The Book of Love

A Novel

De: Kelly Link

Narrado por: January LaVoy

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • FINALIST FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE • 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

“[The Book of Love] pushes our understanding of what fantasy can be.”—The New York Times, 100 Notable Books of 2024

“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.

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.

Link Brilliance

I couldn’t stop listening. Spot on humor, gifted word smithing, not a missed beat. Fans of Strangers Things will enjoy and those of us looking for unforgettable magical realism dream of more.

Guess I’m a sucker for awkward teens fighting evil

I loved spending time with these characters and rooting for and against them from chapter to chapter. Narrator is excellent.

Just fine

This was fine. I don’t regret the time I spent with the characters, but the author might want to listen to teens talk more. I have never heard a person under 70 say “ought” instead of “should”. Or “you’re pulling my leg!” But the story was sweet, if a bit confusing and disjointed. No regrets listening to it, but not incredible either.

Odd but stay with it

It’s a strange and wonderful story. Might be fantasy, might be horror, might be romance. You decide

wild!!!

always been a fan of Kelly’s short stories and her novel did not disappoint! Great narration as well 

Loved everything about it!

I loved this story, but I can definitely say I loved it more because of the incredible job January LaVoy has done bringing these characters to life. Just perfect!

annoying characters, better plot

I have eight hours to go and I cant wait for these teens to get eaten already. Yes, I will stick to the end because I think the plot, the story, has a kernel of goodness in there. I am interested in the magical elements of it. Like a plot Stephen King could come up with.

But, I will consider it a satisfying ending if it ends with these teens getting eaten by the big bad. That is the problem with this book. These teen characters are so annoying that I am happy I never met anybody like them when I went to high school. I am not rooting for them, Three of them are just too shrill, while another one is so boring. If the characters had been reworked to be more likeable so that we cared about the danger they are in..., so the writer did not emulate Stephen King excellent characters.

About the sex, I am not against it in books, but does it have to be that graphic in this type of story. It did not add anything of value in my humble opinion, but that is just me, others may be OK with it.

As to the reader, Ms. LaVoy, she is great, She captured the voices of these teens too well. She was faithful to voicing what was in the book. I would listen to her again.