Customer Reviews

The Romantic Movement: Sex, Shopping, and the Novel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alain de Botton came up with some intriguing literary twists in his first book, "On Love," but the handling of literature and philosophy didn't quite match its goals. But de Botton surpasses it with his sophomore effort "The Romantic Movement," an intricate study of love, sex, relationship, psychology and literature.

Eric is older, more chic, richer and a seasoned professional. Alice begins to be attracted to him immediately, and equally quickly they become lovers. In the first flush of the relationship, they seem to adore and treasure one another. But soon cracks begin to form in the relationship, unbalancing Alice.

Eric seems to take her for granted, and has a tendency to attack people who are sensitive, crippled, weak, physically unattractive, etc. Alice, who clearly suffers from self-esteem problems, often blames herself for Eric's inattentiveness and temper tantrums, until she begins to see that his flaws are a part of him.

De Botton name-drops everyone from Descartes to Rousseau in this book, but seems more comfortable than he did in "On Love." It's essentially the same story -- boy meets girl, boy and girl get into relationship, personalities clash, someone breaks it off, cycle begins anew. But here de Botton polishes out the story's progression, and adds a slightly more upbeat ending.

His twining of philosophy and psychology with fiction is a lot more assured this time around. Rather than interrupting the story with long sprawls of intellectual pondering, he weaves them into the story. And he uses more of his wry sense of humor, such as the comment that Madame Bovary essentially killed herself because she shopped too much. (Flaubert plays a big part in his analysis of love, such as the religious-love theory)

Alice can be a bit annoying throughout most of the book -- she's sweet and loving, but rather clueless. It's satisfying to see her snap out of it, and realize why her relationship won't work. Eric comes across as a jerk, but de Botton does give him good qualities as well. And Philip comes across as being Alice's potential One And Only.

Take the same old story, and mix in shopping, sex and philosophy, and you have "The Romantic Movement." Alain de Botton improves on his first book with this strangely touching, wryly intellectual story.

I have read many of this author's books, and while the others are quite good in their own sense, I found myself unable to put this down, good from the minute I started reading it.
It starts by explaining some of the emotional and historical background of the main character, a woman who finds herself unable to fill the void of not been involved with someone and at the same moment is closed minded regarding prospects and hope in general.
The book thens start to get very interesting as the character meets a charming man, who is opposite to her in a lot of regards. With metaphors and thoughts surrounding the story as it is told. This book is marvelous in the way it is able to connect on many levels on the different themes and events that unfold in the relationship. It seems to be able to tell in words and coherent though, the problems presented in relationships based on the struggle for love. I fully enjoyed many of his others books, and this one was the first "love" book that I read of his, being that he has primarily three books dealing solely with relationships.
I recommend this book to anyone who ever loved or doubted love, but wants to read about it in a interesting and challenging context, instead of the usual "they do this" and "they do that," material that is often the writing style of this subject matter. Great book overall and recommended to any and every intelligent person that has been in love or seeks an interesting outlook on how love relates to many of our challenges and hopes as human beings.

Nowhere on the cover or copyright page of this book does the publisher classify it as a novel...or as a work of philosophy, for that matter. I can't help thinking that this playful insouciance was probably at the insistance of the author. Alain de Botton has twice previously used a loose novelistic form to help readers engage with centuries-old philosophical ideas and dilemmas. His first, ON LOVE (US title), was nicely conceived and tightly executed; the second, KISS & TELL, had a darker, smarmier aspect since it included photographs of its young female subject and I couldn't shake the sense that I was peeking into someone dirty clothes basket without her consent.

THE ROMANTIC MOVEMENT is the most loosely assembled of the three novels (if, in fact, it is a novel). It follows a young woman's unexpected and unplanned journey into a romantic relationship (not her first) with a banker a few years her senior. Her name is Alice and the author clearly intends the reader to make connections to Lewis Carroll's young "adventurer." Secondary characters are added and dropped as needed and the novel, were it not so unique and fun, might be deemed a failure if judged by conventional standards.

The arc of the story follows the predictable flow of the young couple's relationship--courtship, sexual consumation, mutual testing, failed communications, unexpressed expectations, outside flirtations, and eventual devolution. Nothing unusual or dramatic here. What is riveting is the way Botton is able to use philosophy to examine these very ordinary experiences. I think readers will have no trouble identifying with most of the thought processes recounted here and attributed to one of the two main characters. The novel (again, if it is a novel) is loaded with "Ah-ha" moments.

A rundown of some of the chapter titles will give you a sense of the range of issues Botton tackles: "Reality," "Art and Life," "Story Envy," "In Love with Love," "Sex, Shopping, and the Novel," "Predictability," "Power and 007," "Religious Relationships," "Diving, Rousseau and Thinking Too Much," "Provincialism," "Passing the Guilt," and "Who Makes the Effort?" My favorite of his observations is from the chapter "Jollyism": "Gossip is an exercise in trust: a person feels free to gossip when they feel they have someone to understand their objections. It is a colluding activity; two people leave the main group and open their parcel of gossip material" (p. 205). Botton is happy to be our gossip partner and has many such parcels to open with us. If you haven't colluded with Botton already, THE ROMANTIC MOVEMENT is a good place to start.

Alain de Botton's style is unique. While there are similarities between his various books - without philosophical titles - it is none the less very entertaining to read his story. The man is incredibly perceptive and the reader feels as if he had experienced the exact same situations on many occasions. Wonderful stuff...

Loved this book. Wonderfully perceptive for a young man. Accurate and analytical while retaining a delicious sense of humor. This book should be mandatory reading for every 18 year old and the18 year old in all of us.

The Romantic Movement is a simple and refreshing look at the relationship quagmire we all find ourselves in at some point of our lives. No psycho babble here just straight forward narrative that we can all empathize with. In the end, a better understanding of our needs, whims and idiosyncrasies all rendered in a amusing manner.

In the first part of his novel, Mr de Botton introduces his main character, Alice, and discusses the notion of reality with the help of such philosophers as Heraclitus, Plato, Hegel or Shopenhauer and poses the question, following Oscar Wilde, whether art imitates life or life that imitates art. We may for instance like Paris more than London because we know the former city through the eyes of painters like Manet, Degas or Pissaro or through films by Truffaut or Godard. The author then discusses the difference between imitative and autonomous desire and then engages in the argument that Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary is the first novel (published in 1856) which links the two activities of sex and shopping which are psychologically intertwined.
Then Alice meets Eric at a party and this gives the author the opportunity to write about love, indeterminacy, the idealisation of the lover, the value systems in a love relationship or the power in love. Do we love the partner's money, body, achievements, weaknesses or anxieties? Is thinking problem-induced or problem-inducing? How does the cultural baggage of infancy and youth, of relations and traditions influence one's relationship with a partner?
This book is an original hybrid, part novel, part philosophical reverie which is not without charm. Some readers have complained that Alain de Botton all too often states the obvious and it is true that his novel does not present any revelations but it is enjoyable to read nevertheless.

This novel reads like a pot boiler after On Love. The format and themes are identical but the inspiration of the former work is lacking. The characters are unappealing spoiled brats fail to arouse the empathy De Botton probably intends.

De Botton integrates the thoughts of great writers into his story. At times his parallels are farfetched and one gets the impression that he is merely parading his classical education. These pedantic displays can also be annoying.

De Botton really gets in touch with his feminine side in this novel and provides a deeply creative and impressive analysis of the female psyche. The characters and their relationship are so credible that this book made me homesick for my former London friends and experiences.The style is simultaneously comical and serious, De Botton playing effectively with strong philosophical arguments to his own witty ends.

This author has a talent to show emotion and practical situations every person experience in his life in a form of sphere where his heroes aren't two dimensions plain neither boring. Each quality or circumstances is giving in a perspective that most people can see themselfs from all angles that gives reader the opportunity to criticize himself and see himself as both main characters of this book at the same time. I think this is a best approach for reader who wants to find out some of his weakness and strength in personal and social behavior.

I love this writer. He's clever, funny, touching. This isn't his best book, for that check out How Proust can change your life and On Love, but once you sample how good he is, you'll start to love whatever he does.