Literary Love Stories

My choices for my favorite literary love stories are romantic novels that are alternatives to what I call the heaving bosoms and bulging biceps books. Romantic fiction can be good literature, but romance novels ot that variety rarely are. Romance novels (Barbara Cartland etc.) are like French fries or– in the spirit of Valentine’s Day– a generic chocolate heart that can fill the spot but doesn't last; whereas, romantic novels explore the complexities of relationships and the challenges and consequences of following your heart– so my literary love stories would be Godiva chocs or Lindts truffles…mmm!

1.“Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War” by Sebastian Faulks

Many classic love stories in literature are about infidelity and the consequences of falling in love with the ‘forbidden.’ For example, Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina. This is a contemporary novel in that category. It’s about a soldier in WWI in France who falls in love with the wife of a wealthy industrialist. She’s in a passionless marriage and he’s, well, he’s twenty…. her husband and the war are big obstacles to their relationship. Faulks is a really eloquent writer and a terrific storyteller . . . and let's face it if I want to have a fanatsy love affair it might as well be with a twenty year old.

2.“I Capture The Castle” by Dodie Smith (a great pick for mother/daughter book clubs)

If you love the kind of romantic stories that Jane Austen wrote (Pride and Prejudice and Emma are my favorites), you’ll adore this book. The novel was first published in 1948 and it was like Twilight to my generation. I read it when I was a teenager, re-read it with my daughter when she was about 14 (it’s one of her favorite books too), and I ended up re-reading it last week when I picked it up planning just to skim it for this blog. JK Rowling has even said that the main character, Cassandra, “is one of the most charismatic narrators” ever in literature.

Cassandra, a budding writer and full-blown romantic, lives in a decaying castle in England with her father (a famous writer suffering from severe writer’s block), her sister, Rose (cynical and an anti-romantic), her younger brother, and her father’s lover who was once a famous model in London. When a family with eligible males moves into the neighboring estate, love blooms. The novel ends with “I love you! I love you! I love you!” What’s not to like?

3. “Of Love and Shadows” by Isabel Allende

Incredibly romantic love story set in mid-twentieth century in a Latin American dictatorship (it’s really Chile) against a backdrop of political repression. Allende writes sagas that are deeply passionate and sweeping and complex. This is a love story about the daughter of a wealthy family who falls in love with a photographer and journalist. They uncover a mass grave and as they try to discover who’s responsible, their love grows in the “shadows” of political repression. My students love this novel when I assign it. It has a heart and a strong social conscience.

4. “Affinity” by Sarah Waters

Sarah Waters has won a number of prestigious literary awards in the UK. Her main characters generally play on the ‘girls team’ when it comes to romance and matters of the heart. This novel is one of a trilogy set in Victorian England and it’s engaging and thoroughly researched about what it was like for women in the 19th century who have been “put away” because they think or act differently. It’s the story of the developing relationship between two women, one an upper class woman who volunteers at a women’s prison, and the other woman is one of the prisoners who is a spiritualist. Waters is an engaging writer.

5. “High Fidelity” by Nick Hornby

Rob Fleming takes his girlfriend for granted. She walks off with another man, leaving Rob to struggle with happened. He’s a list addict (top five best songs for a first date etc.) so he makes a list of the women who’ve dumped him and decides to learn from his past mistakes and try to win the love of his life back. The book was made into a movie with John Cusack and Jack Black, but the novel is deeper and richer in its understanding of the nature of modern love. It's also set in the UK not Chicago as the film is. This novel is witty and romantic without being mushy.

Hope you enjoy these literary love stories. Have a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Cheers,

Carole

Comments

[Elizabeth Ann]

I love "I Capture the Castle"! I'll be honest though, I saw the film first and loved it... but as always, the book is much better.

I also love "It's Not You, It's Me" by Allison Rushby. It's a nothing book that I tend to pick up over and over for traveling. I just love the book.

I have nothing else to add as love stories aren't really my thing. I'm sure my mother would add the multiple books that are coming out within Austen's Pride & Prejudice...

[Carole Replies]

Goodness . . . never realized there was a movie of "Castle". Where have I been?

[Kath]

I'm ashamed to say i've never read any of your book choices, but i have heard of most of them.
The most romantic novel i've read lately is 'PS I Love You' by Cecila Aherne, and yes i did go and see the film version. Which i supose was ok but they missed out some major stuff compared to the book.

Just got my copy of the TW mag today. Have to say i did like the comic strip you wrote with John, and the graphics are amazing, They've got John/Jack's stance and facial expressions spot on. Congrats on getting it in there. And here's hoping you both write another one.

Take care
Kath

[Caron]

I'll have to take a look at some of these. Loved the Torchwood magazine comic strip Carole. I don't normally bother with the comic strip as the art work never looks like John (difficult to capture him in such a static form I know LOL!) not only was this brilliant art work, one or two images were so John/Capt Jack but the story was gripping and you could tell it was written by John and yourself because I could practically hear John speaking the words.

I really hope you get to do some more work together. Can't wait for the next John book or your novel whichever comes first!

Take care, Caron xx

[Nicole]

That seems like a great list Carole. There's five more books on my list to purchase or maybe I'll go to the library and get a library card this weekend...

Can't wait till the TW mag comes out in the states, what I've seen on the mag's facebook page looks awesome.

[Elizabeth Ann]

The film of "Castle" was done indie but very beautiful... I heard it was being done because I've been a fan of Henry Thomas since ET (one of my first crushs, I admit it). Came out a few years ago... The locations are incredible and worked with how I'd pictured things in my head. So lush.
I hope you can a hold of a copy and have a chance to curl up with some cocoa and enjoy it.

[Nicole]

So after much thinking I purchased a library card and I borrowed I Capture the Castle. I'm about 20 pages in and I love it so far. It took a couple pages for me to get into it, but then something just clicked and I'm hooked.

Thank you for recommending this, as I'm sure this would have been something I normally wouldn't have picked up.

[Nicole]

I just finished I Capture the Castle, what a book. I loved it from start to finish. I love how I thought one thing about something and it turns out I was right and wrong at the same time.

Great recommendation!

[Michele]

Have to admit I don't read romance. My mother used to read it all the time, even had a monthly subscription to Harlequin (sp?) and received a box each month with 6 new books. I got romanced out really fast! They all had the same format. Then I discovered science fiction! But the Castle book sounds like a possibility. I will visit the library.