This one’s because of my love story with an all-time favourite. Any enthusiasts for the book, skip it. if you havent read it , rush.
love story, the famous selling formulae in the literary world as well as filmmaking, because it sells like first apples of the season. And like to many others, to me, it embodies the spirit of love and sacrifice. It explores human relationships, revealing the complexities interwoven in them, and the effort required to sustain them.
quite obvious from the name !it is a love story. (What else!) While the obvious overtone is romantic (boy-girl romantic), there is another love story wrapped in it. The story of a father and a son. While the core narrative revolves around the two primary characters, Oliver Barrett IV and Jennifer Cavilleri, the relationship between father and son is handled with tremendous care. Sniffle.
But the boy and the girl? Their story goes thus. They come from opposite sides of the track. He is from an old, affluent family, where breeding and social class are of considerable importance. And, he studies at Harvard law School, just like his father and grandfather before him. His relationship with his father is strained. The rift is a result of a lack of communication between them, and a perceived snobbery on the part of his father, which young Oliver abhors.
She is of Italian origin, living in a middle class suburb of Boston. She works as a librarian at Radcliffe, while studying there. Her relationship with her father is warm, and very close. Love, warmth and honesty are values that her family upholds.
Never the twain shall meet? Not true. This story is about a happy ending. She dies. But it still leaves a tear in your eye, and a smile on your face. Because her death bring him closer to another love in his life, his father. And that is the beauty of their love story. She teaches him to love, unconditional love. ’’Love means never having to say you’re sorry’’. That is the gift she gives him. The notion of love being selfless, and so unconditional, that forgiveness need never be asked or given.
In its entirety, the story is, what would be called in commercial parlance, a ‘tear-jerker’. But where it separated itself from the rest, is in its touch with reality. A strong sense of identification is almost inevitable, given the beauty with which the characters have been portrayed. An aspirational value emerges for many young readers.
One of Eric Segal’s best, if not the best. And a must read for anyone who claims to be a romantic.