The Course of Love: An unforgettable story of love and marriage from the author of bestselling novel Essays in Love

A beautiful narration of the life of a couple from first meeting to middle age, interpersonal ups and downs, interspersed with philosophical and psychological commentary. It mirrors our own lives and helps us understand ourselves far better. Essential reading for any married couple!

"The success of any relationship should be determined not just by how happy a couple are to be together, but by how worried each partner would be about not being in a relationship at all."- Alain de BottonThis book is one of those that, when you lose perspective, when you need a fresher outlook, you can come back to time and again.As much as "The Course of Love" helped me look at human relationships, be it romantic or platonic, from a much kinder, empathetic and broader perspective, I'd admit that it lacks in its delivery that one may expect from a conventional novel, hence not a 5 starer for me. It's not written in an expected format of a novel - with only a story taking us through the journey. This entire book, based on the theme of romanticism, is interspersed with passages/sections of some bits and pieces (which I enjoyed) that may seem more apt for a non-fiction/self-help sort of book. Such treatment may impact your reading experience, positively or negatively, depending on your expectations from the book.Having said that, I certainly enjoyed Rabih's and Kirsten's relationship from Alain's vantage point. There have been so many moments in the book where I, literally, had to look up and wonder at the intricacies of human relationships that the author has put in front of me so gracefully and poignantly through his well-rounded and witty sentences.With so much available to devour on the beginnings and endings of relationship, Alain's views on maintaining one remind us, humans, of the consequences of the over-critical and over-apathetic approach we, subconsciously, tend to save for our "loved" ones.The primary reason I'd recommend this book to you is its relatability factor. As long as you're human and intend to maintain relationship with one, I don't see why and how this book won't impact you. Book's certain viewpoints may unsettle you or challenge your preset ideologies, but they surely make you rethink and recalibrate the doctrines and principles you've been taught to follow through your entire life.With making it our life's impossible mission to change/improve other person, we are hardly left with any time to look at our own selves and realize the pain and trouble that we can be to others too. So, reading a book that primarily asks you to take ownership of your own behavior and its impact, and heed to other's and one's own needs in a much kinder way just act as a gentle guide to a better and, dare I say, perhaps, a slightly easier way of living."We don't need to be constantly reasonable in order to have good relationships; all we need to have mastered is the occasional capacity to acknowledge with good grace that we may, in one or two areas, be somewhat insane."- Alain de Botton

Alain de Botton verbalizes the most deepest of feelings, intuitions and excursions in thoughts with such preciseness and clarity that it makes us wonder why the things that made us wonder about ourselves actually did. I became aware of the author through his TED talk and decided to purchase this book based on it and I am happy I did. It happens very often that ideals get far removed from the reality (which is far from ideal) and mind in it's zeal for the ideal often overlooks reality - craving for something unreal. This book cleverly unpacks this and other ways people forget to enjoy their lives - especially the part which has immense potential for happiness & enjoyment.

If you have good English,if you are married man, it would be most desirable step towards your future to read the insights of great relationship philospher Botton. There is no substitute to this book as far as marriage philosophy is concerned. Indeed his first book essays to love, and the school of life are great works but this work of art, I would say, is nevertheless marvellous in its own capacity. Go for it and feel relieved of all the problems you face inside your emotional sphere during marital drama because of its universality.😄

- A book where the narrative is fit around the message that writer is trying to convey.- Messages are strong, practical with deep wisdom, but some of them may seem unrelatable depending on the reader.- Narrative conveys various aspects of relationship yet to climax brushes off consequences of some of the events (**spolier: affair)

book was good but packaging was poor

Amazing book. Must read for developing broader sense of what a relationship is. It provides philosophical dimension to love and how love runs its course ... ups n downs ... n sometimes completely flat. The writer wants us to know that it’s completely normal to feel certain things in a relationship. He gives us psychological explanations also abt why we feel the way we feel.So basically , this book is about coming to terms with our own feelings and desires of what love is and what it is not.

This book is delightful and so insightful. Botton’s voice comes in italics mid as the story unfolds and it’s like he is this lovely observer of what is actually happening in a situation. It’s a book that makes us feel seen and heard. Must read!

Lo elegí porque había vi el documental "The Arquitecture of Happiness" y me gustó la forma de pensar de Alain de Botton. Busqué charlas que ha dado y me contré con sus teoría sobre el amor romántico, así que decidí comprar el libro. La verdad es que me hizo pensar en mis propias ideas sobre el amor e incluso a entenderme mejor. Lo recomiendo cien por cien y me gustaría leerme otro libro suyo.

I recommend it to anyone interested in the psychology of long term relationships.

When I picked up this book, it wasnt about how to enjoy but how it would teach me. The beginning was good but somewhere in the middle I almost gave up because I couldn't relate anymore..Along the way, I had the thought of… Do I truly want to fall in love and be in a relationship, or am I genuinely content staying single?This isn't a romantic book in the way most people would expect instead it talks about the reality of loving another human being. Falling in love is easy, or maybe it comes naturally but its staying in love is the difficult part.Though we are all vulnerable!… We carry our own wounds, fears, flaws, and expectations into every relationship. Sometimes we blame our partners for what they never understood because we never truly expressed it ourselves. The greatest failure of many relationships isn't the absence of love, it's miscommunication, assumptions, and the inability to honestly say what we're feeling…More than anything, this book taught me.. “The partner truly best suited us is not the one miraculously happens to share every taste but the one who can negotiate differences in test with intelligence and good grace”… Love is about accepting another person's differences while recognizing our own imperfections.Overall this book offers so much to reflect on about how we perceive love, how we give it, and how we hope to receive it. Whether you're single, in a relationship, or married… I think there's something meaningful to take away from this book.

An incredibly deep and moving novel about ordinary lives. Resonates long after the last paragraph

Book worth reading