Reviews

The Course of Love by Alain de Botton

ibxri's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

m_akbar's review against another edition

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4.0

*Review ini untuk edisi bahasa Indonesia

Ini adalah buku tulisan de Botton kesekian yang saya baca. Setahu saya, ini pertama kalinya dia menulis novel. Buku-buku sebelumnya seperti Consolations of Philosophy, Status Anxiety, dan The Art of Travel saya sangat suka, dimana de Botton memberikan refleksi filosofis pada hal-hal keseharian. Hal ini juga muncul pada novel baru ini.

Novel ini bukan novel cinta pada umumnya, yang diisi karakter-karakter unik, dialog-dialog manis, plot yang penuh twist, atau adegan pertaruhan hidup-mati. Bukan. Novel ini, tampaknya dibuat de Botton sebagai antidot untuk kisah-kisah cinta bombastis ala Hollywood dan akun gosip. Karena kisah-kisah cinta bombastis itu hanya menyajikan yang luar biasa, tanpa mampu menyiapkan kita untuk menjalani perjalanan cinta yang "biasa-biasa saja", yang pastinya sebagian besar dari kita alami.

Sesuai judulnya, buku ini menceritakan perjalanan cinta. Dari bagaimana karakternya membentuk ide cinta, bertemu pasangan, menjalani hubungan, menghadapi rajukan, kejenuhan, pertengkaran, punya anak, berselingkuh, sampai menjalani terapi pasangan. Yang diceritakan adalah cerita cinta paling telanjang, paling "biasa", yang pastinya bakal meruntuhkan delusi-delusi favorit kita bahwa bertemu pasangan hidup bakal selalu menyenangkan.

Dan kita butuh buku semacam ini.

Buku ini sangat khas de Botton. Selain renungan filosofis, dia juga meminjam konsep psikoanalisis, teori kelekatan, dan prinsip terapi pasangan. Meskipun begitu, buku ini tetap asyik dibaca, karena penyampaiannya yang tidak menggurui. Karenanya, buku ini serasa hybrid antara novel dan essay, dimana cerita diselingi pemikiran dan pemaknaan.

Satu poin minus saya adalah terjemahan bahasa Indonesianya. Gaya menulis de Botton memang cukup puitis dan padat makna, bahkan hampir seperti aforisme, sehingga menerjemahkannya cukup sulit. Meskipun begitu, jika pembaca mau bersabar menghadapi terjemahannya, banyak bongkahan pelajaran menarik yang dapat diambil dari buku ini.

"Kita tidak perlu terus berlaku bijak agar menjalin hubungan yang baik. Kita hanya perlu menguasai kemampuan untuk sekali-sekali mengetahui dengan santun dan menyenangkan bahwa dalam satu-dua hal, kita memang kurang waras", The Course of Love, Alain de Botton

anabatel1's review against another edition

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2.0

I really, really, really wanted to like this book. I love "The School of Life" and I was excited to see what Alain had to say on romantic relationships.
I liked the way the book was written – going back and forth between describing real-life scenarios that happen between the characters and then explaining it in a more abstract way, explaining why they acted in such way and what a better way of dealing with a conflict would have been.
However, I found it hard to read. Really hard. Some sentences were 8-10 rows long on my Kindle and I couldn't keep my focus for that long. In the end, reading felt like a chore.

I'm glad I picked it up because it did shed some light on why we behave in certain ways in a relationship, and why being a "Romantic" is just not realistic.

franceswilde95's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

brittanydavis's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

dew06's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

christinahill's review against another edition

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hopeful sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

readingpisces's review against another edition

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4.0

Review to come but let me say one thing: The book is so important, especially in this day and age.

earthtoner's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

3moogie3's review against another edition

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Did not enjoy the characters or story