Valentine’s Day means romance is in the air. Roses are everywhere. Chocolates too. We are entirely fond of roses and chocolates, but…we are proudly both Vintage and Unscripted. So we think a little differently. We have an alternative Valentine’s Day gift suggestion and it is a vintage romantic read about love to love.
To help you out, here is our entirely opinionated list of the seven great romantic reads for Valentine’s Day.
The Princess Bride
by William Goldman, 1973
I’m a minimalist when it comes to books. I never buy a book I only intend to read once, those I get from the library. The books in our home are the ones we enjoy reading over and over again. And I am not a big fan of romantic reads. But oh how I love every word of The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and Adventure every time I read it. Author William Goldman abridged the story, cutting it down to “the best parts version” and adding in his own commentary. The Princess Bride has it all–action, adventure, missions, pirates, villains, villainous princes and the one thing that matters, True Love. Even if you’ve seen the movie often enough to recite scenes line for line, there is still much to love about this book.
–Laurie, NextStageVintage.com
Far From The Madding Crowd
by Thomas Hardy, 1874
I fell in love with Hardy’s character and the country life of Kent England when I was in high school. In this fourth novel which brought him great acclaim, the main character is Bathsheba Everdene, a strong and independent young woman who inherits a farm and wealth from her uncle. This catapults her into a different social class, which she is trying to navigate. She sends a Valentine to a neighbor as a joke and sets off a series of events with three suitors. Don’t want to give it away. My favorite Bathsheba quote is “Kiss my foot, sir; my face is for mouths of consequence.” The most recent movie was the 2015 BBC film featuring Carey Mulligan and Matthias Schoenaerts. Was great but as a retired librarian will tell you, read the book first.
–Mary Ellen, AuntHattiesAtticVintage.com
Annabel Lee
By Edgar Allen Poe, 1849
I have loved Edgar Allen Poe for as long as I can remember. His twisted macabre thoughts fascinated me as a young girl and still do. The depth of emotion and sadness in this poem just cut right to my heart. How such a simple poem can evoke these vivid pictures in my mind amazes me. I’m anything but a romantic and while I devour books on the regular, they are more often non-fiction. I rarely read poetry, but anything by Poe gets my attention.
–Pam, VintageRenude.com
Atlas Shrugged
By Ayn Rand, 1957
When we talked about this topic in an editorial meeting, my first thought was that I don’t read romantic novels. And then I remembered the summer before 7th grade. My dad was a career military man and had been transferred to Germany. He left three months ahead of the rest of the family so my mom took the kids to spend the summer at my grandmother’s house in South Dakota. There were floor to ceiling bookshelves surrounding the bay window in the dining room and I spent that time in an overstuffed chair reading.
That was the summer of Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier, The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough plus Ayn Rand’s two best sellers The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. The first two fall into the romantic novel category; the last two not as much, but they are the two I remember most vividly. As an adult knowing more about Ayn Rand’s political views, I wonder why I fell so hard for the mysterious John Galt of Atlas Shrugged but I know that I did. It’s crossed my mind that I could re-read her books to see if my recollection about Galt and Howard Roark of The Fountainhead is accurate but I’ve decided not to. There’s something to be said for preserving innocent childhood memories of larger-than-life heroes.
–Linda, SelectiveSalvage.com
We also think these classic romantic reads are worth picking up again with fresh eyes or discovering for the first time.
The Scarlet Letter
By Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1850
You were probably forced to read this in high school, and you might not have liked it very much. At 16, you probably thought Hawthorne’s language was dated and tough to chew through. Go back and read it now. You know the story: A young woman bears a child out of wedlock in Puritan Massachusetts and is sentenced to wear the a scarlet “A” for adulteress. It’s got twists and turns of fortune, the pain of the burden of sin and the redeeming qualities of quiet dignity.
The Great Gatsby
By F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925
This is another classic you may have been force fed in high school that you will appreciate much more as an adult. It helps to understand the historical context of the 1920s, something the grown up you knows more about than the teen you. At the center of the story is millionaire Jay Gatsby and the object of his desire, his former love Daisy Buchanan. Of course she is married to someone else. And of course her husband is a heel.
Set on Long Island and in Manhattan, the drive between the two locales requires passing through the “valley of ashes” where the mistress of Daisy’s husband lives with her mechanic husband at their garage. This was a real place in Queens, an ash dump where Manhattan’s furnace ashes were brought and where trash was burned. It’s better known by it’s current name Flushing Meadows, home of the 1935 and 1964 World’s Fairs, Shea Stadium, Citi Field and the Billie Jean King Tennis center.
The Grand Sophy
By Georgette Heyer, 1950
Author Georgette Heyer is credited with inventing the historical romance novel. She was a prolific writer, churning out yearly regency romances and mystery fiction. Unlike Jane Austen who was writing about the time she lived in, Heyer was writing about that time 100+ years later and needed to provide a vivid historic background to help readers understand the time. The Grand Sophy is one of her better known works. A free spirited young woman, living abroad most of her life with her father, returns to England and in whirlwind style changes the lives of everyone around her. If you can’t find Sophy, no worries. Ask a Heyer fan which of her books is the best and they will tell you they are all the best. Pick a Heyer, any Heyer. They’ve delighted generations of romantic readers.
