I think it was Erin who mentioned picking books by their cover and I must admit, I do the same. With this one, the fake tape on the cover lured me in...as did reading about rich New Englanders and their Ivy League problems. After reading the back I knew I was taking a chance on this being a totally useless chick lit book but Nierderhoffer is a big-time indie movie producer and I figured at her pen, it at least would have some redeeming, if not wholly good, moments.
For that, I wasn't disappointed. The writing is a step above your standard chick book, but honestly, it hid stride near the middle and went predictably downhill from there. Toward the end I was dealing with lines like:
"But of course, the spectrum has no measure for the greatest of all carnal sins, the kind that occurs before skin touches skin, before wondering turns to yearning, yearning to having, having to holding for dear life, when two people cling to each other so desperately that even when they lie, inches apart, neither is fully satisfied until the light between them turns to darkness" (228)
and "love is an ocean" (277).
Granted, the title is The Romantics but still…even as a poet and a former Lit Major, this book was like trying to swallow cough syrup in its final pages.
All that aside, it did provide a clear break from the world of Vonnegut and wrapped me up in its pages for two days. I think I kept waiting for the turn, expecting an independent movie twist, which sadly, never came.
I then discovered it's to be a movie, coming out later this year, with Liv Tyler, Katie Holmes, etc. I'll probably see it, just because...but if you're curious, I'd say save your time and for once, don't read the book prior.
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