The novel is one of the bestselling books of the twentieth century, with 50 million copies sold worldwide.
It was originally published in the UK under the title .
An epilogue entitled was published in 2002. It tells the remainder of the two main characters' story after their four-day affair. They never meet again, but their lives are interlocked until death.
According to San Francisco Chronicle the novel is “lyrical…sensuous and sensitive…a tale of lasting love”.
