I was pleasantly surprised after picking up this book. Great design , meaty, fun, informative. It's sort of a scholarly book combined with a rambling read. Reeve enters the domain of love in various forms , eros, thanatos, sentimentality, pornography and covers it with many examples from movies and literature. There are gems of reading here, I started it thinking it might be another evil little boring book with a nicely designed cover and found myself hoisting up the chair and reading and reading and reading -- straight through in one sitting. I also like a book where when people are cited the notes are complete and clear -- they are here. You won't find it beach reading to be sure, there is no dominant story as in something like Fermat's Theorem. But neither is it pulpy schmaltz. Desire this book (a nod to Lacan) and enjoy it. I have no idea who this author is, ans surprisingly he or she is a philosopher -- a clear one at that! How oddly refreshing!