The Book of Love

A Novel

De: Kelly Link

Narrado por: January LaVoy

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE • FINALIST FOR THE NEBULA AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE

In the acclaimed 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

ONE OF VULTURE AND PUBLISHER WEEKLY’S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The New Yorker, Time, Town & Country, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, New York Post, Book Riot, Lit Hub

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. Listeners 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.

©2024 Kelly Link (P)2024 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“No other book made me cry quite so much or love quite so hard.”—NPR, Best Books of 2024

“The escapist masterpiece of the year.”—Vulture, Best Books of 2024

Finally, more Kelly link!

I've been a fan of Kelly Link for a while and I always finish her short stories wanting more. The book of love delivers! I finally got to live in the realities she creates (well at least for 24 hours). The narrator also did an exceptional job. looking forward to her next novel!

So repetitive

Enjoyed the first half, but the more I listened, the more it seemed like every 10th sentence was a retelling of something that had already happened. Also, I don’t know if the book would read the same, but the narrator makes the character seem outraged and angry all the time in a way that is soooooo annoying. I loved White Cat Black Dog and had high hopes for this book. No luck. If I were you, I would skip this one.

Worth the time.

Long. A few interesting twists. Kind. Direct. Enjoyed. Good performance! Glad I spent the time.

Great book.

I absolutely loved this book! The author did an amazing job bringing the story to life with vivid detail, engaging storytelling, and characters that felt so real. I was completely drawn in from start to finish. What truly elevated the experience, though, was the narrator. she was phenomenal! She voiced each character with such creativity and distinction that it felt like a full cast performance. Her talent added so much depth and personality to the story. I couldn’t stop listening!

Moving, inventive, poignant and magical

Loved the plot, that follows its own unfolding in surprising ways. It’s a beautiful telling of self discovery, sibling affection and competition, and sacrificial love. It’s also hilarious and totally believable, even as it’s fantastical. The performance is captivating. Loved this so much.

Not for my taste

i belong to ppl, who are jumping at the end of the book if they are bored or excited,,, i just really wanted to know, who killed them; so after a few chapters, i guess after Daniel meets Susanne on the beach with the wolf-dog-bad guy i jumped to the last chapter, which didn't make any sense at that point for me. i might listened to another chapter... idk i was bored, i was angry, i have no clue, what is going to happen... i looked at the titles and i choose vincent and avalon? (girl named Ava in longer form) i skipped a few chapters.. idk i guess the second half of the book i was listening to the order, it was meant to listen to... i was going to listen to the chapters i missed... but nah... i don't like it, the last few chapters(?) were discusting...
spoiler
i mean, if you shall eat ppl, and you are the monster, like the goddess was i guess; than feel free eat them like a feral animal their pray, but Lauren/Lara(?) was one of the good characters... couldn't she just turned the unconcious goddes into a protein bar, or honey comb or whatever musicians eat to stay sexy and sing well. At least she could have tried instead of... "it was easy to tear her body apart and eat it" yuck. And those jokes, that she would it her sis and friend... It's worse, if those weren't jokes; because they don't know, what the concious of the dead goddes can do inside Lauras body... i also don't understand, why Ruth died, was she becomming somebody special? Or just like the writer grandma... okay, Mo is missing her, but for me, when i got to know her, i knew, not to try to like her... Ruth was a terrible mother with this everything is Susanne's fault. It was like nearby stander nameless character was killed... in my emotional level. OK, might have somebody to miss her/him, i don't even now her/his name.... and it also bugs me, that after birth you are not supposed to have sex, not even with protection, 10 month means, one month of milk for the first born and i am quite sure it was an awfully painful coitus for Ruth, if the first time after the baby sex brought pregnancy... and why the fuck was she raped by her husband several times, if they were not so fertile? I wouldn't wait 6 years for divorce and i would call the police, if he came back, after not respecting the time, my body needs to heal after giving birth... But yeah, i only listen to the chapters, it was announces he is back and brought flowers to Ruth, wasn't even man enough to give it to Ruth, used his daughter as a mailman... -.-; why couldn't the girls be two egged twins?

Got better as I got into it

Slow start—Not something I’d pick to read but I cared about characters and curiosity kept me reading

The narrator is amazing

The book story line is unique and strange, not really up my alley, it was entertaining.

absolutely devoured this

i quite literally could not put this down, and went through it faster than any book I've read or listened to so far. the way the author illustrates the scenes, gives me a perfect visual of what's going on. i often feel like I'm in the room with the characters. i found it incredibly capitvating and oddly realistic, in the way the characters interact with each other. i read a few reviews from people who quit halfway through because they didn't appreciate the social dynamics, which is fair, it may not be for everyone. but I didn't think a second of it was wasted words, it made me understand the characters distinctly. i have a hard time being hooked into a book and having the book maintain my interest, but start to finish, this book had my attention.

my only complaints are that words occasionally get cut off, especially as the chapters change, and the ending felt a little disconnected and left me wanting more. there is so much emotion and humanity in the way the characters act, that I wanted more of this towards the end, but it seems like the characters were following the authors direction and made their peace with the ending they had chosen, so i lost that connection to them somewhat. overall though, the ending was still satisfying.

Amazing narration

Great story, but I was most impressed by the narration. The narrator is so talented! The variation of voices is truly incredible