LOVE THE ENDURING KIND

"Love means never having to say you're sorry."

Fast-paced, cinematic, and utterly romantic -- Erich Segal's masterpiece, Love Story justifies the title brilliantly as a modern day epic romance since its first publication in 1970. More of a novella than a novel, it is a story of two star-crossed lovers who are as similar as chalk and cheese.

Chronicling the love life of Harvard jock Oliver Barrett IV and a working-class beauty from Radcliffe, Jennifer Cavilleri, Love Story never stops being humourous, witty, and profoundly moving.

Apart from the enigmatic Jenny and rather headstrong Oliver, their sassy bantering, and depicting the enduring power of love, another beautiful aspect of this book is that it is written from Oliver's perspective. The glimpse into the soul of a jock is rather touching.

Without giving much spoilers, the climax is a smidge of confusion at the beginning; but soon, everything begins to unravel in a quite unnerving rate, and the story ends with the untimely death of Jenny and broken hearts everywhere.

A beautiful summer read!

T.S. Marin is a Lecturer at Primeasia University. She is also the Sub-editor of The Daily Star Literature and Review Pages.