Continuing my theme of "top five most romantic," since I'm at the national conference of the Romance Writers of America this week, it seems only fitting that I should list my top five most romantic classic novels of all time. So here they are.
#5 Wuthering Heights – Wuthering Heights is the turbulent and
wildly passionate love-story of Cathy and Heathcliff, two people who cannot love
together, yet cannot bear to live apart. Their love-hate relationship and unresolved
passion eventually threatens to destroy them and many around them. But they’re
two parts of the same soul destined to be joined for all eternity.
#4 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte’s classic story of a young orphan girl who
overcomes cruelty,
loneliness and heartbreak and falls in love with her dark,
dashing and handsome employer, Mr. Rochester, is one of great passions and dark
secrets. A true Gothic tale complete with a shadowy manor house, unexplained
noises, suspicious activities, and a brooding hero. But it’s the love of Jane
and Rochester that make this number four on my list.
#3 Gone With the Wind
– Margaret Mitchell’s sweeping epic novel about the South during the Civil War.
The saga tells the story of Scarlett O’Hara and the dashing, roguish Rhett
Butler, beginning on the eve of the war through Sherman’s March, the
Reconstruction Era and beyond. Scarlett’s evolution from spoiled Southern Belle
to tough, smart business woman is one of the main reasons I love the story.
Many find nothing to admire in Scarlett, but I admire her grit in the face of
war, hunger, and death.
Rhett is the quintessential bad boy, but the one soft spot
in his heart is for Scarlett. He not only loves her for who she is, he respects
her smarts and her determination. She leads him a merry chase, but she finally
succumbs to his relentless pursuit. While he does leave her in the end, I
believe the two are destined to be together in the story after the story.
#2 Emma - Jane
Austen’s brilliant novel about the beautiful, wealthy, meddling matchmaker,
Emma,
who refuses to listen to her friend George Knightley when it comes to
arranging marriages. Emma is stubbornly certain she knows the best match for
all involved. The complications Emma runs into, with Austen’s cast of droll
characters, each mistaken in their beliefs as to who loves whom, including Emma
herself, makes for delightful comedy. Emma must learn she isn’t always right,
but it takes a spark of jealousy to make her realize she has loved Mr.
Knightley all along.
#1 Pride and
Prejudice – Austen’s “darling child” celebrated its 200
th
anniversary in 2013! It’s astonishing to think a novel published 200 years
ago is still relevant today. For those of you who don’t know, this wonderful
novel tells the story of the fiercely independent, Elizabeth Bennett, one of
five sisters who must marry rich. Along
comes Mr. Darcy, wealthy, arrogant, and of course, quite handsome. Confounded
by her, he plays the aloof, superior gentleman, determined to snub his nose at
her and her family. But he soon finds himself unable to resist her wit, charm,
and beauty. With delightful twists and turns, this comedy of manners is far and
above my favorite romantic novel of all time.
What novels would make your top five most romantic classics?
who refuses to listen to her friend George Knightley when it comes to
arranging marriages. Emma is stubbornly certain she knows the best match for
all involved. The complications Emma runs into, with Austen’s cast of droll
characters, each mistaken in their beliefs as to who loves whom, including Emma
herself, makes for delightful comedy. Emma must learn she isn’t always right,
but it takes a spark of jealousy to make her realize she has loved Mr.
Knightley all along. 
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