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book0logy's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed reading these, as it shows a insightful glimpse of the world's of some of the biggest names in literature. Although I was not interested in some, most were really beautiful and definitely an interesting read. Would recommend.
annyway47's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a lovely read!
Love Letters is an anthology of real letters written by classical writers and important historical figures - Robert & Elizabeth Browning, Franz Kafka, King Henry VIII, Mozart, John Keats, Napoleon, Oscar Wilde, Bernard Shaw, Emily Dickinson, Balzac, Pushkin, Musset, etc.
The letters were written from 1690 to 1960's , they are divided into "chapters" according to themes: Invitation, Flirtation, Intoxication, Adoration, Separation, Instruction, Reflection, Confession, About Letters, Warning, Parting.
As you might guess, it's not all lovey-dovey, it is obvious that there are complicated stories behind those letters - infidelity, divorce, disease, childbirth, society's opinions, unrequited feelings, love triangles, appearances, war, grief as well as honor, honesty, loyalty and affection.
Some of the authors I didn't know, or knew the names but didn't realize they were ever in a relationship. So a lot of the times I looked them up on Wikipedia and found out the context around the letter, brief biographies of the author and the receiver. And it was such an enriching experience! So many lives neatly packed into a nice little book.
I was surprised at how unconventional some of these relationships were! I sort of think of all the historical figures as prim and proper, but turns out, even in the XIX century there were a lot of ways a relationship could go.
Absolutely recommend!
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