
But what really surprised and delighted me was that I would hear from so many men. Not that they identify with Eunice, but that they were moved by the story, that they felt they learned something about love from the book. Was I really able to do that? Here are some samplings:
I treasure books where the characters stay with you a long time after you finish the book; and this was definitely one of those books. The Conditions of Love resonates with the experiences and feelings of real life. In that regard, I felt that every character in the story was like someone I have personally known in my own life. It is a book that, after turning the final page, left me with a feeling of being fully and wonderfully satisfied at the finish.—D.F.
Eunice is one of the most complete, believable, sympathetic, occasionally annoying characters, I’ve discovered in a long time. . . . I’ve been reading a lot of women writers again and, though this is not a ‘woman’s book,’ whatever that means, it’s the best I’ve read this year along with A.M. Homes, Spiotta, and Oates. –D.W.

I don’t real as many novels as I should, as I am so often disheartened by the language. I have underlined so many sentences for their sheer beauty, and the characters are riveting and so multi- dimensional. This is a tour de force.—R.M.
How does reading these make me feel? Surprised does not begin to describe it. I’m so much more than pleased. It’s much like the excitement you feel at the beginning of a new relationship. I feel like the book has achieved so much more than I expected. And I’m gaining a new appreciation of what men are capable of – and perhaps falling a little in love with this new idea of an ideal male reader.