The Book Of Happy Endings - Elise Valmorbida

Elise ValmorbidaWe all dream about finding love. It’s a dream Hollywood’s based on, Valentine’s Day counts on and the realm of romantic fiction relies on. But real life isn’t that sweet and happy endings are hard to find.Or are they? In this life affirming book, Elise Valmorbida tells the true stories of couples who met and fell in love. Yet unlike Hollywood, these tales are far from formulaic. Unpredictable, exciting, heart-rending and inspiring, this collection of true love stories is a testament to the joy found in everyday life.Beautifully poetic in their style, and vividly real in their content, each of these narratives is an invitation into unique and intimate life stories, each one personally told to the author. It takes stories from Iraq to Italy, London to New York spanning different cultures, eras and ages. Interspersed with a collection of telling black and white photos, this exquisitely composed, petite book never falls into the saccharine but conveys the heart of its tales with clarity, economy and spirit.Idiosyncratic and delightfully particular this book offers no universal formula for love, but it does inspire optimism for the thing we all hope for - a happy ending of our own. About the author Elise Valmorbida grew up Italian in Australia, but fell in love with London. Her first book Maltide Waltzing (Allen & Unwin) was nominated for two national literary awards. Her short stories have appeared in New Writer via the Ian St James Award, Carve Magazine and the Cyan Books anthologies From Here to Here and Common Ground. She currently runs a communications consultancy and teaches creative writing at the University of Arts London. The Book Of Happy Endings