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Sunday, February 12, 2017

Some of the Best Romantic Novels and Movies of All Time




 Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and many people are wondering what to give their lover or romantic partner as a gift. 

Some gifts will be flamboyant and expensive, like jewelry, exotic cars and exclusive getaways. 

For most of us, a romantic evening at home with a special meal, including aphrodisiacs like oysters, some fine wine, and a classic romance movie to watch is more likely to happen. And, it can be sexy and memorable. 

To help you get in the mood, check out one of these classic romantic reads, then see if a movie on the second list appeals to you to share with your love.

There are tons of lists online, so I’ve gone with two pretty reputable lists. 

Readers Digest for the best books, and Vanity Fair for the best movies.


 According to Readers Digest, these are the 10 best romance novels of all time:

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough 1977

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte / Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 1847

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje 1992

True Believers by Nicholas Sparks 2005

The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles 1969

Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts 2002

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 1989

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 1877

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 1991

Follow the Stars Home by Luanne Rice 2000 

 
 According to Vanity Fair, 25 of the best love story movies of all time are below:

The Age of Innocence 1995

The Americanization of Emily 1964

Before Sunrise / Before Sunset / Before Midnight   1995 / 2004 / 2013

Brief Encounter 1945

Brokeback Mountain 2005

Carmen Jones 1954

Casablanca 1942

The English Patient 1996

Ghost 1990

Holiday 1938

I Know Where I’m Going! 1945

It Happened One Night 1934

Love Affair 1939

An Affair to Remember 1957

Love Story 1970

Notorious 1946

Now, Voyager 1942

An Officer and a Gentleman 1982

The Remains of the Day 1993

Roman Holiday 1953

Say Anything… 1989

Sense and Sensibility 1995

The Shop Around The Corner 1940

The Way We Were 1973

Working Girl 1988

What is your favorite romantic read and movie? 

The world needs love. Valentine’s Day reminds us to love one another.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all authors and readers!


GEMMA JULIANA


An eternal matchmaker, Gemma gets great joy from creating love stories where two hearts end up beating as one. She has traveled the world and enjoys adding the extra spice of international settings to her stories, which are set in many genres.
  
Gemma lives with her true love in a cozy Texas cottage along with their teen son and a crafty dog who rules them all. Her muse is nourished with the finest creativity fuels – chocolate and coffee. 

Gemma loves to hear from readers! Connect with her at:
www.gemmajuliana.com
https://twitter.com/gemma_juliana

4 comments:

Cara Marsi said...

How interesting, Gemma. I've seen a good number of the movies and read a few of the books. Now, Voyager is one of my favorite movies of all time. I've seen it several times. As for the books, I read The Thorn Birds, and while I enjoyed it, I found the heroine annoying and I wouldn't call it a romance. That's just me. I also read The French Lieutenant's Woman and absolutely hated it. I love the Outlander series.

Melissa Keir said...

Those are some wonderful lists. I was surprised about one of the movies The Before Series and read what it was about... They do sound good but I miss the happy ending. I want love to always triumph and some of those movies and books don't have it.

Some of the movies like Ghost and Pretty Woman are ones that remain in my memory. Something about that wish for true love where a fight for love is important to me. :)

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

jean hart stewart said...

Interesting lists, but certainly not the same ones in a reader's mind. But then how could it be? I'd add An Affair to Remember and Pride and Prejudice (English version).

Unknown said...

Thanks for visiting, Cara, Melissa, and Jean. I think any such list is heavily influenced by the person writing the list and what sort of 'love' they enjoy.

Some of those movies do not have happy endings, and while there are complex relationship dynamics in them, I agree they shouldn't all be called romances.

It was interesting, especially with the movies selection, how many were from long ago. The evolution of what we consider romance has shifted a lot, but of course at the end of the day it is always about love... like Melissa, I prefer a happy ending and those darker, more tortured love relationships just don't satisfy me.

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