If we take into account the large number of successful love books that exist, it is very difficult to determine which is the most romantic book in history.
Therefore, instead of a winner, we have chosen 5 romance titles that have transcended generations and have lavished emotions among millions of readers around the world.
Love books represent one of the most important industries in the literary world. People seek out romance stories and novels for many reasons, such as improving their relationships, being better lovers, or connecting with their own emotions through fictional characters.
Reading love books not only takes us away from the routine. We also gain the experience of accompanying the protagonists to face all kinds of challenges until their final victory.
No matter the place or the historical moment: the human being enjoys romance. The strongest proof of this is in the romance novels that you will see below.
At the end we invite you to visit:
| Free Books: 100+ Love Books for Free! [PDF]
| Best Books: The Best 20 Love Books
| Love Authors: 25 Authors of Love and Romance Books You Must Read
| Gifts Books: The Best 5 Love Books to Give as Gifts
#1 Romeo and Juliet
We couldn’t get off to a good start without talking about Romeo and Juliet, probably the most acclaimed romantic tragedy of all time.
Although there is no exact record of its publication, it is known that William Shakespeare wrote it between 1593 and 1594.
Even though it is not exactly a novel, years later the most popular version was brought to this long story format.
The original play has 15% of its content in rhyme and is divided into five acts with several scenes. The themes explored by Shakespeare are timeless love, chance, destiny, the perception of time, light, and human darkness.
The book tells the love story between Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, two young people who decide to marry and live together despite the strong rivalry that exists between their families.
However, the social pressure and the unfortunate events that happen throughout the love story lead the couple to a tragic end.
What do the critics say?
Although the play was not well received by some critics in Shakespeare’s time, most literary experts of all subsequent generations have agreed in their praise of the love story created by the English playwright.
These are some of the aspects of the play that have received the best comments from critics:
- The use of various dramatic techniques, such as the sudden change from comedy to tragedy.
- Shakespeare uses subplots to better portray the actions of his main characters. For example, Romeo was in love with another girl at the beginning of the story, not with Juliet. This argument serves to contextualize the level of commitment that he would later have with the protagonist.
- The use of multiple poetic forms throughout the story, such as choruses, sonnets, blank verse, etc.
Who was William Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare (Stratford on Avon, United Kingdom, 1564 – id., 1616) was a playwright and poet born in England.
He is considered a theatrical genius, the best playwright of all time, and one of the most influential authors of universal literature. Among other things, he was admired for his ability to portray the human condition in his stories.
Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet are some of his most acclaimed titles due to their ability to stay current through generations. Little is known about Shakespeare’s childhood and youth, but everything indicates that he completed primary school in his hometown. He married Anne Hathaway and had two daughters and a son.
Around 1590, he would arrive in London after escaping a conviction for illegal deer hunting. In this way, he would get away from his family and do some jobs before becoming one of the most iconic writers.
He wrote 14 comedies, 10 tragedies, and 10 historical dramas. Here you can access a collection of works by William Shakespeare in PDF format.
#2 Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë is one of the most representative works of English romantic literature.
The author published this work in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. It is a love story in which two generations meet in a mansion located in the heights of Yorkshire, United Kingdom. The novel has been adapted for film, radio, and television.
The pages are loaded with drama and tragedy. Among its many events, highlights the stormy and eventful romance between Catherine and Heathcliff. The different personalities of the protagonists collide with each other and a complex conflict takes place in the name of love.
Passion, hate, disappointment, and revenge are essential ingredients of the story. The story is told by two characters who, although they are not the protagonists, are essential for the development of the love story.
The narration is fluid, the descriptions are good and the journey through the pages denotes a certain gothic or supernatural style.
What do the critics say?
At first, Wuthering Heights was considered by critics as a crude and wild love story due to its violent and “immoral” content for the time.
However, critics of later generations agree that the originality of the main theme and the narrative, in general, make this book one of the best romance novels of the Victorian era.
The author’s vision of destiny, revenge, passion, and obsession is simply extraordinary.
Who was Emily Bronte?
Emily Jane Brontë (Thornton, 1818 – Haworth, 1848) was a poet and storyteller of British origin, considered one of the best storytellers in the English language for her work Wuthering Heights.
Brontë was orphaned at a very young age and was left in the care of an aunt. It was a period of melancholy and loneliness that influenced her development as a writer.
Brontë’s poetic production reveals a great vitality around the spirit and love. Each of the author’s love stories reflects the gray and wild aspect of the region where she grew up.
It is a work of vigorous style and full of contrasts in which each fact becomes a fragment of darkness.
If love books are your thing, then you can’t miss our article: Authors of Love and Romance Books You Must Read
#3 Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind is a book written by Margaret Mitchell, considered one of the best romantic novels in history and one of the best sellers.
It is a classic of American literature and has one of the best film adaptations in history, which makes this work a wonder of universal culture.
It is a love story in which melodrama adorns the story of Scarlett O’Hara, a young aristocrat who is in love with Ashley Wilkes, heir to another wealthy family.
However, Wilkes marries another woman. The love story between the protagonists takes place in this “impossible” context for many people.
The play takes place in the times of the Civil War, which leads the characters to face a series of physical, psychological, and moral challenges in a hostile environment. Gone with the Wind won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937.
The novel has also been at the center of controversy for talking about racial issues, informal love, and rape within marriage.
What do the critics say?
Gone with the Wind explores the ideal lifestyle of the American South, slavery, and the origins of the Ku Klux Klan, and mixes this context with the perspective of those defeated in war.
In this sense, it shows a widely divided nation that needs to be rebuilt.
It is not by chance that this is one of the best romance novels of all time.
The descriptions are simply exceptional, the psychological development of the characters is masterful and the author can easily change our minds about the role of some characters in the story.
Get to know our list of best-selling love books.
Who was Margaret Mitchell?
Margaret Mitchell (Atlanta, 1900 – ibid., 1949) was an American writer and journalist.
Her work is powerfully influenced by the lifestyle of her hometown. Her most important work is Gone with the Wind, which would be immortalized in the cinema by the great Victor Fleming in 1939.
During World War II, Mitchell stopped her literary output because she was working for the American Red Cross. In 1949, she was hit by a vehicle and died 5 days later.
#4 Pride and Prejudice
After 209 years of its publication, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is one of the essential romantic novels for lovers of the genre.
In addition, it is one of the first love comedies that saw the light. Published in 1813, the work perfectly portrays the society of the time and its prejudices regarding social status and love.
The love story is set in a field near the city of London on the eve of the turn of the century (XVIII to XIX), specifically during the ruling of George III.
The story shows Mrs. Bennet, who has raised her daughters for the sole purpose of finding a husband.
When Charles Bingley, a wealthy young bachelor, arrives in the neighborhood, the interest of the girls and neighboring families is piqued. Darcy, one of Bingley’s friends begins a relationship with Lizzy, one of the Bennet girls.
This triggers a series of events and conflicts in the pages of the book due to pride and social prejudice.
What do the critics say?
The critics have agreed that the main attraction of the love story is the relationship between Lizzy and Darcy.
One of the peculiarities of this story is that Austen moved away from the merely romantic narration, something that she did not usually do in her novels. It is more of a realistic vision of love between two people, with all the difficulties that this can entail.
Among the romantic novels on our list, it is one of the most appealing to satirical humor. The author uses irony as a vehicle to criticize the society of her time.
Many of its characters are pathetic, adding a casual touch to the work that forever changed the way we view romance novels.
Who was Jane Austen?
Jane Austen (Steventon, 1775 – Winchester, 1817) was a British novelist, considered one of the most important writers in the United Kingdom. She began writing poetry and storytelling from an early age.
His most successful love story is Pride and Prejudice, translated into many languages and published in up to 40 editions, including films and plays.
Here you can access a collection of the best works of Jane Austen in PDF format.
#5 Love Story
With more than 21 million copies sold worldwide, Love Story was one of the best-selling romance novels of the 1970s.
In addition, it has been translated into more than 20 languages and has a film version, which was released in December 1969. This book was published on February 14, 1970 (Valentine’s Day).
The novel tells the story of Oliver Barrett, a boy from an ostentatious family, dedicated to his academic life and sports.
The story gets interesting when Oliver checks out a book at the library and meets Jennifer Cavilleri, who works as a librarian. Oliver asks her out for coffee and the romance begins.
What do the critics say?
Much of the criticism highlights the fact that Love Story is not your typical cheesy love story. Instead, the author gives us a pleasant, beautiful, and full of emotional narration until its moving ending.
It is one of the best-valued romantic novels due to its literary simplicity. It doesn’t have many complexities, but it’s highly believable and that’s enough.
Who was Erich Segal?
Erich Wolf Segal (New York, 1937 – London, 2010) was an American writer and teacher, known mainly for his work Love Story and for participating in the screenplay for the film based on his love story.
Both versions of the story were successfully immortalized around the world.
He studied Classical Literature and Comparative Literature at Harvard and was also a professor at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.
Initially, he devoted himself to writing academic publications and worked as a screenwriter before shooting to worldwide recognition with his best-selling novel.
Does the most romantic book exist?
There are probably as many interpretations of love as there are romance novels. Each author, according to their experience, creates stories that seek to connect with readers through common feelings and thoughts in each of us.
Talking about a winning candidate would be unfair, so we prefer to leave the decision in the hands of the wisest person in these cases: you.
What is the most romantic book in history? The one that has given you the most moments of satisfaction!
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