--- product_id: 620354080 title: "Essays in Love" price: "€ 19.48" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.sk/products/620354080-essays-in-love store_origin: SK region: Slovakia --- # Essays in Love **Price:** € 19.48 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Essays in Love - **How much does it cost?** € 19.48 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sk](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/620354080-essays-in-love) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Buy Essays in Love by de Botton, Alain from desertcart's Fiction Books Store. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Review: Essays in Love In her introduction to de Botton’s book (Picador Classics) ... - De Botton, Alaine. Essays in Love In her introduction to de Botton’s book (Picador Classics) Sheila Heti begins, ‘Essays in Love has been classified as a novel, but it’s a very strange novel.’ It is, she says, ‘a guide through the landscape of contemporary romance.’ In the book de Botton makes a habit of reflecting on a previous paragraph telling the story of (presumably his) love affair with Chloe, a woman whom he meets by chance sitting next to him on a Paris-London flight. Thus the novel-memoir seems at times to be a mere jumping of point to a profound analysis of the trite business of falling in love - and of course inevitably the disillusion inherent in that commonplace but unique event. I must confess that I am often puzzled by the memoir genre - how much is ‘true’ and how much falsified for the sake of art? In books about love affairs, which this absolutely is, how constant is the point of view? How can the reader believe in the ‘facts’ as retailed by the narrator? Well, de Botton (who wrote this book in his early twenties) does a masterly job of analysing the ebb and flow of desire, beginning with rapture over finding that the lovers have so much in common that some supernatural agency must have pre-determined their meeting. ‘I love chocolate, don’t you?’ asked Chloe. ‘I can’t understand people who don’t like chocolate.’ Well, the narrator, the ‘I’ in the story, de Botton or a version of him, hates chocolate: ‘I had been more or less allergic to chocolate all my life.’ So of course in the ‘story’ the narrator has to lie, or else run the risk of losing the ‘angel’ as Chloe is soon to become. This is the key to the novel, focusing on a mundane preference and lying about one’s true feelings. It’s what we all would do in the circumstances. It’s both true to life, and perfect for art. Now, whether the ‘real’ de Botton likes or hates chocolate is a moot point, one which the reader should not, according to convention at least, ask. What I liked about the story (I almost said ‘loved’ but then recalled de Botton’s complex of analyses of the word) and about the philosophical commentary that accompanies it is its lucidity, its honesty about feeling and beliefs, those transient markers we cling to - and eventually are obliged to release from our grasp. But the book is not all Freudian or Marxian analysis (Marx is the term confusingly used in the book to refer to Marx the comedian) but a moving and totally convincing ‘love story,’ telling it like it is, a rare thing in fiction. Review: DEEP IN PHILOSOPHY filled with REFRESHING TRUTH - A story of love as it is pulled out of your soul and mind onto the carpet to be thankfully dissected and reconstituted into a fresh reality. You will never know of love in the same way again and you will be enriched for it. A little tough going as one wades through the tedious depths of wisdom and depth of detail but so so worth the journey. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 63,648 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 5,054 in Literary Fiction (Books) 5,969 in Contemporary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,482 Reviews | ## Images ![Essays in Love - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/916ITjd+xnL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Essays in Love In her introduction to de Botton’s book (Picador Classics) ... *by M***S on 24 November 2015* De Botton, Alaine. Essays in Love In her introduction to de Botton’s book (Picador Classics) Sheila Heti begins, ‘Essays in Love has been classified as a novel, but it’s a very strange novel.’ It is, she says, ‘a guide through the landscape of contemporary romance.’ In the book de Botton makes a habit of reflecting on a previous paragraph telling the story of (presumably his) love affair with Chloe, a woman whom he meets by chance sitting next to him on a Paris-London flight. Thus the novel-memoir seems at times to be a mere jumping of point to a profound analysis of the trite business of falling in love - and of course inevitably the disillusion inherent in that commonplace but unique event. I must confess that I am often puzzled by the memoir genre - how much is ‘true’ and how much falsified for the sake of art? In books about love affairs, which this absolutely is, how constant is the point of view? How can the reader believe in the ‘facts’ as retailed by the narrator? Well, de Botton (who wrote this book in his early twenties) does a masterly job of analysing the ebb and flow of desire, beginning with rapture over finding that the lovers have so much in common that some supernatural agency must have pre-determined their meeting. ‘I love chocolate, don’t you?’ asked Chloe. ‘I can’t understand people who don’t like chocolate.’ Well, the narrator, the ‘I’ in the story, de Botton or a version of him, hates chocolate: ‘I had been more or less allergic to chocolate all my life.’ So of course in the ‘story’ the narrator has to lie, or else run the risk of losing the ‘angel’ as Chloe is soon to become. This is the key to the novel, focusing on a mundane preference and lying about one’s true feelings. It’s what we all would do in the circumstances. It’s both true to life, and perfect for art. Now, whether the ‘real’ de Botton likes or hates chocolate is a moot point, one which the reader should not, according to convention at least, ask. What I liked about the story (I almost said ‘loved’ but then recalled de Botton’s complex of analyses of the word) and about the philosophical commentary that accompanies it is its lucidity, its honesty about feeling and beliefs, those transient markers we cling to - and eventually are obliged to release from our grasp. But the book is not all Freudian or Marxian analysis (Marx is the term confusingly used in the book to refer to Marx the comedian) but a moving and totally convincing ‘love story,’ telling it like it is, a rare thing in fiction. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ DEEP IN PHILOSOPHY filled with REFRESHING TRUTH *by H***D on 14 July 2024* A story of love as it is pulled out of your soul and mind onto the carpet to be thankfully dissected and reconstituted into a fresh reality. You will never know of love in the same way again and you will be enriched for it. A little tough going as one wades through the tedious depths of wisdom and depth of detail but so so worth the journey. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great book! *by R***. on 15 January 2017* This was one of the best books I've read. I read it months ago and I'm still thinking about it. I highly recommend this - de Botton takes us through the philosophical implications of love through framing them in a story narrative. It's a wonderful way of thinking about things - although this may be considered 'pop philosophy' or 'pulp philosophy', I found it very exciting and relatable. I found each of my love stories in the philosophical story de Botton presents. I have recommended this book to anyone I have found struggling in terms of love. It's a beautiful reminder of what is possible, and how to take a break up, whilst also consolidating some truths on what it means to be in love and feel those first frissons of attraction. ## Frequently Bought Together - Essays in Love - The Course of Love: An unforgettable story of love and marriage from the author of bestselling novel Essays in Love - The School of Life: An Emotional Education --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sk/products/620354080-essays-in-love](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/620354080-essays-in-love) --- *Product available on Desertcart Slovakia* *Store origin: SK* *Last updated: 2026-04-23*