Love Lessons: Twelve Real-Life Stories

In the infectiously optimistic voice that has earned Brady a cult following for her syndicated ""Vows"" column in the New York Times, she recounts more ""how they met and fell in love"" anecdotes in this follow-up to her first book, Vows. Brady clearly admires the protagonists of these true-life fairy tales--whom she calls ""survivors"" of bad relationships, widowhood, disability--and tells of their experiences in loving detail. The stories are the real reason to read the book, since there's nothing new about these ""love lessons"": that persistence and patience pay off; that emotionally it's riskier sometimes not to take risks; that love may be found in the least likely of places, or that it may go unnoticed for some time. While love may be easiest to evoke by comparing it to other experiences, at times the narrative is packed with too much metaphoric imagery. The poetry should have been reigned in a bit more in passages such as: ""her spirit was as natural and clear as a Vermont stream. Eddy was the rough ocean."" The writing improves when the author reminisces about attending dancing school at age 12 and her parents' tempestuous 50-year marriage. Perhaps ""Vows"" enthusiasts--and others--will someday enjoy a memoir by this chronicler of others' nuptials. Agent, Linda Chester. Author tour. (May)