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What listeners say about Essays in Love
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- Anonymous User
- 05-01-22
Journey through a romance
It’s a very intriguing experience, I think, even a little bit cruel for Chloe. Every feelings they share, love they made, comes into my mind. The gaze, the camel, their personal dictionary, I did reflect a lot of my romance in the past in their stories, anyway a very good delivery!
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- Alireza B.
- 18-11-18
Excellent performance and a gripping story
A simple love story analysed based on different philosophical schools. James Wilby's performance brought it to life and gave it the vigour that stops you from pausing this book.
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- Red Tomato
- 27-12-12
Great
It wasn't what I expected, but it was a brilliant balance between being a novel and a psychological analysis of feelings of love.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Jeffiner Mitchell
- 27-11-16
Don't 'read' when your heart is breaking
A beautifully written piece, combining philosophy, psychology, observation and a captivating story absolutely seamlessly, and with such humour and sadness it is unputdownable. The narrator is a skilled storyteller, whose sensitivity to the subject permeates his voice. This book would be perfect for anyone who is single, starting a relationship, in a loving relationship, and in a relationship in trouble who needs some loving guidance and reflection.
But I beg you, do not read/listen to this when you're in the middle of heartbreak. I started listening after watching many School of Life videos on YouTube, finding them fascinating and comforting, and thought this book might help me heal from my break-up from a beloved of 6 years, the wounds of which are only a month old. I got up to a certain point in the story, and suddenly all the pain and grief are just as fresh and overpowering as they were 4 weeks ago when we finally realised, both of us, for the first time, that it was really over. As a consequence I've had a crappy weekend, and feel like I've taken 15 steps back in recovering from this heartbreak.
If I'd waited a few months, when the pain isn't so raw, it would have been immensely healing, but I listened too soon. I'll probably come back to hear the last few chapters in a few months, but for now I just wanted to add a "trigger warning" to this otherwise wonderful book. If your heart is breaking, wait a while. Sending love to all who read this that know the pain I'm feeling right now.
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29 people found this helpful
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- Celia Cave
- 25-08-17
Excellent narration
But also an extremely thought provoking and beautifully written book which made for very enjoyable listening
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- bobo
- 15-05-19
great listen on philosophy of love & relationships
insightful. I have definitely learnt and understood a lot about the psychological and social mechanisms behind situations in which I have recognised myself and others. the couple's story serves as a prototype with which one can identify at least in some parts. language is nice and philosophical, however sometimes makes it unnecessarily complicated . altogether really good and very grateful for good writings on this topic that concerns all of us, thanks Alain
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- Happy Laptopper
- 09-03-17
Great book.
Exactly what I was looking for in a time of turbulent love and disappointment. The narration is excellent, both in timing and intonation, and the content is clear, well paced, and delightful to engage with. anyone who's ever been in love, or are looking for love should definitely read it.
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- David M Sumner-Smith
- 25-10-21
Indulgent & self-consciously intellectual
In a word: Frustrating. AdB has written some interesting works. This isn't one of them.
The simple story of how a man loved and lost has some merit. But the excessive philosophising is indulgent and tiresome.
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- Mr. R. E. Towers
- 23-04-22
A heartbreakingly exploration of romantic love
This novel is a heartbreakingly painful exploration of romantic love which follows the story of a relationship from its tender beginnings to its bitter end and subsequent evaluation.
The relationship is that of a nameless, male narrator, who is an over-thinker, and Chloe, a highly-strung, high-maintenance, young woman. Although the affair is very petty bourgeois (they meet on a plane from Paris, have dates at art galleries and pretentious restaurants and argue about literature), it represents some common stages of many relationships, the expectations, emotions, miscommunication and various other pitfalls.
What's wonderful about the book is the forensic and brutally honest analysis of each stage of a relationship in chronological order. Also, the philosophical analysis of romantic love and the thoughts and feelings of the protagonists. Obviously, much of the analysis is de Botton's own, he is a great thinker, and when you explore a relationship through the lens of sharp, critical thinking there is an inevitability about the conclusion.
There are many toe-curlingly, embarrassing moments, self-doubt and exchanges which may make you want to joint a holy order committed to celibacy.
Even though the reader can see the end coming a long way off, it's worth sticking around to witness the conclusion and poke through the debris of what is left.
There is beauty and pain here which are essential ingredients of novels and there is the absence of any preaching or cliché.
The book maybe a difficult read for many but hopefully it can help people to better understand the complex forces at work in relationships. If two people in love, who both desperately want a relationship to work, but can't and, in fact, end up hurting each other and destroying the relationship; what hope is there for international diplomacy?
This is the best book I have read on this topic by some distance. James Wilby is faultless in the reading of this model.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Sam Covill
- 09-12-20
A bit disappointing
The narrator was good but when he did the female character's voice it was a bit cringy and made her seem quite one dimensional. The story was disappointing as it seemed to cover quite trite generalities of a love story and none of the characters were likeable to me.
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