28 Classic Romance Novels To Read

Valentine's Day may be over, but who honestly needs flowers and chocolate, when you have a love for classic novels?

(Okay, scratch that. We may actually need the chocolates for this one). 

Nothing says February quite like a romantic tale. While there will always be great modern romances, there will also always be room on your shelf for the classics. As authors like Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters were penning tragic, intoxicating, head-over-heels stories in the early/mid nineteenth century, they helped contribute to the romance genre that we know today.

So while others on V-Day were out braving the elements or spending half of their paychecks on a candlelit dinner, do not feel like you were missing out. After all, isn't the one person whom you should love and take care of above all else, yourself? So curl up inside your fluffy bed, draw yourself a bubble bath, or sip some tea on your couch as you dig into these timeless romantic classics. 

And just remember, whatever your relationship status is – "single," "in a relationship," "it's complicated" – anyone can enjoy a good old-fashion love story. Besides, you deserve to treat yourself on a memorable date with classic literature.  

#1: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (1811)

In the wake of their father’s death, the Dashwood sisters, Elinor, Marianne and Margaret, are left to their own devices when they move to a cottage owned by a distant cousin. Before they move house, though, Elinor (the more sensible sister) tentatively allows herself to fall in love with the admirable Edward Ferras. The Dashwoods try to make themselves at home in their cottage, all while Marianne (the sister full of sensibility) grows more and more in love with the ever handsome Willoughby. But there seems to be something off about Willoughby, and the only one who sees right through him is the good-hearted, Colonel Brandon who is vying for Marianne’s heart as well.  

#2: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1847)

Orphaned and alone, young Jane Eyre lives with her aunt and cousins, the Reeds, at Gateshead Hall. Mrs. Reed hates Jane, and after fighting with her bully cousin John Reed, Jane’s aunt imprisons Jane in a room where Jane’s uncle died. There, she has a hysterical fit when she thinks she sees her uncle’s ghost appearing. After this, Jane’s aunt sends her away to a religious boarding school where Jane grows up later to become a governess. The governess job that Jane accepts is to tutor a little French girl, Adéle Varens, at a country house called Thornfield. Jane goes there and meets the mysterious owner, Mr. Rochester. Jane likes Thornfield, although she is partly disturbed by the eerie laughter coming from a locked room on the third floor.

#3: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)

It is a truth universally acknowledged that everyone knows this classic love story. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett have five unmarried daughters and a very small fortune. Because of the English property law, the girls and Ms. Bennet will be kicked out of the house when Mr. Bennet dies. Then enters rich, single Mr. Bingley and his friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Jane, the eldest of the Bennet sisters takes a liking to Mr. Bingley, but it is Elizabeth Bennet who openly detests Mr. Darcy. It is these first impressions that are never quite really what they seem.

#4: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1847) 

When Mr. Earnshaw, brings home orphaned Heathcliff to Wuthering Heights, tensions are spurred amongst the Earnshaw children. Hindley Earnshaw detests Heathcliff, while his younger sister, Catherine quickly comes to love him. As Catherine and Heathcliff become inseparable, Hindley’s bitterness for Heathcliff grows when he learns that his father prefers Heathcliff’s company to his own. But after the death of Mr. Earnshaw, things take turn for the worse. Hindley forces Heathcliff into a life of servitude while Catherine’s interests pique when she is introduced to Edgar Linton, whose estate neighbors that of Wuthering Heights.

#5: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (1814) 

A timid girl named Fanny Price comes to live with her wealthy relatives, the Bertrams, at Mansfield Park when she’s just ten years old. Fanny grows up very shy and is often ignored and treated unkindly by her two cousins and her uncle. As the years go by, a wealthy brother and sister, Henry and Mary Crawford, move to a nearby house and shake things up when they come to visit Mansfield Park. Julia and Maria, Fanny’s cousins fall both madly in love with Henry, while Mary Crawford shows some interest in Edmund Bertram, Fanny’s cousin and the person whom she is in love with. Love triangles and quadrangles start spinning, and Fannie and the rest of the Bertrams must find a way to untangle themselves from the whole ordeal.

#6: Shirley by Charlotte Bronte

The story starts with Robert Moore, a mill-owner in Yorkshire, who faces violent oppositions from his workers. He is loved by his cousin Caroline and to some extent does return her affection but is too practical to indulge in marriage with her due to his financial situation. As Caroline falls into despair, and Robert struggles to save his mill, enters Shirley Keelder. Young, beautiful, spirited and rich, she comes to the Yorkshire neighborhood and evidently strikes up a friendly relationship with Caroline. However, with the arrival of the affluent Shirley, the entire Yorkshire community expects her to marry Robert and to save him from financial ruin. But can Shirley accept Robert without ruining her new friendship with Caroline?
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#7: Emma by Jane Austen (1815)

Jane Austen is a woman of many talents. She can deliver a biting social commentary, she can reduce anyone to fits of giggles, and (more importantly) she knows how to write a great love story. Austen’s timeless classic, Emma, is about a young matchmaker who does not believe that she, herself, will ever find (or need) love. When we first meet Emma Woodhouse, she realizes that she is quite good at playing matchmaker. She convinces her governess and friend, Ms. Taylor, to marry Mr. Weston. From this, she thinks that she is gifted as a matchmaker, soon turning her talents to others that she knows. Hilarity ensues with zany schemes, terrible misunderstandings, gossip gone awry and an attractive pull towards the respectable Mr. Knightly.

#8: Villette by Charlotte Bronte (1853) 

When Lucy Snowe, an educated young Englishwoman, is left in destitute after the death of her mysterious family, she takes herself on a blind, daring trip to the kingdom of Labassecour, where she lands herself a job in the small town of Villette. She becomes a nursery governess to the three daughters of the proprietress of a large school for girls. When she grows increasingly closer to the school’s literature teacher, M. Paul, Lucy must first confront herself with her past, which is slowly seeping into the once quiet neighborhood of Villette.

#9: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (1817) 

When voracious reader, Catherine Morland is invited to accompany their family friends in Bath, she meets and befriends two families: the scheming Thorpes and the wealthy, educated Tilneys. Upon meeting the charming and witty Henry Tilney at a ball, Catherine quickly develops a crush on him, all while Catherine’s new friend, Isabella tries to pair Catherine up with her rude and overbearing brother, John. When the Tilney family requests Catherine to join them at their home at Northanger Abbey, Catherine can’t help but be curious about the place. But with her love and knowledge of Gothic novels, Catherine begins to confuse fiction with reality when she begins to make deadly  assumptions after hearing about Mrs. Tilney’s death.

#10: Madame Bovary by Gustave Falubert (1856)

After the death of his first wife, dull Charles Bovary is in search of a new wife. When he meets the gorgeous and exciting Emma Rouault, he ends up marrying her, unaware of the the romantic fantasies and ideals his new wife possesses. Within the first few months of their marriage, Emma grows excessively bored of her new life and longs for the opulent lifestyle of balls and aristocrats. As she continues to compare her fantasies to the humdrum reality of her life, the young couple moves to Yonville, a slightly larger town in an attempt to counteract Emma’s slowly growing depression. But upon their arrival to Yonville, does Emma encounter two men whom she harbors overwhelming emotions for, evidently leading to her ultimate demise. 
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#11: Persuasion by Jane Austen (1817)

Eight years ago, a young Captain Wentworth and the middle Elliot daughter, Anne, fell in love. After dating for only a few months, the two of them decided that they wanted to get married. But Wentworth’s service in the navy, however, didn’t give him enough of a steady income or social status to please Anne’s family. Eventually, the rest of the Elliot family persuaded Anne to break off her short-lived engagement to Wentworth, leaving Anne heartbroken. Now, the Elliots of Kellynch Hall, are in financial trouble, and in a last ditch effort to save themselves from debt move to Bath in the hopes of increasing their income. But before they move, Anne runs into no other than the one and only Captain Wentworth, back with a massive fortune.   

#12: Lorna Doone by R.D. Blackmore (1869)

When John Ridd – a member of the now outlawed Doone family in Somerset, England – falls hopelessly in love with Lorna, he is forlorn to learn that she is betrothed to the son of the Doone heir, Carver. Carver is cruel, menacing and will do everything in his power to force the marriage on Lorna once he comes into his inheritance. Seized by his love and curiosity of adventure, John helps Lorna escape, and together they embark on an journey throughout the English countryside that ultimately climaxes into heartrending violence between the Doones, and John himself.

#13: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1869)

When their father leaves to fight in the Civil War, four teenage sisters and their mother must strive to support their family in their new New England neighborhood. Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March all contribute to maintaining a stable household, and in the process become close friends with their wealthy neighbor, Theodore Laurence (or “Laurie” as the March sisters call him). The theme of love is everywhere in Little Women. Not just romantic love, but also more abstract affections, such as the love of country or the love of religion. At least love in Alcott’s novel has the ability to sweeten any sour situation. Even if that situation happens to be a love triangle between Jo, Laurie and the respectable Professor Bhaer.  

#14: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1877)

In 1874, in Imperial Russia, the aristocratic Anna Karenina travels from Saint Petersburg to Moscow to save the marriage of her brother Prince Oblonsky, who had a love affair with his housemaid. Anna Karenina, however is stuck in a loveless marriage with her husband, Count Alexei Karenin, a match that was primarily held in place by the dictates of society. But when Anna meets the dashing cavalry officer, Count Vronsky, she readily abandons her husband and son for the sake of illicit passion. Far from being an ennobling force, Anna and Vronsky’s love leads to chaos, ruin and eventually to a certain character’s doomed demise.

#15: The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James (1881)

After the death of her father, Isabel Archer – young, beautiful, and exceedingly intelligent – travels to England with her eccentric aunt, Mrs. Touchett. Isabel is ambitious and wants to assert her own unique self in life. She greatly values her independence and understands that if she were to marry, she would be sacrificing her freedom. So she asserts her freedom when she turns down two offers of marriage. The first is from the the powerful Casper Goodwood and the second is from Lord Warburton. But when she meets Gilbert Osmond while abroad in Florence, Isabel becomes infatuated with him and debates whether to risk her own independence for him.

#16: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (1920)

Through a critical eye, Wharton narrates a romantic doom by duty in 1870s “Old New York.” The story follows Newland Archer, a lawyer who is engaged to May Welland. Both of them are well-bred, and part of New York’s richest and oldest high society families. But when May’s cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska arrives in the city after fleeing a bad marriage, Newland becomes increasingly infatuated with her. He begins to question if he should risk it all, break off his engagement with May and be with Ellen instead. Yet, Newland understands that if he persues Ellen, his actions would banish them forever from the rigid puritanical society from which they live.

#17: Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence (1928)

If you’re seeking a romance novel that does not fall under the penmanship of Danielle Stelle or E.L. James, try engaging yourself with Lawrence’s writing. In Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Lawrence’s literary prose is something much more than plain “sexy writing.” He focuses in on each of his characters, and explores their own psychological mindsets. Set two years after World War I, the story zeros in on Connie and her husband, Clifford Chatterley. When Clifford returns from the war paralyzed from the waist down, Connie becomes restless. Clifford is incapable of having sex, but he hints to Connie that he would like a child – so long as he does not know who the real father is. Then enters, Oliver Mellors, the estate gamekeeper who soon becomes Connie’s lover. From their very first encounter, Connie begins to adore Mellors, feeling that they have connected on a deeper, sensual level. But as they grow progressively closer, someone from Mellors’ past returns to complicate matters.

#18: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1936)

Margaret Mitchell’s sweeping epic tale of the South begins with Scarlett O’Hara, a narcissistic plantation belle whom – underneath her polished exterior – is a dynamo of unruly impulses. Although her beauty and flirtatious behavior has enchanted almost every young man in the region, Scarlett has her eyes set on marrying Ashley Wilkes. But when she finds out that Ashley is engaged to someone else, does Scarlett’s real love story begin. The Civil War descends upon Scarlett’s hometown. She marries Ashley’s brother-in-law, Charles – just to spite him. Charles dies in the war, leaving Scarlett widowed and pregnant. Oh, and there’s this guy name Rhett Butler who keeps popping up in Scarlett’s life at the most inconvenient times. Yet, as Scarlett tries to pick up the pieces of what was left of her former life after the war, does she find herself being drawn by Rhett’s dashing persona.    

#19: The End of the Affair by Graham Greene (1951)  

Graham Greene’s novel is narrated by Bendrix, a writer who once had an affair with a married woman named Sarah Miles. She ended the affair, and since then, he has lived a bitter existence. Seeing her husband, Henry, spurs Bendrix to hire a private detective, who brings to Bendrix Sarah’s journal and letters. He reads her writings, only to discover that she had ended the affair because she was starting to believe in Catholic values, and with that, came the guilt of having betrayed her husband. However, Bendrix finds this puzzling, since Sarah had previously not believed in God. Just when Bendrix tries to confront Sarah about why she broke off the affair, does she die. In her death, Bendrix starts to examine his own faith as he looks back on how he and Sarah ignited their once passionate romance.

#20: Doctor Zhivago by Bori Pasternak (1957)

While serving in the war, Doctor Yury Zhivago meets a nurse named Lara Antipova and falls in love with her. Lara’s husband, Pasha, has gone missing in the war and is ultimately presumed dead. But rather than have an affair with Lara, Zhivago stays true to his wife, Tonya and heads back home when the fighting is over. But everything changes when the Bolshevik Revolution has taken hold of Russia. Yury serves as a field doctor until he cannot stand the war any longer. He deserts when the Red Army fights a decisive battle with the White Army and wins the civil war. Then when Yury returns to his hometown he runs into no other than Lara, herself.   

#21: Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer (1972)

Set in the Regency era of England, a wealthy, beautiful and intelligent Annis Wychwood has decided to move to Bath. But to the displeasure of her family, she has announced that she will be living alone. Then arrives Lucilla Carleton. Lucilla is running away to Bath to avoid her marriage to Ninian Elmore, a marriage that her family greatly favors but Lucilla detests. Thus, Annis finds herself embroiled in the affairs of the pretty runaway heiress, and with that Lucilla’s uncivil guardian, Mr. Oliver Carleton. But Annis’s friendship with Lucilla has it’s own consequences. Among them, the conflicting emotions she feels for Oliver Carleton.

#22: The Princess Bride by William Goldman (1973)

The story begins with the beautiful Buttercup who lives on a farm. She is one of the most beautiful women in the world and tends to spend most of her days bossing around a poor farmhand named, Wesley who works on her land. Long story short, Buttercup realizes that she’s actually in love with Wesley and Wesley feels the same way. But before they can get married, Wesley insists that he makes his fortune in America so that they can later be together. Buttercup promises to be faithful but is devastated to when she learns that Wesley’s ship has been attacked by the infamous Dread Pirate Roberts and presumes him to be dead. Meanwhile, Prince Humperdinck is in search of a bride and comes across Buttercup. Enticed by her beauty and convinced that Wesley is gone forever, the two get engaged. But when Wesley reappears – very much alive – he enlists the help of a swordsman named Inigo and giant named Fezzik to rescue Buttercup from her loveless engagement before it’s too late.  

#23: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Márquez (1985)

It has officially been fifty-one years, nine months and four days since Fermina Daza turned down hopeless romantic Florentino Ariza’s impassioned advances. Instead, she has married Dr. Juvenal Urbino, the City of Viceroy’s most esteemed doctor. But regardless of the many women whom had loved him, Florentino has sworn his eternal love solely for Fermina and hopes for the day when he may court her again. When Fermina’s husband accidentally dies, Florentino sees the doctor’s death as his chance to declare his enduring love to the now widowed Fermina. Richly passionate, and a love story that stretches multiple decades at its center, Márquez’s acclaimed novel delves into the myths we create about love, and their power over us.

#24: Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (1597)

It wouldn’t be a complete classical romance list without Romeo and Juliet. You know how it goes. The story takes place in Verona. There’s a feud between the Montague and the Capulet families. Romeo (a Montague) falls for the beautiful Juliet (Capulet). There’s a miscommunication. And then everything goes downhill from there with disastrous consequences (spoiler alert!) Call it romantic or tragic, but Shakespeare’s play evokes idealized sentimental love between two star-crossed individuals and follows through on all of the necessary romantic tropes (e.g. love at first sight, love conquers all). But some have argued that it’s in fact the play’s tragic ending that makes the story all the more alluring.

#25: A Room with a View, E.M. Forster (1908)

When Lucy Honeychurch and her cousin, Charlotte Bartlett vacation to Florence, Italy together, the two women are displeased with their rooms. But when a pair of unconventional guests, Mr. Emerson and his son, George, offer to switch rooms with them, does it spark a unrestrained attraction between Lucy and George. However, this is the Edwardian era, and boundaries of social class dominate each of the characters. Just when Lucy is tempted to follow her emotions, she and George witness a dramatic murder in a Florence square that irreversibly changes not just their views of the social rules that they abide by, but their feelings for each other as well.

#26: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare (1605)

Lysander loves Hermia, and Hermia loves Lysander. Helena loves Demetrius; Demetrius used to love Helena but now loves Hermia. In his second most notorious romantic play, Shakespeare introduces the human world intersecting with the realm of magic. But when Hermia is forced to marry Demetrius instead of Lysander, they run away together into the woods. From there, other romantic entanglements are abound in the woods, mostly performed by the mischievous fairies. 

#27: The Blue Castle, L.M. Montgomery (1926)

The story follows Valancy Stirling, who, at the age of twenty-nine, discovers that she has a fatal heart condition. With this news, she vows to live her life to the fullest for the first time. She starts living and experiencing everything she has always dreamed of having in life. She no longer cares for what her controlling and stifling family members think about her, and as she expands her horizons, Valancy makes her first step towards independence by landing a job as a caretaker of one of her former schoolmates who is dying of consumption. While living there, Valancy suddenly becomes close with that of the mysterious Barney Snaith. With time running out, Valancy has to make the decision whether to live out the rest of her life quietly, or to act upon her feelings for Barney.   

​#28: Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare (1602)

The play opens when Viola finds herself shipwrecked after a violent storm off the coast of Illyria. In the process, she has lost her twin brother, Sebastian, and must disguise herself as a boy for protection. She becomes the a page in the service of Duke Orsino. But the Duke is spurned by the love he has for Countess Olivia. Olivia has forsworn all men after the death of her brother and has constantly rebuffed his advances multiple times. That is, until she meets Viola (disguised as a boy), and falls madly in love with her.

See? Who needs a Valentine when you have books? 

​And chocolate!