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More copies of this ISBNEnough about Loveby Herve Le Tellier
Staff Pick
Hervé Le Tellier's fiction, like that of his Oulipo brethren, is based on the use of literary constraint. Of the French writer's three works yet translated into English, Enough About Love most closely resembles a proper novel. With abundant charm, Le Tellier relates the lives of four individuals encumbered by a middle-aged malcontentedness that yields easily to amorous, extramarital activity. While Le Tellier never explicitly states the constraints employed in the work's construction, one of his characters, himself an author, outlines his own idea for a book that mirrors the format of Enough About Love: Yves wants to write a novel around six characters. He will associate each of them with the numbers on dominoes, with the blank applying to a secondary character, though never the same one. The novel will reproduce the trajectory of a game of Abkhazian dominoes: every double played will give rise to a chapter with just one character, a tile with two different numbers to a chapter with two characters, very occasionally three if one of them says and does nothing....Yves's novel will be called Abkhazian Dominoes, but nothing about its structure will be explained to the reader. Particularly as Yves ends up never entirely respecting his own rules. We are thus treated to a glimpse of Le Tellier's methods, espying the scaffolding upon which the book was built. Later on, as we follow the ensuing doubts and double dealings, the games are brought to a head as the characters are faced with decisions affecting more than their mere love lives. Enough About Love is an alluring story, despite its few forays into pedestrian philosophizing about the nature of romance and relationships. Le Tellier is an imaginative writer, and his works are often intriguingly composed. As each of his three books available in English differ so greatly from one another, any new Le Tellier translation would be a welcomed gift to readers, as one never really quite knows what to expect from the Frenchman's books, save, of course, for abundant creativity and charm. Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Sammy lives in a one-bedroom apartment on the rue de Grenelle, just where the Seventh Arrondissement likes to think it is already part of the Latin Quarter: high ceilings, bourgeois furnishings, views onto a massive paved courtyard. It would be improbably luxurious for an employee of the National Center for Scientific Research if the researcher’s father were not involved in banking in Lausanne. The guests, about thirty of them, seem to be regulars, but their conversations only rarely roam in the direction of their private lives. Thomas circulates discreetly from one group to another: someone else might have fun diagnosing a case of hysteria here, a breakdown pending there, the odd depression. Thomas knows how social posturing can mislead with its pretences, appearances, and control. He forbids himself any opinions. He quickly notices a young woman with short blond hair, pale eyes, and a lot of people around her. She is leaning against the wall in the huge hallway, holding an orange-colored cocktail glass, its surface quivering from her voluble conversation. Thomas moves closer, listens. He grasps that she is a lawyer… With a pretty flick of her hand she pushes back a drooping lock of hair, suddenly notices him, and smiles at him: Thomas knows instantly that he is caught, and is happy to be. Review:"'Any man — or woman — who wants to hear nothing — or no more — about love should put this book down,' warns Le Tellier in this complicated tale of the romantic lives of four Parisians. Anna Stein and Louise Blum have never met, but their lives are comparable: both are married with children, settled and reasonably happy, until, within days, each one meets a man who will upset the equilibrium of their lives. Anna, a doctor married to a doctor, comes under the spell of a free-spirited writer, Yves Janvier, while lawyer Louise, whose husband is a mild-mannered scientist, falls for Anna's analyst, Dr. Thomas Le Gall. Comedy and pathos ensue as the cast of wives, husbands, and lovers struggle to reconcile their values with their passions. 'Desire will not allow for simple explanations,' Le Tellier observes as he skillfully weaves a tapestry of his characters' adventures. 'When you don't know where you want to go, it doesn't matter which path you take,' Anna decides as she contemplates a difficult decision, the dilemma that these four very real, very flawed, and very likable people all face. A touching and thought-provoking study of attraction, responsibility, and love. (Feb.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC) Synopsis:Originally published in French as Assez parle d'amour.
Synopsis:Any man—or woman—who wants to hear nothing—or no more—about love should put this book down. Anna and Louise could be sisters, but they don’t know each other. They are both married with children, and for the most part, they are happy. On almost the same day, Anna, a psychiatrist, crosses paths with Yves, a writer, while Louise, a lawyer, meets Anna’s analyst, Thomas. Love at first sight is still possible for those into their forties and long-married. But when you have already mapped out a life path, a passionate affair can come at a high price. For our four characters, their lives are unexpectedly turned upside down by the deliciously inconvenient arrival of love. For Anna, meeting Yves has brought a flurry of excitement to her life and made her question her values, her reliable husband, and her responsibilities to her children. For Louise, a successful career woman in a stable and comfortable marriage, her routine is uprooted by the youthful passion she feels for Thomas. Thought-provoking, sophisticated, and, above all, amusing, Enough About Love captures the euphoria of desire through tender and unflinching portraits of husbands, wives, and lovers. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!Average customer rating based on 1 comment: 
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