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Endless Love

Scott Spencer

Start date: February 1, 2011

Finish date: March 1, 2011

Why we're reading this: February LOVE month read (option 1)
[close] February LOVE month read (option 1)

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Feb 10, 2011 Charlie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classic-collection

Favorite quotes from Endless Love:

"I was totally victimized by the irrational navigation of my unconscious."

"I was, I knew then, a member of a vast network of condemned men and women: romance had taken a wrong turn within me and led me into mayhem."

My Two Cents: This is a classic book which has been reviewed by hundreds, if not thousands of readers and admired by the most credible book reviewers and magazines. So, instead of composing a traditional review, I'm choosing to blog about the impress ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Dec 20, 2010 Asif rated it liked it

Shelves: dark-love

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have just finished reading this book a few hours ago and I am left with mixed feelings. Overall I definitely liked it (hence the 3 (and a half) stars) but I initially thought it would get at least four or more.
I actually came to this novel via the infamous movie and song by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross (the movie has poor acting and makes a hash of the novel but it isn't quite as bad as critics will have you think: it is worth watching just for the ethereal beauty of a young Brooke Shields who I have just finished reading this book a few hours ago and I am left with mixed feelings. Overall I definitely liked it (hence the 3 (and a half) stars) but I initially thought it would get at least four or more.
I actually came to this novel via the infamous movie and song by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross (the movie has poor acting and makes a hash of the novel but it isn't quite as bad as critics will have you think: it is worth watching just for the ethereal beauty of a young Brooke Shields who lights up the screen with her radiant looks and the soft-focus lovemaking scenes are very tasteful! (Note to self: am I the only one who feels that a young Miss Shields would have made a perfect Lolita -- why did no director ever thing of this? See her film Pretty Baby for proof); the song is one of my favourites!) and therefore decided to read the novel after it got so many rave reviews on Amazon.

Spencer certainly writes very well and his descriptive writing is well worth reading. He is very good at describing thoughts and emotions and painting a picture of a scene. At times there was too much description and certain parts of the book dragged in the middle.

I am very romantic by nature and really wanted to therefore love this story but I felt that the way Jade so casually called the police at the end was a bit unbelievable. After all, Alex was not directly responsible for the death of her Father.

The sex scene near the end of the book was glorious and beautifully evocative although a bit icky at places (removing clots of dried menstrual blood with the tongue? Eww!) and incredibly lengthy but I thought it really brought home the passionate obsession of Alex for Jade. The section following this also was amongst the most romantic and beautiful in the book and for it to be suddenly brought to and end by Jade didn't work for me. Also, I wasn't quite sure how to take the reliability of the mad narrator. I feel Scott Spenser didn't quite have the skill to pull this off unlike, say (to give the greatest example) Humbert Humbert.

In conclusion I would say this book is worth 3.5 stars and well worth reading especially for those who like books about love (though this is very dark in places) and the erotic sex scenes itself are joyous and amongst the best I've ever read but the ending and parts of the middle let it slightly down for me. A brilliant idea is let down a bit in the execution (although at places I definitely was jealous of those two for having a sort of passion which most people never experience. I am quite mystical and the idea of annihilation in the Beloved (human or divine) very much appeals to the Eastern part of my personality!

Still, I enjoyed it enough to order another novel by Spencer - Willing.

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May 14, 2011 Heather (DeathByBook) marked it as to-read

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