My top ten list:
1. LOLITA
2. MIDDLEMARCH
3. TUCK EVERLASTING
4. JONATHAN STRANGE
& MR. NORRELL
5. VILLETTE
6. BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA
7. THE AGE OF INNOCENCE
8. REBECCA
9. THE GOLDEN BOWL
10. DANGEROUS LIASONS
The above is most definitely ordered by from best to
less-best. TUCK EVERLASTING guts me with more grace and efficiency than THE
GOLDEN BOWL.
With the exceptions of MIDDLEMARCH and (debatably)
THE GOLDEN BOWL, none of these love stories have a happy ending. They elaborate
in very different ways on Tennyson’s (slightly annoying) declaration, “Better to have
loved and lost than never loved at all.”
I don’t enjoy watching movies or listening to music
that make me sad, but damn it if I don’t fall for the tragic love story in a
novel every time. Does anyone read love stories that end happily? I suppose
that’s what romance novels are for, and more power to them.
For the ultimate list, check out The Guardian’s
amazing compilation of 1,000 novels about love.
I love VILLETTE! It's one of those novels that you never hear people mention, and I can't think why. It's such a good book. But then I'm a little bit biased because I loved JANE EYRE long before reading this one. Bronte rocks (Charlotte, not Emily, though) :D
ReplyDeleteI know, I have no idea why people don't talk about it more. I have to confess, I love all the Brontes. Even
DeleteAnne. The three of them are totally on my fantasy dinner party list.
Nobody likes Anne
DeleteOh my god, I love this! Poor Anne.
Delete