Customer Reviews

Love Story

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

nor in fact, on Tommy Lee Jones! although they were in a class together at uni at a time when segal was a professor there. in fact reading meaning into this one is probably asking too much of it. "love means not ever having to say you are sorry". this line made the book and the film famous, but does it really mean anything? not according to the author.

this should not detract from the positive qualities in evidence here. short, well structured, extremely well focused and engaging, not to mention fluently written are all accurate descriptions. Unashamedly a tear-jerker would be my only negative comment, but then again i suppose it is what it is.....

the film has dated somewhat, but i believe the book remains as fresh and as wonderful as it was when first released...

I ENJOYED READING THIS A WHILE BACK - I STILL HAVE IT.
BUT I HEARD A COMMENT THAT THIS STORY WAS BASED ON OUR FORMER
VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE'S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

IS IT TRUE- PLEASE VERIFY.

THANK YOU,

If I really like a book, I will read it twice. But three times, four, five...just doesn't happen very often. I've read Love Story over and over, and it never loses that impression it made on me during my first reading.

You don't have to be as rich or as high-rolling as Oliver Barrett to understand what it means to love Jenny. Everyone has felt -- or has hoped to feel -- the way he does. That Segal was able to compress so much emotion into so few pages is the ultimate feat.

And every time I read Love Story, I find myself praying it will have a different ending, no matter what it says in those first few paragraphs.

This little book is so powerful. It is a good reminder of why we live and why we love.

This book is important for one reason. Let me explain. One of my favorite lines from a movie has been "Love means never having to say you're sorry" from Erich Segal's film LOVE STORY because it is so misunderstood. After giving it careful thought, I came to see that love really means ALWAYS having to say you're sorry. I then made the dubious conclusion that Erich Segal got it backwards. After giving it even more thought, however, I came to see that what he meant by NEVER having to say you're sorry is that if you love someone, then you do not need to utter the words "I am sorry" in order to communicate your feelings of regret, sorrow, or remorse. A person can communicate a feeling without words. More importantly, if I already love you, then you also know that I care and therefore I never have to say that I am sorry to let you know this fact. I still, however, do like to say those words. I am sorry for going on about this.

When I first starting reading Love Story, I didn't really like it,because of how fast the couple moved, I like things to move slow in a romance novel. The story picked up for me after the couple got married, Love Story give you a look at a young couple struggling to make a marriage work while still in college. I wish the book could have longer, and not as sad.

"Love Story" by Erich Segal shamelessly follows a well-known, Shakespearean-esque plot involving two star-crossed lovers separated by tragedy. The catch? The characters are NO fluffy Romeo and Juliet.
Set in the Harvard University of the late '60s/early '70s, "Love Story" is the tale of Oliver Barrett IX, a polite, well-spoken hockey jock heir to a pretentious Barrett fortune. His father, Oliver III, is a Rhodes Scholar, national rowing champion, and successful businessman. HIS grandfather, Oliver I, was a tycoon who donated the fictional Barrett Hall to Harvard. So, needless to say, Oli's got more than a couple of expectations to fulfill.
Oliver, a senior at Harvard's undergraduate school, has his hopes set on maintaining his solid academic record in order to gain admission into Harvard Law School. It seems everything is set out for Barrett, until Jenny comes along. Jenny Cavilleri, a wisecracking music major at Harvard's presitigious Radcliffe college, is everything Oliver is taught to shun: artsy, liberal, non-Jewish, and poor. But Jenny is also ridiculously smart, quirky, amusing, insightful, and naturally beautiful. Her charming demeanor keeps Oliver interested, and he soon forgets the original contempt he felt for her in their first encounter.
To make a long story short (without spoilers), a friendly relationship b/w Jenny and Oliver soon blossoms into a sweet, intimate romance, not excluding the predictable obstacles (Oliver's father, Oliver's social elite, law school, and one that will not be revealed here...read the book!).
Erich Segal writes a short page-turner, but unlike most romance novels, "Love Story" does not lack in intelligence or in depth. My favorite aspect about the novel is the character development, especially noticable in the two lovers. At the novel's conclusion, you feel sad and a bit weary in parting with Jenny and Oliver, almost like saying good-bye to close friends. Also to be appreciated is Segal's knack for developing UNIQUE characters. With "Love Story", he didn't do the typical thing and make Oliver a bratty rich kid, he actually gave the guy some heart, passion, and BRAINS. And he didn't make Jenny so far-fetched that you couldn't relate to her - she is, perhaps, the best character in the book. She is not a damsel in despair, or a silly girly girl, but a witty individual with honesty and compassion. She's an awesome character, and a great example for girlfriends everywhere. Ali McGraw played her to perfection in the 1970 film. Even Oliver Barrett III, with all his snobbery and professionalism, is relatable, and even makes some good points.
I call "Love Story" the 'one that started it all' because it started taking the star-crossed lover story to new heights, adding realistic characters in realistic environments and situations. Far better than its spawn, Nicholas Sparks' sugary "A Walk to Remember", "Love Story" is a book for the ages, to be read and enjoyed by lovers everywhere. A perfect V-Day gift!

This „love story" is a really great thing. It's interesting to read for young and old people.
A book which is an experience. It will never leave you and will be in your heart forever. It is one of the best love stories I have come across. A perfect book to give someone special and a jewel to treasure for you.
The story is about two young people who fall in love although they notice at first that they have hardly anything in common. They have two very different characters, and their social background could not be farther apart. But at least they have found each other and they become happy. The relations between their parents are also very important in this book. The end of the story is hinted at in the very first sentence. So it's not a surprise what the end must be like. However, after every page you have read you want to read on and that's something that makes a book really great I suppose.
Besides the vocabulary is very well chosen! The writer uses a modern language and sometimes even some words in a foreign language like French or Italian.
To sum up my impression I would like to stress the fact that if you have the chance to read this story do it!!!!!

This story reads very well. I really like the different persons with their special characters. Above all Jennifer, the young woman who falls in love and then dies so early. She always says what she thinks. She's a tough woman and although sometimes her honesty is hard, it makes her stand out as an extraordinary character. There's one comment from a reader written in a review about the novel saying the story was kitsch, which I don't share at all. The end is well done! It would have been kitsch indeed if Jenny had been cured of her cancer in the last few pages. But this way the end is excellent, above all if you consider the reconciliation that takes place between Oliver and his Father. Oliver doesn't say it directly to his father that he loves him, but in a way everybody understands that they have somehow found each other again.

A friend of mine recommended it saying it was a short read, but such a good book. I have to agree. I am not one to cry and I read the last few chapters with tears in my eyes. I recommend this to anyone looking for a great but short love story. It isn't mushy like the others, just straightforward and to the point. The best kind!

Most of the customer reviews seem to have been written by females, so here is at least one fella's opinion. I was flying from Atlanta to Dallas the other day and was looking for a quick book to read. My friend tossed "Love Story" in my bag, and I'll admit that I was actually a little embarrassed when I pulled it out on the flight and saw the title. So I quickly planned on reading only a page or two and then burying it in my bag before anyone could catch me reading it. But I couldn't put the darn thing down! Lucky for me it's so short (I don't think anyone saw what I was reading), but it's still a wonderful little story, nonetheless.

Some of the customer reviews seemed to create a lot of hoopla for the book, but I wouldn't set the expectations too high. If you are looking for a quick read, however, just a simple love story between two total opposites that will make you laugh outloud and maybe even cry a little (but not me, of course!), "Love Story" won't disappoint.