Erich Segal and Me........
I first read Erich Segal's "Love Story" after my 10th boards. My first reaction was "What rubbish!! Such characters don't exist in real life". All that talk of love made me sick. I am a sensitive person but the line "Love means not ever having to say you're sorry." seemed a bit far-fetched. I decided I would never ever read Erich Segal again.
I wasted the next 2 years thanks to a lot of distractions. I read very few books during this period. After my 12th board I picked up another Erich Segal bestseller "The Class of 58". I loved this book a lot.I particularly related to the character of Andrew Elliot. A youngster who was unsure about what he really wanted from life. Andrew's biggest strength was his ability to make friends. I was so consumed by that book, I read it again.
Some time later I read another Erich Segal book "Doctors". The book bored me with its details about medical student's life. But the core of the book was the love story of Barney Livingston and Laura Castellano. The book described how their platonic friendship changed into love. It was beautifully described and I liked it a hell lot more than the unrealistic characters of "Love Story". After "Doctors" I read two more books of Erich Segal but I despised both of them. Something about the characters of "Doctors" and "The Class of 58" had struck a chord in my heart. I am not a fan of Erich Segal but every time I make a trip down the memory lane I know somewhere long the lines Erich Segal's books inspired me.
