Saturday, February 11, 2012

Favorite Novels About Love


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.

4 comments:

  1. 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

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    1. I know, I have no idea why people don't talk about it more. I have to confess, I love all the Brontes. Even
      Anne. The three of them are totally on my fantasy dinner party list.

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    2. Oh my god, I love this! Poor Anne.

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