It’s so glorious to curl up and lose yourself in the pages of a romantic story. We’re swept away by love as it brings forth drama and romance, comedy and tragedy, loss and gain, sorrow and joy. I’ve picked out the 50 romantic novels I think every girl should read.
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1. Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
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An epic love story set in the American Civil War.
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2. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
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Passions run high on the wild and windy Yorkshire Moors.
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3. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
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Adulterous love set in a backdrop of the historic social changes that swept Russia during the late 19th century.
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4. Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare
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The world’s most famous love story – a tale of star-crossed lovers.
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5. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
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The life and times of Governess Jane and her growing love for Mr. Rochester.
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6. Love Story – Erich Segal
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The heartbreaking tale of Oliver and Jenny. You will cry.
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7. Emma – Jane Austen
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Follow the matchmaking ministrations and meddling of Emma Woodhouse.
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8. Atonement – Ian McKeown
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A towering story of betrayal and forgiveness set before and during World War II.
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9. Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
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The eerie tale of the second Mrs. De Winter, married to a man and a house haunted by the first wife.
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10. Love in the Time of Cholera –Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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Florentino Ariz’s love for Fermina Darza spans nearly 60 years. Is there a happy ever after?
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11. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Love, passion, and partying in the Jazz Age – with a dose of tragedy.
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12. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernières
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Can love blossom between enemies in wartime? A sweeping romance between an Italian soldier and a Greek girl in World War II.
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13. Cold Mountain – Charles Frazier
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Another epic romance set in the American Civil War. Can Confederate soldier Inman make it home to his beloved Ada?
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14. The Bridges of Madison County – Robert James Walter
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A tale about a free-spirited photographer and the one true love of his life.
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15. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
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The Dashwood sisters - one sensible, one sensitive - find love and happiness
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16. The Sky is Everywhere – Jandy Nelson
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Who will Lennie choose? Toby or Joe?
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17. The Sound of Waves – Yukio Mishima
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A timeless story of first love set in a simple Japanese fishing village.
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18. Possession – a.S. Byatt
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Join two researchers as they embark on a journey to uncover the lives and loves of two Victorian poets.
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19. The Thorn Birds – Colleen McCullough
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A tale of forbidden love and dark secrets in the Australian Outback.
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20. The Other Boleyn Girl – Philippa Gregory
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We all know the story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, but what do you know about Henry and Mary Boleyn?
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21. The End of the Affair – Graham Greene
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The tale of the love to love-hate relationship between Maurice Bendrix and Sarah Miles.
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22. The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
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A touching love story set in an intriguing science fiction concept.
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23. Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins
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A year of romantic misses and a crush thousands of miles away.
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24. The Princess Bride – William Goldman
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True love and high adventure captured in engrossing storytelling.
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25. The Truth about Forever – Sarah Dessen
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Comedy, tragedy and a heroine we can all relate to.
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26. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
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Laugh and cry as you become deeply involved with the trials and tribulations of the Bennet sisters as they try to find love and a good marriage.
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27. Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel
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There’s much love and wit to be found in early 20th Century Mexico.
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28. Doctor Zhivago – Boris Pasternak
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You’ll find yourself deeply lost for hours in the story of Zhivago and his love for Lara, set in the turmoil and upheaval of the Russian Revolution.
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29. The English Patient – Michael Ondaatje
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Don’t be fooled by the movie – there’s more to this tangled tale than the English patient and the woman he loved.
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30. Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami
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A delightful coming of age and love story inspired by the main character hearing the titular song by The Beatles.
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31. Bel Canto – Ann Patchett
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A story of love where the only common language is music.
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32. Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen
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A page turner telling the story of Jacob Jankowski and his time at the Benzini Brother’s circus where he falls in love with married Marlena.
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33. The French Lieutenant’s Woman – John Fowles
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A period piece that goes beyond being a social commentary on love in Victorian England.
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34. A Room with a View
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Lucy Honeychurch sees beyond her prejudices to see where her true passion lies.
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35. Les Liaisons Dangereuses – Pierre Choderlos De Lascios
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More seduction, scandal and scheming than romance but a thoroughly good romp.
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36. The Notebook
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Gripping story of love that endures.
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37. Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
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Love is ultimately the undoing of the seductive and sensuous Emma Bovary.
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38. The Year of Magical Thinking – Joan Didion
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A tribute to an extraordinary marriage.
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39. Far from the Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
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Bathsheba Everdene is lucky to attract three suitors. Who will win her heart and will there be a happy ending?
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40. Lady Chatterley’s Lover – D.H. Lawrence
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Oh, the scandal as Lady Chatterley takes her gardener as her lover.
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41. Eleanor and Park – Rainbow Rowell
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Poignant tale of love and fitting in at high school.
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42. The African Queen – C.S. Forester
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Even in wartime, love conquers all.
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43. P.S. I Love You
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A delightful story that unfolds beautifully as Holly unfolds every note.
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44. Bonjour Tristesse – Françoise Sagan
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A sultry, lyrical novel about a girl meddling with others’ romantic affairs with disastrous consequences.
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45. The Post Birthday World – Lionel Shriver
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How can so much rest on a single kiss?
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46. The Well of Loneliness –Radclyffe Hall
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A timeless and classic portrayal of lesbian love.
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47. The Weather in the Streets –Rosamond Lehmann
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The passionate and overwhelming story of an affair between a young woman and a married man.
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48. The Good Luck of Right Now – Matthew Quick
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Words can’t describe this! A grief counselor, an emotionally damaged librarian, an alien-believing housemate and a maverick local priest all in a story written in the form of letters to Richard Gere.
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49. Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
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Rejoice as Bridget overcomes her (many) personality faults to find love.
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50. Le Grand Meaulnes – Alain-Fournier
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A magical and sentimental tale of lost adolescent love.
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I can’t wait to hear what would have made your list.
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