What I’m Reading: My Top 5 Favorite Classic Romances

It might be the day after Valentine’s, but love is still in the air and on the shelves of our grocery stores. So, I thought I would do a post on my favorite classic romances. Not that there’s anything wrong with the plethora of romance novels written today. I just like the classic love stories that don’t involve the ripping of bodices and billionaires deflowering their virgin brides better. It’s so much more romantic when you fall in love with someone whom you’ve barely even touched for the sake of propriety. So, without further ado: My Top 5 Classic Romances.

5. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

I fell in love with this story after watching the mini series and just had to read the book. Margaret Hale, a former minister’s daughter, is forced to leave her home in southern England to move to a factory town in the north, Milton. Margaret hates Milton and industrialization. She also hates Mr. John Thornton, a mill owner. As the novel progresses though, Margaret’s views slowly start to change and she comes to see both Milton and Mr. Thornton in a different light. I love this story for so many reasons. In part because Richard Armitage makes a very dashing Mr. Thornton in the BBC miniseries which I highly recommend. But I also love it for the realistic trials Margaret and Mr. Thornton must go through before they can finally be together. It makes the end all the more satisfying.

4. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 

The classic story of Cathy and Heathcliff is so tragic it’s impossible not to love. They have everything they want within their grasps and a misunderstanding drives Heathcliff away to seek his fortune. When he returns, both of their prides prevent them from admitting their mistakes and finally getting to be together. Instead they absolutely torment each other until Cathy dies after giving birth to a baby girl. The ending of the story is not your typical happy one, but the tragedy of it all is what makes it so incredible. You have a love/hate relationship with all of the characters as they all have love/hate relationships with each other

3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

No list of classic romances would be complete without a mention of Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen is my all time favorite author and P&P is probably one of the most well-known love stories of all time. It’s your classic “boy says something stupid and potentially ruins his chances with girl forever but eventually she falls in love with him” story and is still super popular almost 200 years after it was originally published. Jane Austen probably had no idea that she was setting the bar for men everywhere when she created one of the most beloved literary heroes of all time, but girls (including me) are still swooning over him to this day. 

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre is probably the most romantic story of all time. Everyone loves a story where the poor and plain working class girl meets someone decidedly above her station in life and he falls madly in love with her anyway. It’s pretty much every girl’s dream. Jane loves Mr. Rochester so much she can hear his soul crying out for her at the end. I cry every time. They overcome so many obstacles to be together, including an insane wife and a persistent suitor, but true love conquers all in the end, and poor Jane finally gets all of the happiness she’s always deserved.

1. Persuasion by Jane Austen

Persuasion is my all time favorite book ever. It’s one of Jane Austen’s shortest novels, but for me it’s the most poignant and realistic. Anne Elliot and Captain Frederick Wentworth met and fell in love when they were both very young, and Anne was persuaded by her friends and family that  it would be better for her to let him go and make a name for himself. They part broken-hearted and are reunited years later. They try to act like there was nothing between them, but slowly they are drawn together again proving that true love has no time limit. I completely freaked out the first time I read it when Captain Wentworth gave Anne the letter that said that he still loved her. To me, the story is the epitome of true love. It’s loving long past all hope of ever being together. 

So, that’s my top 5 favorite classic romances. Does anyone else have a favorite that I missed?

What I’m Reading: Les Miserables

I talk a lot about the UPF in this blog, which is pretty much the point, but I’d also like to talk a little bit about what I’m reading outside of work. Right now I’m in the middle of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I had the opportunity recently to see the Broadway show with a friend and instantly fell in love. The book is kind of a beast though. I bought a copy for my Nook, which might be the greatest thing ever invented, and it’s over 1200 pages long. I decided to go with the unabridged version in part because I’m crazy and also because you get such a better glimpse into the author’s head when you read all of their original words. I’m also a bit wary of abridged versions after a copy I read of Jane Eyre altered the ending to where Mr. Rochester was only blinded in the fire and Thornfield was only minorly damaged. It was meant for kids, so I can see why they did it, but you can imagine my horror several years later when I read the unabridged version and Mr. Rochester was permanently disfigured and Thornfield was burnt to the ground. I haven’t read an abridged version of anything since.

For anyone who is not familiar with the story Jean Valjean is a convict who went to jail for stealing some bread to feed his sister’s starving child. He’s released from prison, but everyone still knows that he’s a convict and won’t take him in or give him work because they consider him a criminal. After a priest is kind to him, Valjean makes a vow to God that he will be better and do everything in his power to be a better man. He ends up changing his name, opening a factory and becoming mayor of a town that he almost single-handedly made prosperous. The problem though is that he broke his parole and is being hunted by a police inspector named Javert. He meets the once lovely Fantine and promises to take care of her child, Cosette, while Fantine is on her deathbed. He takes in Cosette and spends the rest of the book protecting her from his past while rebellion stirs in the heart of the impoverished people of France.

I love this story. It’s absolutely marvelous, and I’ve listened to the soundtrack for the musical almost non-stop for the last two or three weeks. I would make an excellent Eponine, if I do say so myself. When I sing along to “On My Own” in the car, the audience on the recording is always very enthusiastic. The one thing I’m having a hard time understanding in the book though is Hugo’s need for such long portions of historical context. I’m currently in the middle of an almost blow-by-blow account of the Battle of Waterloo. A friend told me what the reason behind it is supposed to be, but I’m still not entirely sure that I understand. I feel as though it was really unnecessary for the time the novel was written in. People probably would have already been familiar with the details of the Battle of Waterloo. Obviously the story is incredible as it has lasted for so long and had such commercial success, but I do wonder what the point of all of the historical accounts are. Don’t let that dissuade you from the book though. It’s actually not that difficult of a read when the plot is moving. Any one who loves classic literature is bound to fall in love with Valjean and all of the other colorful and exciting characters that Hugo has created. On a scale of 1 to 7, I give it a 5.

For any fellow Nook owners out there, here’s the link to the unabridged copy that I own from Barnes and Noble.