Three women, seven men, and one very wise self-help book are the ingredients for this compelling romp through the minefield of romantic love. In this melding of fiction and self-help, author and award-winning journalist Barbara Sibbald tells the story three thirty-something friends who are grappling with the vagaries of love: the sordid single’s scene (virtual and real time), a cheating spouse, and a lackluster marriage. One of them finds The Book of Love, but the catch is that it’s a digital-press book, a one-off sample with a copyright date several years in the future. The book becomes a fourth character; in this case, a sort of a wise aunty dispensing advice. Fiction and self help, though seemingly disparate, both feed the urge to make sense of the world around us. The Book of Love delves into this common territory on the theme of love, arguably the most prevalent topic in both genres. The women don’t always agree with what they read, but it drives them to rethink their conventional notions and reveals truths about how they live their romantic lives. Will the three friends find the love they are looking for? Are they even looking in the right place? The Book of Love is the oldest story ever with some surprising twists. --- from the publisher Review Quotes: "A frank and engaging novel that is part sound advice to the lovelorn, part cri de coeur, with dollops of Sex in the City thrown in. Above all, it's a joyous tribute to the gal pals who help get you through the dating disasters, brutal break-ups, career dilemmas, and libidinal roller coasters of modern urban life." — Gabriella Goliger, author of Girl Unwrapped (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2009) and winner of the 2001 Upper Canada Writer’s Craft Award. About the Author: Barbara Sibbald is an award-winning journalist and dedicated fiction writer. Her work has won the Canadian Association of Journalists’ Investigative Journalism award and was twice cited for the Michener award for Meritorious Public Service Journalism. She has published in The Globe and Mail, Ottawa Magazine, Ottawa Citizen, Chatelaine, and elsewhere. Her first novel, Regarding Wanda (Bunkhouse Press, 2006), was shortlisted for the 2007 Ottawa Book Award. |