Price
|
New from |
Kindle Edition
"Please retry"
|
— |
Hardcover
"Please retry"
|
—
|
— |
Paperback
"Please retry"
|
₹ 378.88
|
₹ 329.99 |
Other Sellers on Amazon
+ ₹ 99.00 Delivery charge
+ ₹ 35.99 Delivery charge
+ ₹ 80.00 Delivery charge


Follow the Author
OK
Love and Other Thought Experiments: Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2020 Paperback – 6 August 2020
Sophie Ward
(Author)
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
|
Save Extra with 4 offers
-
Print length272 pages
-
LanguageEnglish
-
PublisherCorsair
-
Publication date6 August 2020
-
Dimensions12.4 x 2 x 19.6 cm
-
ISBN-101472154606
-
ISBN-13978-1472154606
Frequently bought together
Customers who bought this item also bought
- The New WildernessPaperback
- Real LifePaperback
- Apeirogon: The New York Times bestseller: Longlisted for the 2020 Booker PrizePaperback
- Who They Was: Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2020Paperback
- How Much of These Hills is Gold: Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2020Paperback
- Such a Fun Age: Longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize: 'The book of the year' IndependentPaperback
Product description
Review
a genuinely affective family narrative that is emotionally compelling as well as intellectually stimulating. Surely not since Jostein Gaarder's 1991 novel Sophie's World, has an author produced such an imaginative and original synthesis of fiction and philosophy -- Becky Long ― Irish Times
In Love and Other Thought Experiments, Ward proposes to alter the colour of her readers' minds . . . But the success of Ward's venture inevitably depends on the quality of the writing. This is often moving, exuberant and sensitive. We care about her characters and share their hopes and fears. Ward's investigation and practice of empathy is easily the best thing in the book. ― the Guardian
Brimming with close observation . . . the sheer literary ambition on show is impressive, with Ward producing a highly original first novel that echoes European experimentalists such as Kundera and Krasznahorkai ― Spectator
Ward has achieved something quite extraordinary: a super-smart metaphysical romp that's also warm, wistful and heartfelt. A book that declares, winningly, that just because it's all in your head, it doesn't mean it's not real. ― the Daily Telegraph
It is an act of such breath-taking imagination, daring and detail that the journey we are on is believable and the debate in the mind non-stop. There are elements of Doris Lessing in the writing - a huge emerging talent here
Ward's ingenious fiction debut stands in a tradition of philosophical fiction: Voltaire's Candide, Sartre's Nausea . . . [Her] writing is often moving, exuberant and sensitive . . . gifts of bravura wit and imagination -- Stevie Davies ― Guardian
Love and Other Thought Experiments is a towering literary achievement. Sophie's prose is exquisite and her storytelling powerful, poignant and utterly gripping. An astonishing debut ― Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost Things
Philosophy meets fiction in this beguiling and intriguing novel of minds, hearts, other worlds, love, death and everything in between. It's a book that dances and dazzles with ideas and left me thinking long after I finished it
Sophie Kinsella
Sophie Ward's writing is as clear as a knife sounded against a glass and just as attention-grabbing. Fiction, fable and philosophy combined together with real human folly and fate at its heart. This book is as hard to pin down as it's impossible to forget
Book Description
From the Back Cover
'Philosophy meets fiction in this beguiling and intriguing novel of minds, hearts, other worlds, love, death and everything in between' Sophie Kinsella
Rachel and Eliza are planning their future together. One night in bed Rachel wakes up terrified and tells Eliza that an ant has crawled into her eye and is stuck there. Rachel is certain; Eliza, a scientist, is sceptical. Suddenly their entire relationship is called into question. What follows is a uniquely imaginitive sequence of interlinked stories ranging across time, place and perspective to form a sparkling philosophical tale of love, lost and found across the universe.
'Quite extraordinary: a super-smart metaphysical romp that's also warm, wistful and heartfelt. A book that declares, winningly, that just because it's all in your head, it doesn't mean it's not real' Daily Telegraph
'Ward's ingenious fiction debut stands in a tradition of philosophical fiction: Voltaire's Candide, Sartre's Nausea . . . [Her] writing is often moving, exuberant and sensitive . . . gifts of bravura wit and imagination' Guardian
'Brimming with close observation . . . the sheer literary ambition on show is impressive, with Ward producing a highly original first novel that echoes European experimentalists such as Kundera and Krasznahorkai' Spectator
About the Author
Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Product details
- Publisher : Corsair (6 August 2020)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 272 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1472154606
- ISBN-13 : 978-1472154606
- Item Weight : 198 g
- Dimensions : 12.4 x 2 x 19.6 cm
- Country of Origin : India
-
Best Sellers Rank:
#61,592 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5,507 in Contemporary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Customer reviews
Top reviews from India
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
This is a fascinating philosophical fiction novel with an interesting premise - each of the 10 chapters begin with a classic thought experiment, which are like writing prompts that take the book forward.
Ward is a writer with a brilliant and a beautiful mind. However, while the first half (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) had me hooked and blew my mind, especially the chapter from the ant’s PoV where the above quote is from, I had trouble suspending my disbelief in the last 4 chapters (⭐️⭐️⭐️) that take the story into the outer space, and had to skim through some bits I found boring, even though Ward managed to neatly tie it all together in the end.

By Mayavie on 6 October 2020
This is a fascinating philosophical fiction novel with an interesting premise - each of the 10 chapters begin with a classic thought experiment, which are like writing prompts that take the book forward.
Ward is a writer with a brilliant and a beautiful mind. However, while the first half (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) had me hooked and blew my mind, especially the chapter from the ant’s PoV where the above quote is from, I had trouble suspending my disbelief in the last 4 chapters (⭐️⭐️⭐️) that take the story into the outer space, and had to skim through some bits I found boring, even though Ward managed to neatly tie it all together in the end.

Top reviews from other countries

There are so many ideas in this book, which is about what it means to be human. At its base. And I know that phrase, 'what it means to be human', is such a cliche and that's a shame because this book will probably end up deserving a better review than I am about to give it.
I was distracted by the title of this book into believing that this would be another one of those problems of the middle-class, middle-aged that I have always assumed dominate Booker Prize Lists. This is my own prejudice, based on ignorance. I read a lot, but not much of what I read are books that appear on Booker Prize Long Lists (or win Booker Prizes). I believe the term is 'literary fiction', which almost sounds like it has a bit of a sneer built into it.
But Love and Other Thought Experiments is not that kind of book at all. In some people's eyes, you'd call it a Science-Fiction novel. Indeed if it reminded me of anyone it was Philip K. Dick. Using philosophical ideas - the 'thought experiments' of the title to tell a story with many threads. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil the story. This is definitely a book that you should come to unspoiled.
Each chapter begins with the explanation of a particular thought experiment and then uses that experiment as the foundation of the fiction that follows. Initially, I thought it would be a series of unlinked stories, but then I realized that wasn't the case. These stories were all linked, but not quite how I expected.
I'm going to have to read this book again at some point because I fear in my enthusiasm for it I might have rushed it. Plus I read a huge chunk of it between 4.30 and 7.30 this morning when a combination of back pain and heat made me give up on attempting to sleep. Plus I already know that there are parts of this book that I am going to think about over and over again.
Fantastic work.
(I suspect the publishers would prefer people not to think of it as science-fiction. They're still very snobbish like that. But what is science-fiction if it isn't a thought experiment?)


My confusion is founded in the last few chapters. Set in the future and firmly in the genre of Sci-fi, this is where all the previous chapters connect. This section has to be read very carefully. The author does not state what is going on, but tries to reveal it slowly whilst surrounding the reader with new information. If like me you are not a Sci-Fi reader, you may find this whole section, dare I say it…boring. This is not to say that the story is not clever and well written, it is just done in a way that the end of the book makes the reader have to work too hard to join the dots (and it is Sci-Fi).
The dichotomy is that the book left me questioning and thinking about much of what I read for days afterwards. My most measures, that is the sign of a good book.
I can see why this book was in the Booker long list. Part of me wants to go back and re-read it, but another part of me doesn’t want to waste my time.

Not a book I will ever forget reading
