What made me read this book?
Curiosity! Seriously! Gotta admit that I still find myself Alert! at the mere mention of this word (blame it on my age and my forever-in-love heart!) and secondly, because lately I've been hearing a lot about this writer Erich Segal. To top it, this book was not in stock when I enquired twice at my favourite bookstore and it left me feeling, ''Gosh! The whole world has it already. Where have I been? Mars?'' So, now U know why I picked up this book!
Analyzing the Book:
The Look: Eye-catching! Just one word says it. The words ''Love Story'' written in dramatic bold with a riot of Red, Blue & Green can't be missed. It's a 22 chaptered, 127 pages book and the first reaction I had when I held it was ''Is that all?'' I mean why was it so famous when the entire story is covered in just 127 pages. Blame it on my Lord Of the Rings & Harry Potter's ''Goblet of Fire'' that I still read for the umpteenth time in spite of it's size! So, after having savored this book, now I've learnt to believe that ''Less is More!''
About the Author:
Well, I really had no idea about the author before I read the book. So, it was after this story touched my heart, flowed through my eyes & jolted me back to the reality (death can do us apart) I looked up this Author. How did he pen this story? He felt so deeply about this emotion then he surely must be someone worth a google! So, the first thing I found on launching the search on him was his quote:
True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked!
Erich Segal
Hmm?so, a believer of the fairy tale romance? Is he? Well, not quite, I must say because this book of his was nothing like a fairy tale. (Hey! Fairytales always had Happy Endings!!) However, this book sure injected the LOVE that a fairytale romance carries. Of course, the characters in love called each other by some crude yet, loving names ;) Nevertheless, there was love?deep, true love!
Born on 16th June, 1937, this American Novelist has penned :
LOVE STORY (1970), OLIVER'S STORY (1977), MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD (1980), THE CLASS (1985), DOCTORS (1988), ACTS OF FAITH (1992), PRIZES (1995), ONLY LOVE (1997).
Of these, Love Story is the first and only one that I?ve read so, I really couldn?t comment on this writer?s caliber from my experience. So, I hope U?ll excuse me for the same in this revu.
The Story:
No! I?m not gonna play spoilsport (in spite of the fact that I have this gut feeling that I?m the last fool among you to have read this book! :D). I won?t reveal the story here. It?s just a brief intro so that those who?ve missed this book will know what to expect.
Jennifer Cavilleri meets Oliver Barrett IV and the thing I loved was how she tricked him (rather, bullied the poor guy) into having coffee with her!! Lol! U gotta read the book and I?m sure U?d simply not be able to resist falling in love with witty yet, adorable Jen (both as the girl who went to Radcliffe as a Music Student as well as Mrs. Oliver Barrett IV who ended up on Death Bed). Oliver Barrett IV is all that a rebel son of a multimillionaire father is.
Loving and hating his Father for the same reasons. The beautiful highlights of the story are:
When Oliver shares the first conversation with Jenny
The hockey match when Jen asks the typical girlish questions about ?totalling up? :D
When Oliver proposes to Jen, ?Who said anything about marriage?? : )
#The first meeting with the parents for both parties
#The emotional detachment/attachment between father & son
#The love between a couple and how they grow in the relationship from boy-girl to man-wife.
#The Do-It-Urself Marriage Ceremony
#The fight that strengthens the bonds of love between the two souls, ?Love means not ever having to say you?re sorry?
#The holding hands - making plans syndrome that comes with every love and marriage affair!
#The ?scrounging? for a decent living that any new couple makes?especially in this kind of an affair.
#Especially humorous was the line that said, ?It is not all that easy to make a baby? especially since there is an irony involved when guys who spend the first years of their sex lives preoccupied with NOT getting girls pregnant then reverse their thinking and become obsessed with conception and not its contra. I somehow couldn?t help feeling a bit sorry for the poor guy!
#The ?Fault is with her? realization
#The atheist becoming the believer when the time to part nears
#The Goodbyes
What I didn't like:
The book was too much of a reality jolt. I wish it didn?t end with such a bad taste in the mouth and tears in my eyes. Life?s already filled with enough of those tearjerkers that I could?ve done without reading with this book. Could I? NO! Who am I kidding? No matter that this book had a tragic end, showed characters addressing each other with some crude language (which I?m not sure if exists in real life)?still, I?d recommend this book because at least there?s Love in this story! A Love, which I?d sum up as:
For every joy that passes?something beautiful remains!
LOVE STORY was made into a famous record-breaking film starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal
