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The Book of Love: A Novel

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Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In the long-awaited first novel from short story virtuoso and Pulitzer Prize finalist Kelly Link, three teenagers become pawns in a supernatural power struggle. “A dreamlike, profoundly beautiful novel [that] pushes our understanding of what a fantasy novel can be.”—Amal El- Mohtar, The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice) “Imagine a ring of David Mitchell and Stephen King books dancing around a fire until something new, brave, and wonderful rose up from the flames.”—Isaac Fitzgerald, Today (Spring Pick!) The Book of Love showcases Kelly Link at the height of her powers, channeling potent magic and attuned to all varieties of love—from friendship to romance to abiding family ties—with her trademark compassion, wit, and literary derring-do. Readers will find joy (and a little terror) and an affirmation that love goes on, even when we cannot. Late one night, Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves beneath the fluorescent lights of a high school classroom, almost a year after disappearing from their hometown, the small seaside community of Lovesend, Massachusetts, having long been presumed dead. Which, in fact, they are. With them in the room is their previously unremarkable high school music teacher, who seems to know something about their disappearance—and what has brought them back again. Desperate to reclaim their lives, the three agree to the terms of the bargain their music teacher proposes. They will be given a series of magical tasks; while they undertake them, they may return to their families and friends, but they can tell no one where they’ve been. In the end, there will be winners and there will be losers. But their resurrection has attracted the notice of other supernatural figures, all with their own agendas. As Laura, Daniel, and Mo grapple with the pieces of the lives they left behind, and Laura’s sister, Susannah, attempts to reconcile what she remembers with what she fears, these mysterious others begin to arrive, engulfing their community in danger and chaos, and it becomes imperative that the teens solve the mystery of their deaths to avert a looming disaster. Welcome to Kelly Link’s incomparable Lovesend, where you’ll encounter love and loss, laughter and dread, magic and karaoke, and some really good pizza. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House (February 13, 2024)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 640 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0812996585


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 86


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.05 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.46 x 1.5 x 9.51 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #4,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #46 in Occult Fiction #314 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Books) #356 in Romantic Fantasy (Books)


#46 in Occult Fiction:


#314 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Books):


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If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Friday, May 31

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Top Amazon Reviews


  • The Book of Love, Grief, and Tigers
"Magic, like grief, could come welling up. The difference was how grief slammed into you without any kind of ceremony or invitation. Magic you could use. Grief just used you up." -The Book of Mo Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC. To say that The Book of Love is nothing short of spectacular would be doing the novel a great disservice. This book was entertaining, captivating, beautiful in its entirety, and a definite re-read for my bookshelf. Combined with a near-lyrical prose and fable-like incredulity, Kelly Link creates a world that is entirely too familiar and yet vastly impossible, along with characters that are whole and complete in their own right. The Book of Love, through a myriad of point-of-view perspectives, follows a small group of New Englanders a year after they died. Laura, Daniel, and Mo mysteriously disappeared one night and have been presumed dead. Pulled back to life by their high school music teacher, Mr. Anabin, they are given a chance to reclaim their previous lives as if nothing happened, as long as they can discover how they died that fateful night. All of these characters, ranging from upright and sensible Laura, to her wild and grief-stricken sister Susannah; dutiful and loyal Daniel; sarcastic and wiser than his years Mo; and even mysterious and fluid Bowie, have complex and in-depth stories that are laid out in the tiniest puzzle pieces. It is a feat for authors to not only create such vastly different personalities, but to show us their wants and vulnerabilities in such tender increments. What also captivated me was the system of magic Kelly Link creates. At times frightful and dark, and other times whimsical in a Hayao Miyazaki-esque grandeur, this book invites you to get swept away, to throw out all sense of reality, and to go with the flow. There are references to pop culture that don't feel entirely dated or forced, and combined with a tilted writing style, there is so much to devour and enjoy on every page. I loved this Book of Love, and I don't think anyone will be able to let me be silent about it. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024 by Abby

  • Contains teenagers. Not a YA!
Kelly Link has previously been hailed as a writer of short stories, many of which I have read. Now she tries her hand at a novel. It’s a long one, but on the whole quite charming; certainly never tedious. If I told you it’s one of those magic realism novels you might--supposing you’re not a fan of the South American, faux naive prose translated from Portuguese or Spanish--say, “thanks but I’ll pass.” It’s not. It’s quintessentially American--a small New England town with its coffee shops, karaoke bars, and a famous writer of Romance fiction in residence. And the premise is interesting, too. Three teenagers (Daniel, Laura, and Mo) and someone else find themselves back in the classroom of their music teacher, Mr. Anabin, just before Christmas. They know they’ve been returned from the dead, but they soon find that their friends and families (chiefly among them Laura’s slightly older sister Susannah) think they have been in Ireland, studying music on a scholarship. The events that follow ensue from this premise. Yes, teenagers have returned, but be not afraid: this is not a YA, but adults who like YAs will certainly enjoy it, but with a caveat. The Book is long, maybe too long. Sometimes Link seems to be saying, “Look! I’m writing!” And then, too, the book is overpopulated with a supply of children who, with one exception, don’t seem to add much to the tale. The construction is weird. There are no chapter names, no numbers. It’s just “The Book of Susannah,” or whoever. So each chapter continues the story of the multiplicity of characters herein. And that leads to another issue: I always say this about multi-pov novels: there’s always one character you’d rather not hear from. But (surprise) not here. The author has, for me anyhow, rendered them all quite interesting. And maybe the best thing about the novel is the way Link brings a distinctive sense of humor to the book, so you may find yourself laughing unexpectedly at characters emerging full blown from an egg or escaping from a goddess with murder on her mind by turning themselves into a . . . you’ll see. And a unicorn appears. Of course it does. Notes and Asides: Kindle readers who like to set their devices to time left in chapters will happily discover that each “The Book of” functions as a chapter. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2024 by Leslie Bialler

  • not link's best
The book is very long, which should make it absorbing, but it's broken into so many short chapters representing so many points of view it reads as very choppy. The viewpoint reminds me a good bit of Lev Grossman's--the idea that magic is dangerous, exacts a toll, and is prone to abuse in the wrong hands. It's a strong theme, but somehow this novel just never comes to life for me. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2024 by An Amazon customer

  • Immersive and terrific
I couldn't stop reading this really wonderful book. I don't feel I can offer a full scale review- but I loved it.I particularly enjoyed its length and depth, even so, I felt it was over too soon. I'm wondering if any other readers felt some enjoyable Buffy the Vampire Slayer resonances? Goddess Malo Mogge reminded me very much of Glory, another goddess down on her luck. Ruth and her death reminded me of Buffy's mother....and also the way the families' memories were altered, especially Carousel's existence made me think of the appearance of Buffy's real/not real younger sister? ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2024 by Lindy

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