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I'm guessing that Top Ten Favorite Romances means romance novels, but since I rarely read romance, or at least anything that's specifically intended to be romance as opposed to books that happen to have romance as one element, I'm going to list my ten favorite fictional romances (as in romantic relationships) instead. So, in no particular order:
1. Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes from the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King: Because King's version of Holmes is true to Conan Doyle's Holmes, yet it's easy to see why he would abandon his dislike of women in order to marry Russell.
2. Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from the Anne series by L. M. Montgomery: Does this really need any explanation?
3. Jo March and Professor Bhaer from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: Because of all the men in Little Women, Jo married the best one.
4. The Swamp Angel and Freckles from Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter: A completely unrealistic and somewhat one-sided romance, but as shown in A Girl of the Limberlost, Freckles did indeed marry his Angel.
5. Harriet Vane and Peter Wimsey from the Lord Peter series by Dorothy L. Sayers: Because marching up to a woman who's been accused of murdering her lover and telling her that you're going to get her off and that you want to marry her is always *such* a good idea...
6. Jane and Mark Studdock from That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis: Yes, they're already married before the book starts. But this is the story of a married couple who learns what a marriage relationship should really be like. Lewis, more than any author I've ever read, understands love and relationships.
7. Kitty and Levin from Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: Because in the end, they're the only ones with anything remotely resembling a good relationship, and because they both learned to stop being so selfish and to really love one another.
8. Margery Fleming and John Knox from The Window in the White Cat by Mary Roberts Rinehart: This is actually a mystery novel, but romance plays a big part, as Knox struggles with whether he should invent a case against Fleming's fiance while investigating her father's disappearance, just so he can marry Fleming himself.
9. Guinevere Pettigrew and Joe Blomfield from Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson: My opinion of this romance is somewhat colored by the movie of the same name, but Guinevere and Joe are just so perfect for each other. Plus, it's nice to see a romance between people who aren't twenty-somethings.
10. Tuppence and Tommy from the Tommy and Tuppence series by Agatha Christie: This five-book series traces the lives of Tommy and Tuppence from carefree youths to elderly retirees.
Man, I really need to read Little Women. It's a goal of mine for this year. I need to get on that :)
ReplyDeleteHave you not read it before? It's brilliant--one of my childhood favorites!
ReplyDeleteSo many great choices! I also loved Delysia and Michael from Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day...and Lee Pace's performance in the movie only has about 30% to do with that! :)
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