"Talk of love surrounds us - in movies, talk shows, advice books, pop songs, and novels. But how do people find and sustain real love in the midst of all this talk? In Talk of Love, Ann Swidler speaks with Middle Americans about their loves, both triumphant and disappointing. She seeks to understand how the American culture of love shapes what people expect from love and what they actually find.

The central problem, she argues, is that people do not face a single culture, but a diverse one with multiple perspectives and competing experts. American culture speaks of love that is perfect and instantaneous and yet also talks of the constant need to improve relationships. Talk of Love shows how people navigate between these discordant messages and learn to live with these contradictions."--BOOK JACKET.