Friendship - by Joseph Epstein (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Is it possible to have too many friends? Is your spouse supposed to be your best friend? How far should you go to help a friend in need? And how do you end a friendship that has run its course?

In a wickedly entertaining anatomy of friendship in its contemporary guises, Joseph Epstein uncovers the rich and surprising truths about our favored companions. Friendship illuminates those complex, wonderful relationships without which we'd all be lost.

Review Quotes

"Brisk and delightful . . . Engaging . . . 'Friendship' is spangled with winning turns of phrase." --John Freeman The Wall Street Journal

"As entertaining and illuminating as a leisurely lunch with a loquacious, literate friend." Kirkus Reviews

"Epstein lucidly. . .applies wisdom to his own life experience, producing a meditative memoir that is refined and modest in tone." Publishers Weekly

As always, [Epstein] works wonders with words . . . for more than two decades, he has been a national treasure. . . . Enthusiastically recommended." Library Journal Starred

"A fine companion for those who find listening to wry, erudite men holding forth on history and society a pleasure." --Elissa Schappell Elle

"Smart, delightfully literate and sophisticated." --Tim Rutten The Los Angeles Times

"Epstein is an adroit pulse-taker of changing mores." --Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett The Seattle Times

"Engaging, witty and heady. Epstein uses examples from Aristotle to Seinfeld to get at the heart of human relationships." --Gail Rosenblum Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"Rich pickings . . . A thoughtful consideration of the pleasures and obligations of friendship . . . honest, unsparing and brimful of illuminating literary anecdotes." --William Grimes The New York Times

"A fascinating look at something that will remain important as long as we remain human." --Jeffrey M. Landaw The Baltimore Sun --