Love

“Being in love is a complicated matter, although anyone who is prepared to pretend that love is a simple, straightforward business is always in a strong position for making conquests. In general, things are apt to turn out unsatisfactorily for at least one of the parties concerned; and in due course only its most determined devotees remain unwilling to admit that an intimate and affectionate relationship is not necessarily a simple one: while such persistent enthusiasts have usually brought their own meaning of the word something far different from what is conveys to most people in early life. At that period love’s manifestations are less easily explicable than they become later: often they do not bear that complexion of being a kind of game, or contest, which, at a later stage, they may assume.”

- Anthony Powell: A Dance to the Music of Time: Spring

Wise words from the 1950’s, when writers were so much more eloquent than they seem to be nowadays. I have never read a lot of true literature, somehow it never really appealed to me, although I loved talking about it with my grandmother. But as I started on a couple of typical bestseller list books lately, but was never able to finish one, I thought it might be time to dive into some good books. After all, the books I enjoyed most lately were Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, and Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom; both not your average beach read. And I must say, I love Powell’s masterpiece. It is one of those books you can fully lose yourself in, enjoying the atmosphere he so vividly creates upon the pages; getting to know the many and complex characters, taking in the carefully chosen words and the beautifully constructed sentences. If you are looking for a good book to get you through those long autumn nights, I can only recommend this!