7 Great Love Stories From Literature
A good love story captures a full range of emotion—surprising, touching, heart-wrenching, traumatic, beautiful, and so much more. Above all, these stories explore the power of love, and its ability to defy life’s greatest obstacles. Laugh, cry, and warm your heart with these great love stories from beloved books.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Published in 1925, The Great Gatsby is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece set in the Jazz Age. Midwest native Nick Carraway moves to New York City to pursue the American dream. He befriends his next-door neighbor, a mysterious self-made millionaire named Gatsby. Carraway bears witness to Gatsby and obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Gregory David Roberts recounts his experience as a convicted bank robber who escapes from prison in Australia to the slums of Bombay in Shantaram. He rises the ranks of the mafia, working as a money launderer, forger and street soldier. Gregory falls in love with the woman Karla, whose existence alone gives him strength to go on.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Considered by some the greatest novel of all time, Leo Tolstoy’s classic follows Anna Karenina, a beautiful, charismatic socialite from St. Petersburg. The married protagonist risks everything after falling in love with the young, handsome Vronsky. This doomed affair is set against the backdrop of high society in Imperial Russia.
Lust, Caution by Eileen Chang
Set in Shanghai during World War II, this spy/romance novella follows secret agent, Wang Chia-chih. She infiltrates a wealthy family in an attempt to assassinate Mr. Yee, an official who works for the Japanese puppet government. The plot thickens in Lust, Caution when t
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Elizabeth Bennet lives with her family in the English countryside in the early 1800s in Pride and Prejudice. She is Intelligent, independent thinking, and ahead of her time. Her parents are anxious for Elizabeth to marry, but she turns down proposal after proposal insisting to stay true to herself despite expectations. When the pompous Mr. Darcy arrives, she can’t ignore her feelings, despite her stubbornness.
Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding
This hilariously witty and highly relatable British novel takes a modern twist to Pride and Prejudice. Bridget Jones Diary chronicles the life of Bridget Jones, a thirty-something single woman living in London, as she navigates love, friendship, and her career. The successful lawyer, Mark Darcy, keeps popping into Bridget’s life. And in the modern world, even the most cynical and hopeless can fall in love.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
For those hopeless romantics out there, this best-selling novel, The Notebook, has become a beloved love story made famous by its adapted film starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. The tender love story begins one summer in 1930s North Carolina. Noah is a poor country boy who shares an extraordinary love with rich city girl, Allie Hamilton. But Allie’s parents have her future planned out, and Noah isn’t the wealthy, blue-blooded husband they have in mind to marry their daughter.
