sobre el amor

Just finished reading On Love, a novel by author Alain de Botton. His comic and writing style reminds me of that of Woody Allen, especially the chapter on Marxism, in which he recalls the famous quote of comedian Groucho Marx, "I would never want to belong to a club that would have someone like me for a member." (Same quote conjured by Allen's character in Annie Hall.) Despite the comparisons to Mr. Allen, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel (maybe because I've always been a Woody Allen fan). The story weaved philosophical thought with creative details. I was touched by the author's thoughts on relationships, which I often found relative to my own experience. I prefer not to review books, because I think people should make up their own minds about whether or not they like a certain style of writing. So instead, I give you Alain de Botton's own words on love:

I found myself falling victim to romantic nostalgia, which descends whenever we are faced with those who might have been our lovers, but whom chance has decreed we will never properly know. The possibility of an alternative love story is a reminder that the life we are leading is only one of a myriad of possible lives, and it is the impossibility of leading them all that plunges us into sadness. There is a longing for a return to a time without the need for choices, free of the regret at the inevitable loss that choice (however wonderful) has entailed.