Six Kinds of Love

by Sheila Thomas

Can the Ancient Greeks help us to understand ourselves a little more? English has only one word for ‘love’, which has to cover a multitude of meanings, whereas the Ancient Greeks had a whole range of words to describe the different kinds of emotions which we in the 21st Century can only call ‘love’.

This collection of monologues will make you both smile and cry as you listen to the characters describing their experience of love and life.

Parental love that knows no bounds is explored here, alongside infatuated love, obsessive love, practical love that leads people to take on roles they did not perhaps wish for themselves, selfless, altruistic love for mankind and of course, romantic love that can be felt when you realise you have met your perfect soul mate.

Sweet, gently humorous and occasionally poignant, this collection of monologues brings together a series of writings which speak to everyone.

Book Reviews

A lovely, gently written book which I enjoyed reading. It’s a touching set of monologues dipping into the lives of four women and two men.
This book illustrates the six forms of love through their experience and relationships with others.
A backdrop of various locations adds depth to the stories, and the scene setting at the beginning of each scene gives context.
The engaging characters appear real and recognisable, being neatly described through their own voice. The monologue style is inherently one-sided and allows the reader/listener to use their own imagination to read between the lines.
Some of the characters appeal for sympathy and empathy from the reader/listener, others less so.
My favourite story was Green Shoots, probably because it had a cheerful ending!
The message of the book is perhaps to be aware of the six kinds of love we may come across in our own lives or people around us.
It would be great and entertaining to see these monologues performed with a different actor for each of the six voices.
Well Recommended!

by Angela