Love Story Mass Market Paperback – January 8, 2002

I reread this classic love story that begins, "What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old-girl who died?" for the first time since I was a kid when when I wore out the paperback by reading it repeatedly. It's a short novel; a fast but powerful read. Oliver Barrett IV, a star hockey player/law student, descends from a line of high achieving old money Harvard alumni, and is struggling to define himself away from the constraints of his judgmental, micromanaging father. Jennifer Cavilleri, who attends Radcliffe on a music scholarship, is the only child of a loving father, a widower who owns a small bakery in Rhode Island. She calls her father Phil. These two, Jennifer and Oliver, (nicknamed Preppie by Jennifer), couldn't be more different. The book is in part heavy on dialogue and sparse on descriptive text. Erich Segal makes brilliant use of the verbal volleyball between the two main characters. I like the wit in their flirting. It's that age old tale of boy meets girl, they experience conflict, and then they fall in love. This story turns tragic when Jennifer is diagnosed with leukemia. That part of the story seems to have some logical problems with the doctor not telling her of her diagnosis at first, and then very quickly it seems she's dying. Segal does his best work showing how this couple from such dissparate social and emotional backgrounds come together in love. He also shows what a profound impact these two had on each other and their respective families in the limited years they were together. This book struck a chord with me as a kid because my father died young. Also, the relationships feel absolutely authentic to me. Love Story is a masterpiece.

I read Love Story (Segal, 1970) the first time after watching the movie in the summer of 1970. I have read this book various times throughout my lifetime. The story has been called a modern version of Romeo and Juliet, but it goes deeper than that. The plot of the story addresses social differences in the American society, family pressure, and expectations. The characters are very unconventional and the story structure is not traditional. These characteristics make the story interesting and touching.The characters and the plot interweave. The characters come from opposite ends of the social spectrum. Oliver Barrett IV comes from high society and from a very wealthy family whose members are Harvard alumnae. The family even donated the Barrett Hall to the University. Jennifer Cavilleri comes from a collar worker family; her father owes a small bakery. Oliver's family is from Ipswich, Massachusetts and Jennifer's family is from Cranston, Rhode Island. Jennifer attends Radcliff College under a scholarship. Oliver attends Harvard. When they meet their attraction is strong and mutual (p. 2). Their friendship develops and they fall in love. Oliver's family is very competitive and expects him to go to Law School, take over the family business, and marry someone in their same social level. His father is a banker, landlord, and business owner. Jennifer's father just wants his daughter to be happy. He does not pressure his daughter at all. She has no mother since she died when Jennifer was a child. Their social gap becomes evident when they visit each other's home. Oliver's parents are cold toward their own son and they treat Jennifer cordial but cold. Jennifer's father is a down-to-earth niece guy. Oliver's home is a huge state. Jennifer's home is a humble working class adobe in a row of street houses, with no extra land. Their difference in social status could not be any larger. Their love is stronger than Oliver's parents' prejudice. Jennifer receives a scholarship to study music in Paris, France and Oliver proposes. They marry. Oliver is disinherited by his father for marrying Jennifer and by doing so, defying his father.It is interesting how the first sentence of the book opens with the climax of the story, in the form of a question: What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old-girl who died?" (p. 1). Even though the climax is given out on the first sentence of the book, a complete unconventional approach to traditional story structure, this "preview" that might have been considered a spoiler made the reader's curiosity grow. The readers want to find out how and why this young life extinguishes. The whole story is a flashback that takes us to the day these two young lovers meet in Radcliff College Library. The story moves through defined chapters and takes us through their courtship, marriage, Oliver's Law School, working summers in Massachusetts shore, Oliver's graduation from Law School, Oliver's law firm job, and their big move to New York City. Toward the end of the story Jennifer is diagnosed with leukemia and that is the reason why she can't conceive. Oliver is devastated and ridden with guilt. Oliver buys airline tickets for Paris, but Jennifer states that is not the way they are going to approach her disease and her final days.This book was a success by the way the plot addressed social issues that were not openly discussed and were not well known by the general public, unless the reader belonged to the high class society. The story addresses love and sacrifice. It also shows how family expectations and demands are prioritized over parents love and support for their child. The characters idiosyncrasy and upbringing plus the story development and structure make a touching and fascinating book.

I bought the hardcover book and saw the movie in 1970. I was 29 years old.After reading this slim volume, which was indeed a tearjerker, I thought the line “love means not ever having to say you’re sorry, sounded like something you would put on a movie poster.I had been married for a short while in my early 20s and I thought well if you love someone and you hurt them or you do something wrong you apologize which happened in that particular marriage. That was not why I got divorce.I remarried just about the time love story was published and was very much in love with my husband who for 53 years could never say he was sorry for anything nor would he ever discuss anything that was wrongMy second husband is dead, fortunately, and my little take on this books premise is if you love someone you better better learn to say you’re sorry.I bought this book on Valentine’s Day 54 years after buying it for the first time, wondering whether my reaction would be the same… And it is.Blindly dictated to an extremely dyslexic tablet

During junior high ( 45 years ago) this book was popular. So I bought it again for a weekend read during a snowy Michigan winter. Perfect! Tears will come at the end. So be warned.

This is The Love Story—a rich guy meets a smart and poor girl, but his father does not approve of the match; the two leave home and start a family of their own; now they are officially husband and wife; so this man graduates with a law degree, makes enough money to start afresh in New York, later on the girl is found with a medical condition that is fatal to her and their marriage. A perfect modern tragedy and that makes a best-seller that reads still fresh many decades after its first appearance.Despite the fact that the story is only 187 pages long (almost 35 pages shorter than The Great Gatsby), the two characters in the novella are surprisingly memorable for each of them has a very strong or headstrong personality that defines who they are.This little novella, I found out, has this “crispy” quality that makes it very lucid, elegant and easy to read. Probably, such quality has something to do with how this romantic narrative came into being. It was first written as a play script. Advised to turn it into a novella, Mr Segal made a name for himself with Love Story.

This book is the only book that I have read more than once, and it makes me giggle and sob uncontrollably every time. This book is so purely and so beautifully written. It is a masterpiece. I think everybody needs to have read it at least once in their lifetime.

Libro iconico, il titolo parla da sé, arrivato in condizioni perfette

As it’s the 50th anniversary I thought I’d like to read this. It’s quite a short book so didn’t take long to read but it was beautifully written and unlike some modern authors who pad the story out to make the book much longer, this was more condensed but really painted the story well. Lovely book.

Our sweetest songs are those, that tell of saddest thought.” (P.B. Shelley)I know, this is one of the most hackneyed sayings, but none other comes to my mind, so strongly, when I speak of this book.I have read the original version, so many times. There is something haunting in the book that doesn’t leave you. You feel like going back to it over and over again.Can there be anything more charming than the sacrifices one makes to be with your beloved one?If a person, leaves all his riches, family, dreams and stays with you, till the end of your life, it means his love for you is of the purest order.A story so simple, and yet so sophisticated. An everyday affair, (a millionaire boy - a middle-class girl, the boy’s family disowning him, when he marries the girl…) and yet a unique one. The narrative language looks so simple, and yet has such an eloquent sound. To put it in one sentence, ‘this yarn leaves a powerful impact’!The super-success of the book in 1970, was essentially because of the sweet-simple story and its accurate diction.The simplicity of the conversation, just takes your heart away! I loved it. Nowhere in the book you find words that require a dictionary! The choice of words is excellent. The flow of the language is so smooth and the conversational style is awesome.All these attributes are excellently carried out in its Hindi version too. Ditto!The translation is done superbly. I had read the original English version in ‘70s!It was, ‘The Talk of the Town’, then! And now to read the Hindi version of it, is so nostalgic and gives a splendid feeling of all kinds of emotions mingled together. It still leaves you feeling sad, with tears trickling down your cheeks!The last piece is heart-rending.‘ऑलिवर,’ मेरे पिता ने जल्दी से कहा, ‘मैं मदद करना चाहता हूँ ।’‘Jenny मर चुकी है,’ मैंने उन्हें बताया ।‘मुझे माफ़ कर दो,’ वो एकदम निस्तब्धता से फुसफुसाए ।पता नही क्यों मैंने वही बात दोहरा दी, जो मैंने बहुत पहले उस सुंदर लड़की से सीखी थी, जिसने अभी-अभी दुनिया को अलविदा कहा था । ‘प्यार माफ़ी का मोहताज नही होता ।’और फिर मैंने वो किया जो कभी भी उनकी उपस्थिति में नही किया था, ख़ास तौर पर उनसे गले लगते हुए तो कभी नही । मैं फूट-फूट कर रोया । *****All those who have read the English version of Love Story, must read the Hindi version too… to see how well the translation has been done.Those who haven’t read the original, must read both! 😂Congratulations @Mrinalini! It’s a praise-worthy effort to revive the book after so many years, and giving it such a glorious outlook!Your translation is flawless and selection of words are adequately appropriate and appealing. A wonderful work! Looking forward to more such translations. Hats off! You have acquired mastery in both the languages.Excerpts from the book : ‘पर “ठीक है” का क्या मतलब होता है?’‘क्या तुम्हारे कहने का यह मतलब होता है कि हॉर्वर्ड लॉ स्कूल ने एक ऐसे आदमी को दाख़िला दिया है जिसे ठीक है का मतलब तक नही पता?’‘यह कोई न्यायिक शब्द नही है, जेनी । ‘ *****‘क्या तुम मुझसे शादी करना चाहते हो?’‘हाँ ।’‘क्यों?’ …‘क्योंकि मैं करना चाहता हूँ ।’‘ओह,’ उसने कहा । ‘यह तो बहुत अच्छा कारण है ।’ *****

A classic,I really enjoyed this book