- Title:
- The Romantic Ideal: The Highest Standard of Romance for a Man: A Hopeless Romantic’s Exploration of Masculine Intimacy, Sex, and Love
- Author:
- Gregory V. Diehl
- Release:
- November 8, 2024
- Format:
- Audiobook
To start off with, I’m not even remotely interested in romance, relationships, sex, dating, bla bla bla. I find other people to be utterly insufferable, and the only thing I’m “attracted” to is being left the fuck alone. So if you’re wondering now, why I would even listen to or read this, the answer is simple: The author. I’ve previously listened to and reviewed 2 of his books, and they’ve both left a lasting impact on me long after I listened to them. I think about them, and the lessons he shared regularly, and reccomend them every chance I get.
Unfortunately, I found this book utterly exhausting. The first 2 chapters, or foreward + intro or something like that was a nonstop barrage of info, that made me worried I was going to have to take notes constantly. Thank mercy it let up after that, and was more reasonably paced. Beyond that though, I agree with damn near every thing he said. It was often like listening to somebody drone on about shit I already put together on my own.
Such as how “pretty girls” overly rely on their looks, until men lose interest in them as they get older. Or when you try to get to know them, you realize there’s literally nothing going on in their empty fucking skulls, because they’ve used their appearance to get by their entire lives. I figured that out as a middle school kid, and never had any interest in them for that reason.
One point he did bring up, that I’m kinda ashamed I never put together on my own; was how historically grown-ass men in theit 30s would marry 14 year old girls. That was a practice I always found repugnant and disgusting, but realized it made sense in a world where women didn’t have shit for rights, and the men wanted to marry them young to mold them like clay to suit their image. That’s the sort of insight I expect to learn from a Gregory V. Diehl book, but as I said, most of the issues and topics he addressed, was stuff I’d already figured out long ago.
Despite what I’ve said, I think this book likely has value to most people. I’m sure most people don’t live in their own heads 24/7, listening to other people talk, connecting dots and thinking introspectively. It’s simply a case of I personally didn’t learn much from it, as opposed to the lessons from his other books: Everyone Is an Entrepreneur and Our Globa Lingua Franca that I learned a lot from, and think about regularly, as I previously mentioned.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.