In Edinburgh, a couple, Rabih and Kirsten, fall in love. They get married, they have children. But no relationship is as simple as “happily ever after”. The Course of Love is a novel that explores what happens after the birth of love, what it takes to maintain love, and what happens to our original ideals under the pressures of an average existence. With philosophical insight and psychological acumen, Alain de Botton shows that our Romantic dreams may do us a grave disservice and explores what the alternatives might be.
The conclusion, as the characters gradually discover, is that love is not “an enthusiasm”, but rather a “skill” that must be slowly and often painfully learnt.
This is a Romantic novel in the true sense, one interested in exploring how love can survive and thrive in the long term.
“a master of philosophical social criticism through an eloquent blend of wit and wisdom” The Atlantic
Alain de Botton is the author of essays on themes ranging from love and travel to architecture and philosophy. His bestselling books include How Proust Can Change Your Life, The Art of Travel, and The Architecture of Happiness. He lives in London, where he is the founder and chairman of The School of Life and the creative director of Living Architecture.
The Architecture of Happiness is a dazzling and generously illustrated journey through the philosophy and psychology of architecture and the indelible connection between our identities and our locations.
One of the great but often unmentioned causes of both happiness and misery is the quality of our environment: the kinds of walls, chairs, buildings, and streets that surround us. And yet a concern for architecture is too often described as frivolous, even self-indulgent.
Alain de Botton starts from the idea that where we are heavily influences who we can be, and argues that it is architecture’s task to stand as an eloquent reminder of our full potential.