How We Met: Chance Encounters and Other True Love Stories of Real-Life Couples (Hardcover)

by Miriam Sokol (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The road not taken. The one that got away. Serendipitous meetings. These are the stories that populate How We Met, an anthology of "chance encounters and other true love stories of real-life couples." They are stories of enduring affection that transcends time and distance until the couples eventually find their way to one another through happenstance or dogged perseverance. That fork in the road eventually circles back to the right path. The one that got away is found again. Romance blooms at stoplights. Sometimes it takes a week or a month, sometimes years--even decades--for the lovers to find each other and acknowledge their bond. In the end, they all live happily ever after--or at least that's what we hope: nearly all the stories conclude with marriage.

Some of the 32 stories in this collection are contemporary, with young adults meeting in modern settings such as through the singles ads; others date to World War II or start there and finish in the 1990s with long-lost lovers finding each other against all odds. It would be easy to prejudge How We Met as schmaltz, but once you dive in, you are assured of finding a story that reminds you of your own history (perhaps of the moment you met your spouse) or that rekindles memories of a special someone from the past. Single readers will be reassured that they, too, may one day meet their soul mate.

The writing style is journalistic and unembroidered with the intemperate gush of many love stories. This restraint allows the narratives to speak for themselves, and as examples of true love between regular folks, they need no embellishment. --Brenda Pittsley

Review
A Celebration of the True Power of Love -- Review

Engaging, charming, and altogether romantic. -- Jonathan Kellerman

I thought this would be a fluff book on love stories. Instead, it was a banquet that fed my heart and soul. This book is for anyone who believes that true love does exist. Here are powerful, memorable stories to savor and relish. -- Krysta Kavenaugh, Marriage magazine

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Prima Lifestyles (January 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761517049
• ISBN-13: 978-0761517047
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,009,545 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Whether in a relationship or still looking, read this book., February 24, 1999

By A Customer

I not only read Miriam's book, I read it again. The introduction is critical as it prepares you for the elequent journey into truly enlightening stories of how people met and fell in love. What makes this book unique is the innocent and sometimes strange circumstances surrounding the clandestined lovers within its binding. Miriam covers everything from the first kiss to second chances for those who were either to inmature to notice or to stubborn to care. Each story is laced with destiny; and lends credence to the possibility of a soul mate for everyone. At first glance it is just a compilation of "How We Met" stories. On a second it touches you on a deeper more spiritual level, freeing the you (the reader) from the ideals and standards we set for "the perfect mate". For those of you in relationships you won't finish this book without seeing yourself in at least one of the characters. For those of you single and still searching, "How We Met" holds out hope, inspiration and faith in what is destined for you. Soul mates do exist!

So why only four stars?? You can tell by the introduction, these stories affected Miriam in a spiritual sense; so much so that she speaks to the issues of spirtuality, destiny and soul mates as they relate to love. It would have been great had she shared some of this insight at the end of each story. Then again, maybe it is better left to the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. You be the judge!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars INSPIRING OF HOPE FOR ALL SINGLES, January 28, 1999

By A Customer

I was touched by Miriam Sokol's book and after several tissues I realized I was filled with hope. As an single woman, who is old enough to have alot of her own stories, I became more convinced of the power of spiritual forces in guiding a match. Just when you think you may never meet your soulmate, Ms. Sokol's book illuminates the possibilities that he may materialize any day now. Ms. Sokol understands that the greatest matchmaker of all times, is "The One whose hand is in every match." I highly recommend this lovely book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a banquet that fed my heart and soul, January 19, 1999

By A Customer

Remember those old films where there is a tent in the desert, looks small from the outside, but its a magnificent palace on the inside? My state of mind changed as I read this book. I wasn't just reading. I was filling my heart and soul with possibility, with reality, with love. The feeling of hope, trust, excitement has lasted for days. True love is alive and well.