The top classic romance novels of all time
These timeless love stories have pulled countless hopeless romantic’s heartstrings over the years. How many have you read?
1. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (1977)
Set in the Australian outback in 1915, this remarkable saga follows the ill-fated romance between the beautiful but headstrong Maggie Cleary and the handsome Roman Catholic priest, Father Ralph de Bricassart.
2. The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles (1969)
Victorian gentleman, Charles Smithson, is engaged to a wealthy woman when he falls for Sarah Woodruff, a mysterious and independent woman rumoured to be the lover of a French lieutenant
3. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1877)
Trapped in a loveless marriage, Anna Karenina embarks on a dangerous affair with the handsome Vronsky. A tragic love story set in the highest circles of Russian society.
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
The perennially delightful romantic comedy follows the rocky courtship of Elizabeth and Darcy – both of who overcame their pride and prejudices in order to see they’re perfect for one another.
5. The Princess Bride by William Goldman (1973)
With swashbuckling pirates, a masked crusader, giants, action and, of course, true love, Goldman’s fun and irreverent story of Buttercup and Westley is romantic fantasy at its finest.
6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1847)
A gothic romance charged with violence, sex and alcoholism, Emily Bronte’s only novel tells the tortured love story between the dark Heathcliff and wild Catherine.
7. A Room with a View by EM Forster (1908)
When young English woman Lucy Honeychurch travels to Italy, she meets free thinking George Emerson. This is a beautiful coming of age story about self-identity and love.
8. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1936)
This Pulitzer Prize winning American Civil War epic charts the love story between Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara and roguish Rhett Butler.
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