Happy Valentines Day!
If the spirit of this day inspires you to immerse yourself in a beautiful love story, here are ten of my favorites…
10. Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve – Belle offers to take her father’s place as the prisoner of the Beast who is actually a cursed prince, doomed to remain in the monstrous form unless he can break the spell by learning to love before his 21st birthday. Belle’s sacrifice for her father is all the more poignant because, having lived in a quaint village all her life, she longs for a more interesting, larger life. At first, Belle can only see the Beast as a monster, and he sees her as a stubborn, temperamental girl. But over time, they learn to see the good in each other and eventually fall in love. This story, though adapted time and time again, was originally written in the mid-1700s. An oldie but a goodie.
9. Never Let me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro – This one does not fall into the feel-good warm and fuzzy type of story that might naturally come to mind when one thinks of love stories. But it is provocative and heart-wrenching, and the love between the three main characters qualified it for my list today. In this disturbing dystopian novel, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy—like all the students at Hailsham—are clones, whose sole reason for existing is to donate their organs to their “originals.” There is an underlying (horrific) idea that they do not have souls, but they are encouraged by some at the school to pursue any artistic and creative talents they may have to disprove the idea. And friends Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are as normal as any teenagers. They have the same intense emotions, jealousies, pettiness, and desires. That their lives will be short, and their deaths long and painful (as a result of 3 or 4 donations of major organs), makes this story hard at times to digest. But Kathy’s reflection on their relationship as she is a “carer” for Tommy and Ruth sheds light on the human tendency to only see what’s important when faced with the end. Again, it’s not a happily-ever-after story, but in its way, this is a love story.
8. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer – Whether you love or hate vampire tales, the love story in this saga is worth the read. Edward, the vampire, and Bella, the human, are an unlikely match for obvious reasons. But Edward’s love for Bella is so strong that he is devoted to protecting her from all of his kind (including himself, which is a constant struggle in itself). That’s what makes this story such a good one. Also, I loved that Edward’s family as well as Jacob and his pack were so fleshed out and dimensional that I cared about them all, not just what happened with Edward and Bella. I was a fan of Anne Rice’s vampires so I thought I’d give this story a try. Though Anne Rice’s stories are altogether from Stephenie Meyer’s, after the first one, I consumed the next three right away. (And, in hindsight, I would have ended up reading the saga anyway since my “Twi-Mom” friends’ couldn’t stop talking about them, if for no other reason than to contribute to the discussions;) So what I’m saying is, this story, in my mind, is not so much about vampires as it is a love story, and not just about Edward and Bella but also about Edward’s family’s acceptance, protection, and love for Bella. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Jacob (the werewolf whose kind are vampires’ natural enemies), whose friendship and love for Bella is portrayed so well that it was hard not to wish for a happy ending for him, even if you were on Team Edward. *Spoiler alert* Jacob gets his happy ending.
7. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green – I can’t say too much about this one because I don’t want to cry… but as so many love stories are, this one is a tragedy. Two cancer-stricken teenagers, Hazel and Augustus, have not only their disease in common, but the same favorite book whose main character also has cancer. The book’s ending, however, leaves them with questions so they are driven to use their precious time to find the book’s author and learn the answers. Another heart-wrenching story that hits close to home for far too many. But definitely an example of what true love looks like.
6. The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin – I would not call this epic series a love story, but there are love stories within it. For example, Daenerys is sold into marriage to Khal Drogo by her power-hungry brother in exchange for a crown. She is terrified, being only fourteen years old, and doesn’t know what to expect as Khal Drogo is King of the Dothraki, a people whose culture and customs seem savage compared to her own. But Khal Drogo surprises Dany by being gentle and loving and real love soon grows between them.
5. The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin – Since this series is so prolific, I could easily pick two love stories from within its pages. Jon Snow, a member of the Night Watch, finds himself with no choice but to act as an impostor in the ranks of bitter enemies. Among them is Ygritte, an iron-willed warrior woman who has decided that Jon Snow will be hers. Reluctantly, he goes along with it, all the better to convince her people that he is loyal to them, despite his vow of celibacy as a member of the Night Watch. But along the way, they fall in love, despite that Ygritte is shrewd enough to realize Jon truly is an enemy of her people. Jon sees an opportunity to escape, which he takes, and returns to the Night Watch, though his heart remains with Ygritte. While their two factions are at bitter war, which the two lovers actively participate in from opposite sides, they can only hope the other survives. Well done, Mr. Martin.
4. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger – Henry has a disease that sends him to different places/times in his life in random order, which means he never knows how long he will be in a certain time and place or where he will end up next. He meets Claire, the love of his tragic life, when she is just a little girl. At another point, she is in her twenties when he drops back into her life, but because he’s visiting this time before what was their first meeting in the normal timeline of her life, he doesn’t know her. But at this point she’s already been in love with him for some time. This incongruence in the two timelines can be difficult to keep track of if you’re not paying close attention. But Henry and Claire are devoted to each other, despite the difficulties of never knowing when they’ll be together or for how long. All in all, this is another amazing story where love surpasses all obstacles, and reminds us to make every moment count.
3. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks – Nobody does a love story like Nicholas Sparks. In this one, Noah and Allie meet as teenagers and fall in love in the span of a summer. But Allie’s parents forbid her from seeing Noah for the reason that has been the bane of countless relationships, not just in literature: they are from different social classes. In other words, in the eyes of Allie’s wealthy parents, Noah’s family is not good enough for Allie to marry into. When their summer of love is over, Noah and Allie go to different schools. Noah writes to her every day for a year. But he gives up after never getting a response from her. Years later, Allie is engaged to be married to a man her parents wholeheartedly approve of, and she sees a picture of Noah in the newspaper. She visits him and asks why he didn’t try harder to get her back. He tells her of the 365 letters he wrote her, and she confronts her mother about them only to learn that she’d kept his letters from her. Noah and Allie fall in love all over again, and she breaks off her engagement. They spend many happy years together, but Allie starts to suffer the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. She asks him to write their story down in a notebook so it cannot be forgotten. Ultimately, her condition deteriorates so much that she must live in a facility where experts can care for her. Noah visits her every day, though most days she has no idea who she is. Still, he reads from the notebook and every once in a while she realizes that the lovers in the story are actually her and Noah. Even though these moments of recognition are few and far between, Noah’s love for Allie endures. This love story is the epitome of “for better or for worse.” That’s why it’s one of my all-time favorites.
2. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare – The ultimate tragic love story that I know you are all very familiar with so I won’t go into details. Romeo and Juliet are determined to be together though their union is forbidden by their bitterly-feuding families. You know how this one ends… the ultimate sacrifice in the name of love.
1. The Gift of the Magi, a short story by O’Henry – It’s Christmas Eve and Jim and Della, a married couple with little money, want desperately to give a meaningful gift to each other. Between them, they have two prize possessions: Jim’s pocket watch, passed through the generations of his family to him, and Della’s long, beautiful hair. Della wants to buy Jim a chain for his pocket watch, and Jim wants to buy Della a pair of decorative combs for her tresses. Both items are far out of their price range. So Jim sells his watch to buy the combs, and Della sells her hair to buy the chain for his watch. Their sacrifice, though making their gifts useless, teaches them that their love is the best gift they could ever give each other.
Ahhh, love…. the gift that comes back to you the more you give it away 🙂
