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On Love Paperback – January, 1995

by Alain de Botton (Author)

96 customer reviews

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In this dazzlingly original first novel, Alain de Botton tells of a young man smitten by a woman on a Paris-London flight. On Love plots the course of their affair from the initial delirium of infatuation to the depths of suicidal despair, as the beloved, inexplicably, begins to drift away. "A tour de force pleasure of a first novel".Kirkus Reviews.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two words on the cover ("a novel") are the only hint that this unusual first book is fiction and not autobiography. The unnamed narrator is a London architect who becomes involved with Chloe, a graphic designer. After about a year, Chloe leaves him for an office-mate, and, as a result, the narrator tries (unsuccessfully) to kill himself. Eventually he gets over Chloe and falls in love with someone else. The novel's action is minimal; the balance of the book is given over to the narrator's obsessive analysis of his relationship with Chloe. (There are diagrams--such as the seating chart of the Boeing 767 where they met--that are meant to illustrate various ideas with which the narrator toys.) The book was likely intended as a Barthesian look at that peculiar heart condition called love, but the overblown and pretentious writing obliterates any comparison, peppered as it is with such winking turns-of-phrase as "cartographic fascism." The author is clearly intelligent and well- read; perhaps some day he will put those assets to good literary use.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Chloe and Alain meet in a plane flying from Paris to London and fall in love. Their romance lasts only about a year, and after they have parted the narrator/author uses scenes from their time together as illustrations of his philosophical anatomy of romantic love. Chapters are formed of numbered paragraphs so that the book resembles a classical philosophical disquisition, and it's on this level that it reads best. First novelist de Botton writes well--dozens of sentences glisten with aphoristic insight--but neither Chloe nor Alain really engage our interest, and their story seems too slight to support all the heavy philosophizing. Recommended only for sentimental young romantics with a penchant for philosophy, readers who thought Nicholas Baker's Vox ( LJ 11/15/91) was profound, and writing teachers who need an example of what happens when you write a novel before you have much life experience.
- Charles Michaud, Turner Free Lib., Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

Paperback: 231 pages
Publisher: Grove Press (January 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802134092
ISBN-13: 978-0802134097
Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (96 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,357,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #508776 in Books > Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars

5 star		63%
4 star		21%
3 star		8%
2 star		4%
1 star		4%

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Top Customer Reviews

The best was the first

By Sarah Grove on October 25, 2000

Format: Paperback

Alain de Botton really got famous around the time of How Proust can change your life and he's cemented his reptuation with his new book The Consolations of Philosophy. Both of them are great, but recently, I found this book, his first one, and I was completely, I mean, completely blown away. If you've read and in any way enjoyed de botton's past books, I think you'll love this one. It's got all the strengths of his writing; the analysis, the humour, the clarity, the elegance. But it's also got passion, it feels like you're reading the private thought of a man in love (in a good way). It taught me so much about myself, it reminded me of things I'd felt, but perhaps never been able to express. It made me feel a sense of community; like when you put down a book and think, 'Hey, I'm not all alone, there's someone out there who thinks like me.' It REALLY annoys me that the way publishing works, the best books sometimes never get promoted. Why were there ads all over the New York Times for de Botton's Consolations of Philosophy, but nothing for this one. This book was published in 1993 and sank without trace. It's published by Grove Atlantic, when actually, it's the kind of book that deserves to outsell Nick Hornby. I hear in Britain de Botton is really really well known; and I guess that's the way it should be. Anyways, On Love is a terrific read. To my mind, BETTER than his last two books; much better and fresher and more heartfelt. Go for it.

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On, in, through, around...and all about LOVE!

By Charles S. Houser on August 17, 2000

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

If readers don't want to think about love (or wince from personal recognition), they have no one to blame but themselves. De Botton's title serves as sufficient warning as to what this book is about. Young or old, straight or gay, anyone who has ever submitted to the experience of falling in love is bound to identify with either the narrator (who sounds remarkably like the de Botton of HOW PROUST CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE) or his beloved, Chloe.
As I read this book--which includes chapters entitled "The Subtext of Seduction," "Marxism," "The Fear of Happiness," "Romantic Terrorism," and "The Jesus Complex"--I kept puzzling over de Botton's subtitle, "a novel." Was this tack something he chose as a way of preventing friends and family from offering advice and consolation (which are usually self-serving and misplaced), or as a way of preventing ex-girlfriends from seeing themselves in the relatively pleasing portrait he paints of Chloe? Whatever his intention, he has stetched the definition of the novel in an interesting way. The basic love story between the narrator and Chloe travels its predictable path in an uneventful, but quirky, way. Neither comes off as a villain or victim, though both can be quite nauseatingly cute or petty at times. Through it all they remain convincingly human and we are drawn into their foibles, insecurities, squabbles, and desires. In short, they "live" as fictional characters. Even the narrator's hyper-reflective attitude is not bothersome. These analytical reflections read like diary entries; but the reader has evidence that the narrator has the good sense not to let Chloe know how much time he spends THINKING about his feelings for her. And it is these reflections, after all, that make the novel such a fun and thought-provoking experience for the reader.

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A Brillant Debut...

By RSW on August 21, 2002

Format: Paperback

I stumbled across De Botton's book years ago in book store, but didn't have the patience to read it (ugh, I didn't like philosophy in college, why read it again?). A friend recommended How Proust Can Change your Life to me a few years back, but I forgot about that too. Then, reading Joe Epstein's Snobbery (which is filled with Proust quotes), I ventured out and started my de Botton education with On Love. What a tour de force. I found myself laughing and cringing in acknowledgement of the universality of the situations. As one who deconstructs love much like our nameless hero (although without the classical references, I tend to use TV as source material), I found this book refreshing and honest. He realizes in the end, that falling in love is indeed folly, but the kind of folly that makes heroes. Read this wonderful book.

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Just brilliant; as tasty as your favorite dessert

By Sketchgrrl on September 20, 2003

Format: Paperback

Who says you can't judge a book by its cover? I was paying for a bookstore purchase one day in NYC and the cover of this book, on a rack near the cash register, called out to me. I bought it and it sat around for a few months. One day I picked it up and read it. I was transfixed, by the playfulness and wit of the writing and by the deep work the intellectually curious main character goes through in his attempts to understand the woman he's fallen in love with. He's never entirely sure where the object of his love, Chloie, is coming from, and spends much time analyzing the situation from every imaginable angle, sharing it all with us, the readers. I loved this, the idea that a man wrote this book about a man who is as perplexed as a woman is when she's on the precipice of a love affair with a guy she can't fathom. This book was as comforting as chocolate, and as delicious, a heady banquet for the romantic soul. As I read the book, I was wishing I knew the author, because he's on the same wavelength as me. I can't wait to check out his other books!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Quick read that intelligently traces the arc of a relationship

Quick read that intelligently traces the arc of a relationship. I read it not long after an important relationship in my life ended and it helped me realize that I'm not alone.

Published 14 days ago by Ben Doyle

The reason I bought this book is because I love Alain de Botton and...

The reason I bought this book is that I love Alain de Botton and his videos and pieces in The School of Life. I was a bit disappointed though. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Cassandra Gomes-Hochberg

Realistic and Charming

A love story written side-by-side with an interesting analysis of love and relationship. Keeping pace with how the protagonist feels, love is purely a human experience. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Amazon Customer

Five Stars

This book was amazing.

Published 1 month ago by emily

A philosophical take in love Adam relationships

While difficult to get into, the author's ability to break down the stages of his own relationship for learning purposes was fascinating. Read more

Published 1 month ago by catherine Spinley

I like the story

I like the story. I feel I need to re-read the philosophical arguments in the book since that is the story I believe!

Published 2 months ago by Badria Bedri

Excellent writer, accurate depiction of the nuances of falling ...

Excellent writer, accurate depiction of the nuances of falling into, out of and getting over love with a lot of philosophical musings around it. Read more

Published 3 months ago by ManHan seller

Great insight into the feeling of love

The writers deconstructs an entire love story. The story is all too familiar but the insight was new. I ended up looking at my love affairs after reading every chapter.

Published 4 months ago by I. Chowdhury

An entertaining and honest look at love.

Nice to have the philosophical angle in a novel though at times the explanations feel a little too didactic for my liking. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Siobhan

Phenomenal

Beyond amazing. I just finished it, and want to start rereading it all over again. He writes as if he's seen into the souls of all of his readers. Pure love for this book.

Published 5 months ago by kathryn baker