Why Do Fools Fall in Love: A Realist's Guide to Romance

Falling in love is a complicated, messy, mad endeavor — and staying in love is even worse. But while bitter experience and brutal statistics may tell us that it will probably all end in tears, we still continue to believe in and pursue romance, even if it means losing sleep, friends, or sanity in the process. In this nimble and original exploration of love’s hidden motivations and manifestations, Anouchka Grose tries to get to the heart of its hold over us. Along the way, she examines relationships between famous couples from Burton and Taylor to Romeo and Juliet, and draws on personal anecdotes, case studies, and theories about love offered by philosophy, psychoanalysis, and anthropology. Guiding us from the first flirtatious text message to dodging insults in divorce court, through swooning, stalking, and swearing undying devotion, this cheerful book about the horrors of love is essential reading for anyone who has ever loved and lost. And then loved all over again.