Valentine's Day: 10 Romantic reads for the book-lover

Valentine's Day: Our favourite love stories of all time

Tarandip Kaur

02 Feb 2015

mis à jour le 6 October 2015 à 23:21

1/8
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A heartbreaking tale that tells the story of Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza falling passionately in love when they were young.
However, Fermina eventually marries a wealthy doctor, leaving Florentino devastated. Being the romantic he is, he fills the void with countless affairs but reserves his heart for Fermina. Essentially the novel contrasts bold romantic love (shrouded with trysts) with a seemingly faithful one to also subtly shed light on how easy it is to mask true love.
2/8
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Set in New York, this is a novel that speaks a lot about society people and their disdain for scandals. Revolving around Newland Archer, a respectable lawyer's upcoming marriage to May Welland, the story sees a twist when Archer meets the mysterious Countess Ellen Olenska. Archer falls deeply in love with her and becomes torn between duty and true passion. However, that's not to say that the timid May Welland will be sitting idly by as she possibly gets betrayed.
3/8
The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
This book tells a poignant story of Robert Kincaid, a photographer in search of the covered bridges in Madison County and eventually falls for Francesca Johnson, a married but lonely Italian woman. Beautifully written, the narrative encapsulates what it means to love and be loved deeply for a lasting period.
4/8
The Paris Wife by Paul McLain
A fictionalised account of Ernest Hemmingway's love, marriage and divorce with Hadley Richardson. It presents an evocative journey of how two passionate people struggled to stay together as they fought with poverty, artistic ambition and temptation in Jazz Age Paris. Ultimately we know that Ernest Hemingway would have rather died than not having fallen in love with Hadley.
5/8
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
A Russian tale of agonising love that follows the unhappily married Anna Karenina, and her sometimes fatal affair with Count Vronsky. Beyond it simply being a narrative about fate and living with the circumstances, it also explores the deepest concerns of living a fulfilled life.
6/8
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
The story follows Toru as he reminisces meeting a girl, Naoko in the woods of Kyoto. He falls in love with the emotionally troubled Naoko after her boyfriend - who is also Toru's best friend - commits suicide. However, Toru then meets another girl of contrasting character and personality from Naoko and has to sort his desire between the two different women.
7/8
The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
Centered around the theme of romance, the book goes through the lives of several ordinary people and their understanding of the complexities of love. The story starts with Charles Baxter himself waking up in the middle of the night. Unable to fall back asleep, he takes a walk and meets a neighbour - setting off the start of several tales that talk about ideal desires in partners.
8/8
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
While not wholly a book on romance as we know it, the story focuses on two women and two men who find love amid war, fortuitious events and conflicting virtues. Tereza is in love with Tomas, a distinguised surgeon who sees love and intercourse as distinct entities - justifying his womanising ways. Sabina, Tomas's mistress is a free-spirited artist who also has Franz as her other lover. Sabina is one who expresses living with extreme lightness when it comes to love. Essentially, read this a philosophical tale on love.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

From Anna Karenina to Love in the Time of Cholera, we bring you some of our favourite novels that touch on desire and affection. It's time to snuggle up and get cozy.

We've hit February and that officially will cause bells to ring in your head because love is seeping in ever faster for Valentine's Day. Before you scurry off to a dreamy date night, decked in a drool-worthy dress and stunning makeup for dinner at a romantic spot, prep yourselves on all things love and romance with a good 'ol novel - essentially our de-stressing remedy as well.

Seeing how reading is our ultimate favourite pastime - at least for this writer - we couldn't help but round up some charming reads that evoke the true romantic in us. However, rather than serving you the cliche, corny modern-time novels of affection (or Fifty Shades of Grey), here are classics that narrate the struggles of love cast against a backdrop of war, tradition and distance.

Because if you think love is hard now, it was way harder in the past.

Tarandip Kaur

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Valentine's Day: Our favourite love stories of all time

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