The Lover's Dictionary: A Novel

So obviously you can see that I really loved this book, I wasn't aware that it was going to be an adult novel but I really didn't care once I started reading it. The Lover's Dictionary is written as dictionary entries with a little meaning of how each words place a part in the story of the relationship that the narrator is writing about. I thought it was a very unique idea and with my love of words and the way David Levithan uses them, I thought it was perfect.I just recently fell in love with David Levithan's writing, this one was the third book I read from him and it just made me sigh and swoon the whole way through. Seriously! I'm not even kidding about that, so much that even my husband noticed while I was reading and asked me what the heck I was reading. So when I told him what it was about, he got curious about it and snatched it from me, he flipped through a random page and read a dictionary entry. He then proceeded to show me what he read and said "that's us, right there" He was soooo right. What I'm trying to say is that the story is a very realistic portrayal of a modern day romance and relationships, and it's one that anyone can truly relate to. One that you can say as you read, "I've done that before" or "That's exactly how I feel sometimes!" because I did this several times while reading it.The writing seemed at times very poetic to me, I loved the way that David Levithan describes and talks about love and this one was just so romantic at times. The narrator really shows his true emotions and what anyone might be thinking about when you're in a relationship but can be too afraid to say it or show it, I loved that! I knew that I had fallen in love with this book when I read this:"These words will ultimately end up being the barest of reflections, devoid of the sensations words cannot convey. Trying to write about love is ultimately like trying to have a dictionary represent life. No matter how many words there are, there will never be enough."Besides the happy times and the good times that the narrator talks about in his story there's also the complications, the hard times and the heartbreaking episodes that you get sometimes from having a long term relationship. This will be one of those books that I can pick out of my shelf, flip through any page and just read an entry when I need some romance, or just when I want something to cheer me up. The book is only about 200 pages long and a few of the pages only have one sentence but the meaning can be so much bigger than that and it might even take you a little longer to flip the page just so you can savor and digest what you just read. It really makes you think. It was like a really expensive and delicious piece of chocolate, you can't rush it, you want to taste every bite. If you want a realistic love story, one that is very unique and beautifully written, I truly recommend The Lover's Dictionary. I loved it and If you're a fan of David Levithan I'm sure you will enjoy it too.

I was fortunate enough to hear David Levithan speak about how he came up with the idea for the book at last year's National Bookfest. A love story told solely via dictionary entries?! As a Valentine's Day present for friends?! Count me in!The concept was so unique that I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. And I did. And I read the entire thing in a single sitting. On my lunch hour. At work. That's how quick, easy and engaging this book is. I'm kinda kicking myself for waiting so long to read it. So yeah, now I guess I'm a lover of love.The Lover's Dictionary is not only unique in how it tells the story but also because we never really get to know the subjects of whom it's about. I mean, we get to see some of the most personal and intimate segments of their relationship, but there are no names or descriptions of the couple to be found. At first, this was kind of distracting because I spent so much time trying to put faces to these people, but after awhile, I realized that it didn't matter. Your focus turns solely to the relationship and the internal dialogue of the narrator instead of the usual details that anchor down a story. You stop thinking about the people and start thinking about the love drives them. And that's where the genius of the book lies --- in its simplicty.Visa vie small passages, The Lover's Dictionary reveals anecdotes of love, both the good kind and the bad, narrated by one half of this couple. These snippets are not in chronological order but each entry touches on the mundane and the special moments between the two. We're shown the various stages of their relationship --- from the butterflies of a first kiss to the irksome habits that go hand in hand with living with someone --- and in a way, each and every one of these moments was relatable to me. We've all be there in some way at some point in our lives. I know I've experienced the nagging doubts as well as the euphoria that accompanies a new relationship. And that's what makes the story so compelling. It felt like Levithan was in my head, putting every feeling I've ever had in just about every relationship right down there on that page... only much more eloquently.And though we get to see the many wonderful things that go along with being in a relationship, this book isn't all sunshine and rainbows. In addition to the good, we're privy to the bad. There's nagging self doubt, betrayals of the worst kind, hardships to endure and that unfiltered emotion that plagues the narrator. It's a very real, very raw, uncensored look inside the narrator's head as we go through the various stages of the relationship. And while it might not always be pleasant, while it might conjure up some tough memories from my own past, it was unfaltering and honest. We learn that love can sometimes be fleeting but it is also complex and oh so worth it.Food for Thought: The Lover's Dictionary is a sad yet hopeful, raw and incredibly clever book about love and relationships. It's simple and compelling and heartbreaking and swoony all at the same time. The book is compact and easy to read. In fact, it reads more like a short story than a novel, cutting out all the nonsense and shooting straight for the core. For such a fighter, this book definitely made a lover out of me.

I can't say enough good things about this book. Beautiful and heartbreaking at times. I have re-read it about a dozen times!

the feeling in this book sweep you off your feet and it’s in such a clever format that you’re just awestruck the entire time. a quick, introspective and wholly emotional read. a love story with so much nuance and feeling.

Interessante ma speravo più romanzato

Me llegó con las últimas páginas pisadas, dobladas y manchadas, fuera de eso está ok.

Durch tumblr bin ich auf das Buch aufmerksam geworden und habe es mir aufgrund der Ausschnitte gleich als Kindle-eBook geholt.Ich wurde nicht enttäuscht. Der Schreibstil und Aufbau des Buchs sind im Vergleich zum klassischen Roman eine schöne Abwechslung.Die Handlung ist nicht chronologisch, sondern alphabetisch behandelt, da die Hauptfigur zu den einzelnen Wörtern ihre persönliche Beschreibung zuordnet. Das "Dictionary" ist also wörtlich zu nehmen.Durch den ständigen Sprung in der Handlung muss man sich zwar etwas mehr darauf konzentrieren, nicht den Faden zu verlieren, aber gerade das macht für mich den Charme des Buchs aus. Und dass man selbst die Handlung zusammensetzen und chronologisch ordnen muss, finde ich auch toll. Als eBook war es nur schwer ständig hin und her zu blättern, wenn man nochmal zu einem anderen Wort zurück wollte (habe einen normalen Standard-Kindle, keinen Touch-Bildschirm).Das "Dictionary" ist nicht sehr lang, ich hatte es innerhalb von wenigen Stunden durch, aber als etwas für zwischendurch super geeignet.