Skip to content
LuvemBooks
LuvemBooks

Who it's for. Who should skip it. What to read next.

Alain De Botton, author portrait
Photo:Fronteiras do Pensamento·CC BY-SA 2.0·
Commons

Alain De Botton

British
Born 1969
Alain de Botton is a Swiss-born British author and public speaker. His books discuss various contemporary subjects and themes, emphasizing philosophy's relevance to everyday life. He published Essays in Love (1993), which went on to sell two million copies. Other bestsellers include How Proust Can Change Your Life (1997), Status Anxiety (2004), and The Architecture of Happiness (2006).
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed The Consolations of Philosophy.
1
Books Reviewed
Cover of The Consolations of Philosophy
The Consolations of Philosophy

4.4/5

reader rating · 2,007 ratings

Alain de Botton's The Consolations of Philosophy is a non-fiction work structured around six philosophers — Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche — each paired with a common human affliction, from unpopularity and financial anxiety to heartbreak and suffering. Originally published by Hamish Hamilton in 2000 and subsequently reissued by Penguin Books, it drew glowing praise from major outlets for its charm, playfulness, and accessibility, while a minority of academic critics argued its popularising approach came at the cost of philosophical rigour. It remains one of the more widely read and discussed attempts to bring ancient and modern philosophy into the orbit of everyday emotional life.

Reviewed Jun 9, 2026

Ask LuvemBooks

​

Press Enter to ask. Answers come from our editorial Q&A — start typing to see related questions.

Authors Like Alain De Botton
Viktor E. Frankl

Viktor E. Frankl

Philosophy & Religion
In Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl pairs suffering with philosophical frameworks, grounding existential questions in extreme lived experience rather than historical biography.
1 book reviewed
Man's Search for Meaning
Ryan Holiday

Ryan Holiday

Philosophy & Religion
Ryan Holiday's The Daily Stoic breaks ancient philosophy into daily, actionable passages for readers seeking to put philosophical ideas into practice.
1 book reviewed
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
M

Marcus Aurelius

Philosophy & Religion
Meditations provides the short, direct Stoic primary text Alain De Botton draws on, offering private self-counsel against anxiety and loss.
2 books reviewed
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius - Meditations: Adapted for the Contemporary Reader
J

J. Gaarder

Philosophy & Religion
J. Gaarder’s Sophie's World presents an equally accessible journey through Western philosophy, using a novel rather than essays to make abstract thinkers stick.
1 book reviewed
Sophie's World
Simon Blackburn

Simon Blackburn

Philosophy & Religion
Simon Blackburn's Think explores the same philosophical thinkers with greater rigour, offering a structured, clear-headed introduction to their actual arguments.
1 book reviewed
Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy
W

William Irwin

Philosophy & Religion
William Irwin's The Simpsons and Philosophy makes philosophy entertaining through popular culture, offering a Springfield-centered counterpart to Alain de Botton's focus on everyday life.
3 books reviewed
The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer
The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real
Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing