That they are doctors might not need to have been explicitly stated. She was a poem without words.' is how the lead characters first encounter is described. The romance is sprinkled beautifully in the writing. To write a short novel this way is an art, though I have some complaints on the hurried ending, which I shall come to later. There is enough backstory to identify with a character but not enough to predict their every move. In around 250 pages he spans the lives of multiple characters across decades, telling us what is essential and nothing extra. While the impending loss of love looms over most of the book, it is never a tragedy, because the characters know better how to get up and invest their emotions in something meaningful.Įrich Segal is a gifted writer. The story, about individuals who find love, lose it and then learn to never let it go again, is as realistic as one can be in this genre. I started reading the book expecting a cheesy or sensuous romantic novel, a guilty pleasure, but it was none of that. It's not a novel that will grip your heart, but the magic of the writer at least makes your heart feel it.ĭisclaimer: I haven't read the much-celebrated Love Story, hence this review is solely about Only Love without any comparisons. The ending allows him to feel closure for a life of his life. It was cool to read this kind of story from a male perspective.The heroine is likeable but of course from the protagonists POV twenty years later she is at fault. The protagonist is a sympathetic character, a man with morals and drive but with human flaw. Even if it's not overly nail-biting, there's something about it that keeps you reading. Sometimes I did get a bit bored with some of the backstory details. Plot-wise it's interesting and I don't think I've read one like this one before - not overly romantic, not terribly suspenseful or gripping, and the story wraps up with a sad note (but not a haunting one.) Basically a doctor meets a patient of his who is dying, and recognizes the woman as a life of his life, and then begins remembering their relationship twenty years ago. Easy to follow but beautiful at the same time, his poise is almost poetic, but it's not cloying.
Segal is an author I need to find again, for his way of melding words inspires. I can't think of many books that stand out in the memory as so well written, so imaginatively poised.
It's unusual for the biggest strength of a good book to be amazing writing. It's a drama which entires its story upon a romantic relationship. It's tempting to say it's a romance, but it's really not.
0 kommentar(er)
