Love Is a Four-Letter Word: True Stories of Breakups, Bad Relationships, and Broken Hearts

( 1 )
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up in Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Paperback
$16
BN.com price
Marketplace (New and Used)
from
$0.99
$16.00 List Price (Save 94%)
Usually ships within 1-2 business days
All (61)  
Used (44)  
New (17)  
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 7
Showing 1 – 10 of 61 (7 pages)
$0.99
(Save 94%)
JW Books
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(286)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

Good
PAPERBACK Good 0452295505 Publisher's overstock. Fast shipping. The cover/pages are bent, torn, or otherwise damaged.

Ships from: Nashville, TN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 94%)
BookShop4U
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(359)

Condition: New
7/28/2009 Paperback New 0452295505.

Ships from: Philadelphia, PA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 94%)
CBOBOOKS TN
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(1123)

Condition: Good
PAPERBACK Good 0452295505 Fast Shipping! Used book. Cover is torn, wrinkled, missing, or otherwise damaged. Customer service is our #1 priority.

Ships from: Murfreesboro, TN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 94%)
CBOBOOKS TN
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(1123)

Condition: Good
PAPERBACK Good 0452295505 Fast Shipping! Used book. Cover is torn, wrinkled, missing, or book is otherwise damaged. Customer service is our #1 priority.

Ships from: Murfreesboro, TN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 94%)
CBOBOOKS TN
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(1123)

Condition: Good
PAPERBACK Good 0452295505 Fast Shipping! Cover is torn, wrinkled, missing or book is otherwise damaged. Customer service is our #1 priority.

Ships from: Murfreesboro, TN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 94%)
Becky's Bargain Books
Seller since 2011

Feedback rating:

(39)

Condition: Good
PAPERBACK Good 0452295505 publishers overstock. Used book. Book is torn, creased or otherwise damaged. Fast shipping and great customer service.

Ships from: Murfreesboro, TN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 94%)
Big River Books
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(1040)

Condition: Good
2009 Paperback Good Cover and pages may have some wear or writing. Binding is tight. We ship daily Monday-Friday.

Ships from: Powder Springs, GA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 94%)
Oscar grosvenor
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(25)

Condition: Very Good
2009 Trade paperback Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 297 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. TRADE PAPERBACK EDITION. ... BOOK = GOOD CONDITION. DJ = GOOD; DATE; 7/2/11 Read more Show Less

Ships from: Valley Stream, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 94%)
Ebooksweb
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(1556)

Condition: Very Good
7/28/2009 Paperback Very Good 0452295505 little torn cover and crease Ships Within 24 Hours. Tracking Number available for all USA orders. Excellent Customer Service. Upto 15 ... Days 100% Money Back Gurantee. Try Our Fast! ! ! ! Shipping With Tracking Number. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Bensalem, PA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 94%)
Ebooksweb
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(1556)

Condition: Like New
7/28/2009 Paperback Fine 0452295505 Very little wear on corners and edges, book might be slightly bent or rubbing on cover. Ships Within 24 Hours. Tracking Number available for ... all USA orders. Excellent Customer Service. Upto 15 Days 100% Money Back Gurantee. Try Our Fast! ! ! ! Shipping With Tracking Number. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Bensalem, PA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 7
Showing 1 – 10 of 61 (7 pages)
Close
Sort by
NOOK Book (eBook)
$12.99
BN.com price

Available on NOOK devices and apps

  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for iPad
  • NOOK for iPhone
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK for Android (Tablet)
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac

Need a NOOK? Explore Now

More About This Book

Overview

From Bestselling Authors Junot Díaz, Lynda Barry, Gary Shteyngart, and Kate Christensen to popular up-and-comers like Dan Kennedy, Wendy McClure, and Brock Clarke, Love Is a Four-Letter Word is a dead-on contemporary collection of true stories of seduction, heartbreak, and regret from American writers. Fearlessly revealing their shattered hearts and crushed egos; their indiscretions and indignities; their delusions, desperation, and disappointments, these essays capture the dark side of love in prose ranging from comic to poetic, poignant to cringe-inducing. Also featuring three cartoon/graphic essays as a sixteen-page color insert, this anthology is perfect for anyone who's ever loved and lost.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Breakups are hard to forget, and this collection-surprisingly restrained yet full of emotion-is equally memorable. Patty Van Norman's two-frame graphic story "Dear Ugly, Dear Fatso" (other graphic entries are from Lynda Barry and Emily Flake) resonates like a quick punch to the solar plexus. Josh Kilmer-Purcell writes of the lover who could only perform with Wonder Woman on the television. George Singleton urinates a bellyful of beer into his ex's kitty litter box. Maud Newton tells of a sex- and rage-filled relationship, wondering: "was he the abusive one, or was I?" Taeckens, publicity director at Algonquin Books, anthologizes modern heartbreak in stories replete with contemporary commentaries (e.g., using Match.com to express a new relationship status). In a book full of hits, Amanda Stern's "Scout's Honor," about camping in the Washington Cascades, stands out. The collection's material could make one feel a bit voyeuristic, but throughout this tender book one instead feels like a privileged confidant. (July 28)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews
From The Critics
A compendium of personal essays and cartoons about heartbreak, penned by 23 contemporary American writers. Editor Taeckens, publicity director for Algonquin Books, gathers a disparate group to share their private travails about love gone wrong. The authors range from married to single, straight to gay and transgendered, and they describe vastly different periods of their lives, from Patty Van Norman's messily scrawled childhood breakup letter ("Dear Ugly and Dear Fatso") to Jami Attenberg's cynical account of a near-reconciliation with a cheating boyfriend, composed in the second person. Many of the stories voice a shared sentiment-a desire to be loved the way the authors have always wanted. Standouts include Junot D'az's "Homecoming, with Turtle," Gary Shteyngart's "Texas" and Maud Newton's "Conversations You Have at Twenty." Humorist Dan Kennedy, author of the acerbic 2008 memoir Rock On, crafts a hilarious piece about dating a divorced aerobics instructor a decade older than he, but Josh Kilmer-Purcell's account of devoting a year to matching his age (25) with casual sex partners falls flat. In "Leave Me Something When You Leave Me," Brock Clarke experiments with repetition, but the result is a grating mess with none of the dark wit that distinguished his acclaimed 2007 novel, An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England. Kate Christensen writes sparingly of the affair she almost had with a sophomoric high-school teacher, who didn't recognize her after she gained weight. Taeckens contributes an account of his unhealthy entanglement with a cheating teacher (not his). Other contributors include Lynda Barry, Jennifer Finney Boylan and Emily Flake. As is often true of anthologies,uneven but rewarding and worth dipping into from time to time.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780452295506
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
  • Publication date: 7/28/2009
  • Pages: 320
  • Sales rank: 1,188,453
  • Product dimensions: 5.35 (w) x 8.00 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author

Michael Taeckens

Michael Taeckens is the publicity director for Algonquin Books and received his MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction Neal Pollack xv

Homecoming, with Turtle Junot Díaz 1

The Last Man on Earth Wendy McClure 8

Trans Jennifer Finney Boylan 24

Exactly like Liz Phair, Except Older. And with Hypochondria. Dan Kennedy 40

Shadow Dancing Kate Christensen 49

Runaway Train Saïd Sayrafiezadeh 62

Conversations You Have at Twenty Maud Newton 85

Twenty-five to One Odds John Kilmer-Purcell 106

The First Time Margaret Sartor 120

The Book of Love and Transformation Michael Taeckens 129

Texas Gary Shteyngart 145

Love and War Stories Michelle Green 149

Leave Me Something When You Leave Me Brock Clarke 161

The Story You Will Tell Jami Attenberg 169

Marking Territory George Singleton 180

The Rules of Repulsion D. E. Rasso 190

Head Lice and My Worst Boyfriend Lynda Barry 203

Why Won't You Just Love Me? Emily Flake 214

Dear Ugly, Dear Fatso Patty Van Norman 218

Just Like the Movies Pasha Malla 219

Scout's Honor Amanda Stern 237

This Guy Who Was My Boyfriend for Like Three Weeks Dave White 259

I Love You in Twelve Languages Wendy Brenner 271

About the Authors 291

Customer Reviews
Average Rating 5
( 1 )

Rating Distribution

  • ( 1 )
  • ( 0 )
  • ( 0 )
  • ( 0 )
  • ( 0 )
If you've bought this product, tell the world how you liked it.
Write a Review
Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 3, 2009

    I Also Recommend:

    Excellent reading.

    Love Is A...is excellent reading. It's good to read about stories that are similar to your own and to be able to overcome the harshness that sometimes comes with being in LOVE. I really felt connected to the authors and thier tales of woe and seduction. This is a definite must read.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit