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Flavorwire's 50 Romantic Novels for People Who Hate Romance Novels

"Here’s the thing: sometimes, you just want to read a good love story. Or at least, something with a little sex, a little passion, a few dramatic swoons. But a romance novel, per se? Nothing so gaudy or slapdash for you! You need real literature. Well, person who I’ve just made up (though I know you’re out there), here’s the answer: a selection of romantic books that will rev your motor (emotional or otherwise) but don’t fall into that taboo category of cheap paper and cheaper storylines. After the jump, 50 romantic novels for people who hate romance novels — a list that could be mightily expanded, if you care to offer your own choices in the comments."
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from flavorwire.com · made by irmavep
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The Remains of the Day (Kazuo Ishiguro)
The Remains of the Day
1
Kazuo Ishiguro
The Passion (Jeanette Winterson)
The Passion
2
Jeanette Winterson
The Sea, the Sea (Iris Murdoch)
The Sea, the Sea
3
Iris Murdoch
The Princess Bride (William Goldman)
The Princess Bride
4
William Goldman
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
Jane Eyre
5
Charlotte Bronte
Possession (A.S. Byatt)
Possession
6
A.S. Byatt
Citrus County
Citrus County
7
Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenor
Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenor
8
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
9
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Autobiography of Red (Anne Carson)
Autobiography of Red
10
Anne Carson
Dune (Frank Herbert)
Dune
11
Frank Herbert
The Virgins
The Virgins
12
The Lover (Marguerite Duras)
The Lover
13
Marguerite Duras
The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton)
The Age of Innocence
14
Edith Wharton
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler (Italo Calvino)
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler
15
Italo Calvino
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
16
Geek Love (Katherine Dunn)
Geek Love
17
Katherine Dunn
The Virgin Suicides (Jeffrey Eugenides)
The Virgin Suicides
18
Jeffrey Eugenides
Swamplandia (Karen Russell)
Swamplandia
19
Karen Russell
Mr. Fox (Helen Oyeyemi)
Mr. Fox
20
Helen Oyeyemi
High Fidelity (Nick Hornby)
High Fidelity
21
Nick Hornby
We (Yevgeny Zamyatin)
We
22
Yevgeny Zamyatin
Brideshead Revisited (Evelyn Waugh)
Brideshead Revisited
23
Evelyn Waugh
Griffin and Sabine
Griffin and Sabine
24
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Simon Armitage (Translator))
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
25
Simon Armitage (Translator)
Schematics a Love Story
Schematics a Love Story
26
All Is Forgotten Nothing Is Lost
All Is Forgotten Nothing Is Lost
27
The Lover's Dictionary
The Lover's Dictionary
28
Super Sad True Love Story (Gary Shteyngart)
Super Sad True Love Story
29
Gary Shteyngart
The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway)
The Sun Also Rises
30
Ernest Hemingway
Atmospheric Disturbances
Atmospheric Disturbances
31
Lucky Jim (Kingsley Amis)
Lucky Jim
32
Kingsley Amis
Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert)
Madame Bovary
33
Gustave Flaubert
The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern)
The Night Circus
34
Erin Morgenstern
Nightwood (Djuna Barnes)
Nightwood
35
Djuna Barnes
Lord of Misrule
Lord of Misrule
36
To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf)
To the Lighthouse
37
Virginia Woolf
A Visit From the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan)
A Visit From the Goon Squad
38
Jennifer Egan
Tipping the Velvet (Sarah Waters)
Tipping the Velvet
39
Sarah Waters
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
40
Zora Neale Hurston
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