Dimensions
137 x 197 x 19mm
From Roger Rosenblatt, the beloved author of the bestsellers Making Toast and Kayak Morning, comes another powerful meditation on a universal subject: love The Book of Love is Roger Rosenblatt's meditation on love in all its moods and aspects-romantic love, courtship, battle, mystery, marriage, heartbreak, fury, confusion, melancholy, delirium, ecstasy, love of family, friends, love of home, of country, of work, of writing, of solitude, of art, love of nature, of life itself. Section connects to section by using lines from love songs in an effort to create one long ballad in celebration of the subject. The book is framed by pieces addressed to a "you," the author's wife of fifty years: "The story I have to tell is of you. Of others, too. Other people, other things. But mainly of you. It begins and ends with you. It always comes back to you." Between these book ends are pieces that cover the map of love, including fictional vignettes showing lovers of different ages and temperaments in different situations. The form of The Book of Love imitates the form of Roger's earlier books, Making Toast, Kayak Morning, and The Boy Detective, in that there are no stops or chapters. Section flows into section to build the complete experience of the subject, and to pursue a quest. In The Book of Love, the quest is to define -what is this thing called love?-using tunes as stepping stones and points of reference. Pete Hamill's review of The Boy Detective in the New York Times Book Review compared the author's style to a jazz musician's. That is precisely the effect the author seeks here as well, in his effort to combine thought with emotion, or, as a song writer might put it, lyrics with the notes. Thus, The Book of Love: a pop and jazz meditation on love.
