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Please use this topic to discuss your overall opinion of the July 2014 book of the month, "Love, Lust, and Other Complications" by P M George.

What do you think of the book? Would you recommend others read it? Why or why not?

As you gathered from my review, I loved the book and recommend it. After giving it some thought, I think women may find the book more to their taste than men. I could be wrong though.

I read the first couple of chapters, so my opinion may not be the most fair, but I think it would be a good read. I appreciate the fact that it is tackling something many books don't - love in the later years of our lives. It speaks of real loss and heartbreak, failed relationships, and how difficult it is to even find a relationship as we age. It's also very frank about not just the emotional, but also the physical side of relationships in a way that is far more honest than crass.

However, the writing style was tough for me to follow. It seemed to meander a lot, which began to frustrate me as I read. It was very stream of consciousness, such as a character reading over something she wrote, thinking she should change it, then deciding against it, rather than the author summarizing a bit and explaining that the character reread it and, after some consideration, decided she liked it enough to keep it as is or something. Maybe I'm being overly picky. That was just the impression I got from the first couple of chapters or so. I don't think I would like to finish it, but I agree that it's a book a lot of people might enjoy.

I loved how this wrote about an older persons romantic relationships, I became interested in the characters and wanted to learn what would become of them in the story. I didn't like all the sex scenes, some I thought furthered the plot others didn't and were just uncomfortable. I gave it two stars because of this.

I like the premise of the book: love, sex and fun in the older years. On the same token, I feel that some very interesting themes and issues were there. However, I do not think the book was developed enough and lacked some of the sophisticated delivery found in the kind of books that make it through publishing. Basically, I feel like the storytelling was too direct; telling, rather than showing. That in turn leads to the characters and events coming off as undeveloped. For instance, I would have liked to see more of the characters work lives and their relationships with their family. However, I don't usually read romance and as Gali aptly pointed out the fact that I am male might make it harder for me to enjoy the book.

With all that said, I'd give the book 3 out of 4 stars. I think some will really enjoy it and others will find to be kind of blah. I suspect avid readers, particularly those who enjoy romance, might be more prone to enjoying it even if solely for its original, interesting premise.

I really like the idea of featuring protagonists who are over 60. Even in serious literature, and much more so in the mainstream media, you might be forgiven for coming away with the idea that interesting things worth recording, exploring, and presenting to an audience only happen to those who are between 20 and 40 years old. I'm sure this is partly because many novelists are in that age group themselves, and they best understand the issues that come up at that time of life. But it seems ludicrous that literature, which at its best is concerned with what it is to be human, seems to end up being concerned with what it is to be a 20-to-40 year old human about 80 percent of the time.

To be honest, though, I have not read this month's book. My interest in the romance genre is not at all great to begin with, and the reviews I've read don't encourage me to think that this one transcends the genre enough to interest me. It would have to be an exceptional romance for me to enjoy it (I'm thinking Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Anna Karenina). And I now notice that all three of these have the same age bias I was just talking about.

I enjoyed this book despite not being a huge romance fan. The book is a different premise than most of the romance novels I have read. I liked that the book is about an older romance and finding love after prior relationships. The sex scenes were palatable. The only problem that I had was that some of the story could have been developed a bit more thoroughly. I give this book 3 out of 4 stars.

Hearing about this book, I thought it was the best love's book ever but I feel disappointed to see that
It is all except from that.
It is like documentary or maybe a story (not love story sorry).

We don't even know how it ends. I was really expecting a nice love story
When it starts from website dating, but they spent all the time talking
About nothing that I was expecting.

As the title "love, lust, and other complications", maybe it is me but I didn't see none of that.
It will be much more better if the title was " my love story with my ex" or "my love story with sport"
I don't even understand how this book the book of the month.
Disappointed.

Hey, Gali... I bought this book on the strength of your review, and I'm with you: 4 stars! To me, this book isn't so much "a romance novel" telling a simple story of a hot romance between two feisty 60 year olds (though there is that); it's more about what relationship means and what it ultimately asks of us and offers us. I think it was Plato who said that though each of us is born whole, we nevertheless need each other to become complete. I think the novel is an interesting and thoughtful exploration of this idea.
The relationship between Sue and Mike is birthed when chance (or a 'Grand Orchestration of Destiny') brings them together on a coastal trail. The encounter sweeps Sue off her feet, literally, and stops Mike, a runner, in his tracks. From that moment on, they enter meaningfully and cautiously into each other's inner and outer world. Both characters are pretty content with themselves: they've been around the block and carry scars and baggage, but essentially they are well-settled in and doing okay in their separate lives. As the relationship grows, the usual man- woman dynamics play out in the face of differences, misunderstandings, tensions and doubts. Through honest and 'open communication', trust deepens between them enabling them to accommodate, if not resolve, their relational issues. Their relationship finally reaches its critical point, when Mike up-sets Sue again, asking her to give up the life she has... for him. How Sue manages to connect her 'head and her heart' and reach a triumphant and transformative Yes! to life decision is, in my opinion, what makes this book a standout. A reviewer in another place puts it thus: "To love courageously is to leap off trust's platform into hope." I thoroughly recommend the book as a substantive read.

BobbyM wrote:Hey, Gali... I bought this book on the strength of your review, and I'm with you: 4 stars! To me, this book isn't so much "a romance novel" telling a simple story of a hot romance between two feisty 60 year olds (though there is that); it's more about what relationship means and what it ultimately asks of us and offers us. I think it was Plato who said that though each of us is born whole, we nevertheless need each other to become complete. I think the novel is an interesting and thoughtful exploration of this idea.
The relationship between Sue and Mike is birthed when chance (or a 'Grand Orchestration of Destiny') brings them together on a coastal trail. The encounter sweeps Sue off her feet, literally, and stops Mike, a runner, in his tracks. From that moment on, they enter meaningfully and cautiously into each other's inner and outer world. Both characters are pretty content with themselves: they've been around the block and carry scars and baggage, but essentially they are well-settled in and doing okay in their separate lives. As the relationship grows, the usual man- woman dynamics play out in the face of differences, misunderstandings, tensions and doubts. Through honest and 'open communication', trust deepens between them enabling them to accommodate, if not resolve, their relational issues. Their relationship finally reaches its critical point, when Mike up-sets Sue again, asking her to give up the life she has... for him. How Sue manages to connect her 'head and her heart' and reach a triumphant and transformative Yes! to life decision is, in my opinion, what makes this book a standout. A reviewer in another place puts it thus: "To love courageously is to leap off trust's platform into hope." I thoroughly recommend the book as a substantive read.

I am glad you enjoyed the story as much as I did. I agree with your review.

-- July 17th, 2014, 7:38 am --

@guenson, have you read the book till the end? The end is a close one and we sure know how it ends. I am sorry that you disliked the book that much, but I strongly disagree with you.

I really enjoyed this quirky little novel, as mentioned already, for its stimulating take on love at an older age. As a seasoned chick-lit reader it was certainly refreshing. The tone is very mellow and the reading slow pace, so I would understand why some would find it a bit tedious. I too had some trouble getting into it, but once you establish rapport with the characters you can't help but want to know how they end up. I think that the explicit scenes were done quite tactfully and the back and forth banter very very realistic. (I actually have experienced something quite similar to the email debacle) I was able to identify strongly with Sue's contemplative thoughts-maybe it's because I'm a woman and I can easily empathize with her musings, but I wouldn't want to put the novel in a box by saying it's just for women. As Gali intuitively pointed out, women may be able to enjoy the story a little more, but I think that both men and women should be able to get something out of it. I'd also like to point out that my inner wordsmith really enjoyed the myriad of vocabulary.I'd recommend this to any one who casually enjoys romance novels, but would add that it is definitely unlike any I've read so far.

Is it just me or did no one else find these characters totally annoying? I couldn't wait to finish the book so I wouldn't have to hear their silly chatter anymore . "Well Sue, Well Mike, you sure are a good *** Sue". Really? I would not recommend this book. I give this book 1 star.

I didn't really like the book, I'm not too sure why, but I think it's mostly because I just couldn't relate to anything, nor even really find interest in the characters. I tried being fair, but I didn't have much passion. Not saying the book did not have potential, I can see many of my older friends liking it, but it was not for me.

I didn't really like the book. I found that being younger, I couldn't really relate to the characters. I did like that the premise of the book surrounded older characters because I rarely see this. I thought it was original in that sense, but my issue was that I couldn't relate. The book wasn't horrible, I mean I was able to get through it. It just wasn't my type of book. I do think that my older friends could enjoy it though cause it did have a good overall plot.

I read the "Love, Lust, and Other Complications" really loved.