Beautifully written that it is almost impossible for the reader to not be enchanted. The book is basically about marriage in all its worst scenarios and the tender observation of such events. In this book, we are gradually exposed to common realities of the rational & irrational thinking of falling in love, the charm of marriage, the rage and tendency to blame the one in the vicinity who loves us, separation anxiety, etc. And after the hassle and gold tassels of a matrimonial bond, it all came back to the basic one premise stated in the book: “Marriage is a hopeful, generous, infinitely kind gamble taken by two people who don’t know yet who they are or who the other might be, binding themselves to a future they cannot conceive of and have carefully omitted to investigate.”

This book has quite a unique writing style; interspersing "omniscient wise sage advice" between paragraphs that follow our two characters who play out the specific scenarios that the omniscient narrator then links to a broader idea or concept, regarding "love". Some of these seem intuitive (e.g. communication), some are more challenging to accept (e.g. perspective on adultery) and some are interesting pieces of information (e.g. attachment styles). I also appreciated the fact that this book didn't merely focus on "The Start" of love, but the entire journey of a relationship, including uncomfortable parts like "Adultery" and unglamorous parts like "Children" (which definitely led me to gain new appreciation for my parents!). Overall, I would say that it led to an engaging, enjoyable read than, say, a self help book on how to navigate a relationship. I do have 2 things to point out, however. 1) Because the omniscient narrator just simply injects these pieces of advice into the story, I tend to regard it with quite a bit of skepticism unless it already aligns with what I do believe. It probably isn't the point of this book to make me agree with all these points he brings out, but sometimes the effect is that what is said feels a bit like generalisations or unqualifiable statements - and results in a cynical response (though that might just be me). 2) As the book progresses, sometimes just a few paragraphs of Rahib and Kirsten's interactions occur before the omniscient narrator interjects, and I feel this diluted the strength of these characters as after a while they just seemed like props / actors in a roleplay - I lost some of the connection and investment in them that I had formed earlier. -SPOILER- In the end (haha), what stuck with me the most was the ending. By all accounts Rahib and Kirsten (the married couple this book follows) have an "average" life - and the way Rahib comes to terms with his unremarkable life, even love, is poignant.

Lovely story of a relationship, coupled with anecdotes about human nature. Highly recommended!

I enjoyed this book, but found the narrator a bit distracting. I would just become immersed in the main characters--the couple--when the narrator would swoop in and pontificate. This sentient voice reminded me a bit of Richard Attenborough, a national treasure to be sure, but not someone I want interrupting a poignant or emotional scene. What I loved about this book was its perspective on marriage. Too often romantic narratives pay too much attention to things that matter very little. We're all obsessed with finding out how people meet, or what their wedding was like as though these things matters very much at all or are expressions of what really matters in a long relationship. The book never pretends that marriage is anything but hard, but it does so in a way that manages to be tender and lovely all the same. I solidly enjoyed this book. Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher.

I had very high expectations from this book. The topic of love is a little difficult to dissect. The book is sprinkled with witty one liners and the method of writing is unique but I wish it really did explore the very subject a little bit more in detail.

A novel that is entwined with italicized philosophy about romantic love over the lifetime of a single couple. So much heart and wisdom in this book. My favorite passage: Few in this world are ever simply nasty; those who hurt us are themselves in pain. The appropriate response is hence never cynicism nor aggression but, at the rare moments one can manage it, always love.

De Botton debunks the ever growing desire for or generation to romanticize our relationships, arguing that relationships cannot weather the storm if this is the sole foundation. Rather than looking at love as the end-all-be-all in our life and looking at our partner as one who will meet all of our needs, de Botton emphasizes that love is a skill that we are constantly growing in. There were parts of this book that challenged me and I wanted to write off. But those challenging parts show where I need to grow deeper in treating love as a skill. I fully plan to have this book become required reading for any man I date.

Ultimately unsatisfying as it ends abruptly in the midstream of married life while the children are in their early teens before the turmoil of puberty & the hormones of menopause. No word on the period of empty nesting or the love of becoming grandparents- so yes much of interest and recognition but not enough.

Author was much more proud of himself than he aught to have been. Learned a couple things, but not enough to justify the time. Also, it might as well just be his abstract thoughts on love, there was no plot and the characters were weakly sketched.

Oh man. If I only got to read Alain de Botton's work from this moment forward, I would not complain. I am so giddishly excited about discovering de Botton, it's like I'm a child again (: You know when you read a book and it is so good that you don't want to read anything else because there is no way it will live up to that book's standard? This is me, right now. The Course Of Love is an incredible piece of writing, mingling non-fictitious philosophy with the fictional tale of Rabih and Kirsten, from the moment they met through their marriage and their children and all the ups and downs you could ever expect in a relationship. It's so so beautifully done. My copy is highlighted all over. I want to make everyone read this. It should be required reading before anyone is allowed to be in a relationship. I'm reconsidering all of my 5 star reviews now because I feel like this book has actually (and I don't say this lightly) changed my perspective in life. I can't wait to read more de Botton and compare shockingly mediocre books to his fabulousness. The standard has been set.

I have told pretty much everyone that I've encountered in my life that I have been reading this book. There are just too many truths frankly but kindly sprinkled through this book - truth bombs abound. And I feel like perhaps my psychologist pretended to be Alain de Botton, and crept this into my hands. Honestly, a brilliant book that makes me wish to rewrite modern love stories to better reflect a true experience of life and love. The magic of romance novels is wonderful, but the magic of real life and people is far more complex and therefore precious. I feel already an inclination to be kinder to everyone around me, and myself after delving into the lives and psyches of The Course of Love's protagonists. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. It contains a lot of empathetic understanding, philosophies applied to mundane lives, and amusing anecdotes of imperfect people through the course of their loves and lives.

A meaningful story with a message worth conveying, but unfortunately written in such unnecessary purple prose. De Boton's choice of words was hard to digest to the point where I had to put the book down to let my eyes breathe. Nonetheless, I plowed on because I felt the story was worth discovering. In the end, it was. The aphorisms were sensible and weaved perfectly with the characters, though I personally felt they were being built up to be pseudo-complex. Overall, it is a telling story of the realities of love. It tells us how it starts as an emotion and the most intense feeling one may have, and how it transforms into something you'd never think was actually love between two people in its purest form. Recommended for: people looking for a non-romantic yet sensible take on a love story

Un romanzo che in realtà è un saggio sull'amore, sulle relazioni, sul matrimonio. Intelligente.

I was hoping for a novel, but this is a philosophical treatise interspersed with tedious descriptors of a hypothetical relationship. I couldn't make it past the first 30 pages.

It's both uncanny and comforting to read about your personal experiences in a book that isn't about you! A blend of fiction and non-fiction, this is one of the most accurate and insightful books I've read. Alain brings to light the human experience within marriage/life partnerships. I stand reminded and motivated to rise in love. Were I Czar, this would be required reading for all. (This would be the PERFECT engagement gift!)