For those who spent their teens watching Asian dramas, the plot to Love Story by Erich Segal is very familiar. But Love Story was published in the 1970s and is quite possibly the predecessor to all of the dramas and stories written later with this plot.
Oliver is rich; Jenny is poor. The first time they meet is in the university library and it is a hostile exchange - it also ends with Oliver and Jenny going out on a date. As they move through college and towards graduation, they fall more and more in love with each other.
When a scholarship to Paris threatens to take Jenny away, Oliver proposes. But his family deeply disapproves of Jenny because of her poor background. But Oliver defies his family and marries Jenny against their wishes, thus getting himself disowned.
The love between Oliver and Jenny is not readily apparent because the dialogue and the story moves along rather sparsely. It is only reading between the lines that the reader begins to realize just how much in love Oliver and Jenny are and how willing they are to sacrifice everything for each other.
This is truly a wonderful love story with a tear-jerker ending that had me frantically wiping my eyes by the end so I could keep reading. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story about enduring love and sacrifice.
Selina
Sep 18, 2007
Sweet
Oliver is a fine lead. One doesn't care that the entire book is predictable, because its so finely exicuted. This is the best romantic writing. Jenny and Oliver appear to be a real life couple. Jenny is also far from perfect, but Oliver loves her madly. The best part is Oliver's relationship with his father. The love in this story is not just between husbad and wife, but parent and child. Even after all these years Love Story manages to remain a Classic.
