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There is a genre entitled 'Romance', but this only captures one selection of books that contain stories of love, lust, heartbreak, loss, romance, sexual tension, etc. In some circles, stories of romance are dismissed or mislabeled as "trashy romance." This month, instead of focusing on one author, we are recognizing those who write stories of love.
As far back as Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, love stories have captured the hearts of readers. Themes, such as star-crossed lovers, continue to attract millions of readers. A recent example is the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer. What is it about love stories that sustain through generations? One can suppose it all revolves around the numerous emotions invoked in the readers and humanity's desire to be loved unconditionally.
The box-office success of romantic comedies has led to a new classification of light-hearted fiction - chick lit. Though not all stories in this class revolve around a love story, all contain romantic elements that impact the main characters. These stories are traditionally considered an easy read because the language is, in many cases, conversational in tone. Few stories here have unhappy or unpredictable endings which provide many readers with a comfort that they will be satisfied in the end.
Nicholas Sparks considers himself an author of love stories. Once, it was noted that love stories must contain a full spectrum of emotion throughout the characters' arcs to really be true to readers. All one needs to do is read one book by Sparks to see this principle in action. Not all love stories need to have a happy ending in order to capture the hearts of readers. The knowledge that real love, deep and true, was felt and experienced by the characters, is powerful enough to overcome even the saddest endings, situations, and heartbreaks.
Books classified as literary, mystery, thriller, classics, etc. can all have main storylines of love. Pride and Prejudice is an example where the love story and setting interact to reveal other, deeper social situations and commentary. Sometimes, the love interests can take a back seat to the action, but it is integral to the characters' arcs. Just think how different James Bond's adventures would be without the love interests.
With love and romance a large focus for many people. especially in February, go read a book full of love. Honor the authors that are masters in weaving tales of romance.
Click on our blog to see all of the books we have reviewed.
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