2.15.2011

Top Literary Love Stories


In honor of Valentine's Day, The Broke and the Bookish decided to go sappy - which I'm ok with. This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is top ten literary love stories.

1. Lady Chatterley's Lover (Lawrence): I read this a few weeks ago and was blown away: a smart and steamy view into the lives of two lovers who simply can't live without each other.

2. Wuthering Heights (E. Bronte): Obsession and tormented love at its finest.

3. The Time Traveler's Wife (Niffenegger): I'm guessing this is going to be on top of many lists. The unique love between Henry and Clare captures my heart every time.

4. Jane Eyre (C. Bronte): An unconventional heroine finds the mysterious Mr. Rochester and falls in love, only to find out he is already married.

5. A Mid Summer Night's Dream (Shakespeare): Set in the whimsical woods outside of Athens, this is a perfect mix of romantic comedy and fantasy.

6. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Safran Foer): This isn't a traditional love story, but I think the love Oskar has for his father can surpass any modern-day love story.

7. One Day (Nicholls): Another love story told in a unique way, Nicholl's novel gives us a glimpse of Emma and Dexter's lives and the love they build on the same day every year.

8. Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare): Probably the most famous classic love story out there.

9. Ethan Frome (Wharton): A heartbreaking love story that ends in tragedy, equally as devastating as Romeo and Juliet.

10. Lolita (Nabokov): A story of seduction and selfish love - between a 12-year-old and a middle-aged man.

10 comments:

  1. Great list and I like some of the more unexpected choices (Lolita, Extremely Loud). I've never read Wuthering Heights but I think I need to correct that soon.

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  2. Excellent choices! The only one I didn't get on with was Wuthering Heights, but more and more I've been thinking I should give it another try.

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  3. Some nice choices, quite a few of which I have read and agree deserve to be remembered as literary love stories.

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  4. Wuthering Heights and I didn't get along too well, but I love the rest! I haven't read Lady Chatterly's Lover yet, but I'm hoping to get to it this year.

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  5. Really interesting choices -- many that I don't find romantic -- and few I haven't read and clearly must!

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  6. Pride and Prejudice. Check. Wuthering Heights. Check. Lolita. Midsummer Night's Dream. Romeo & Juliet. Jane Eyre. Check. Check. Check. Check. And I have The Time Traveler's on my ereader!

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  7. Great list, Brenna! I have not yet read Ethan Frome but I have read and loved several other Wharton's so must get round to that. Did you like that BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre? I thought it was ace - much better than the recent Wuthering Heights.

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  8. Great list! I completely forgot to put Ethan Frome on my own list! *smacks self* Such a great novel!

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  9. Good list. I have One Day on mine as well. Lolita is definitely a love story, even though it is creepy.

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  10. I looove Wharton! I need to read more of her books, but The House of Mirth blew my mind.

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