Rating: 
Summary: Well Told Story
Review: I must say first off that I don't usually read "popular books" but I saw a copy of LOVE STORY at my local library, which reminded me of a old copy I had at home (picked up at a yard sale and gathering dust).
I settle down to read it: with yet another snow storm hitting the east coast I found myself with "quiet time" and a chance to open page one.
I closed the book at 1:00 AM, after having finished it. Just amazing. Now I understand why the book had such success. It's simply a very well written, concisely told story. So good. The opening and the ending pages really are classic. The last line is perfect. Wow, the author really nails it!
I also must say that the opening chapters in particular are very funny -- and the book in general had a lot of humor in it. The relationship is beautifully depicted -- and of course it all reminds us of the brevity of our existence, the beautiful moments that often slip under our noses without much notice. What a great little book! I implore you to pick up a copy (even a used copy); along with this book, I need to recommend another recent favorite, a novel I picked up off Amazon called "The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez -- another short, well-told story involving a young man's love for the woman he's destined to be with. Very funny and very romantic. Just terrific. Anyway, thanks for reading my review.
Rating:
Summary: Love Story is the quintessential Love Story
Review: Love Story predates my generation but reading and watching the movie again ... it still feels relevant. Just replace Ryan O'Neal with Matt Damon, and Ali MacGraw with Kiera Knightly speaking in an American accent ... update the scenery ... and voila ... there is the timeless story all over again. Simple, fluid, storytelling about the two Bostons: WASPY and conservative Beacon Hill versus working class Southie. Prepare to cry ... love triumphs but it is short-lived. Imagine Jack and Rose in Titanic getting together only for Rose to die of consumptions in New York. This novel defined the baby boomers and if re-released in a modern update ... would also define their children and grandchildren. Invest in ALOT of soft kleenex tissue. Love Story will haunt you.
Rating:
Summary: Why Love Story Gets Five Stars
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Why this book is important
Review: 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.
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