Romance

"The course of true love never did run smooth," wrote William Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream—and he knew what he was talking about. A text from this study guide collection might be just the thing to remind you of the bliss and pain of love.

Publication year 1794

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Natural World: Appearance & Reality

Tags Classic Fiction, Gothic Literature, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, History: World


Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Romance, Parenting


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Grief / Death, Love / Sexuality, Psychology, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

The Naturals (2013) is a Young Adult suspense novel by American author Jennifer Lynn Barnes. It is the first novel in the Naturals series, which follows Cassie, a teenager with a natural talent for profiling people based on a careful study of their behavior. Cassie meets other teenagers with similar abilities when she joins a special FBI program meant to use their skills to solve murders. Throughout the series, Cassie must also work to solve... Read The Naturals Summary


Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil

Tags History: World, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

The Night Circus tells the story of the rivalry between two different forms of magic—the old and the new—and the competition and love affair between two young magicians who are destined to face each other in a magical duel to the death.The novel opens in 1873, as five year-old Celia Bowen is left at the office of Prospero the Entertainer, her estranged magician father, after her mother’s suicide. Though Prospero does not wish to raise... Read The Night Circus Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Teams

Tags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Military / War, History: World, French Literature, Romance

The Nightingale is a best-selling historical fiction novel written by Kristin Hannah and published in 2015. Hannah is known for her other popular historical fiction works, including Winter Garden (2010) and The Four Winds (2021). The Nightingale, which takes places in France during World War II, was inspired by the life and memoirs of Andrée de Jongh, a Belgian woman who survived the war and organized the Comet Line, an underground effort that allowed countless... Read The Nightingale Summary


Publication year 1888

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Allegory / Fable / Parable, Fantasy, Romance, Irish Literature, Children's Literature, History: World, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Classic Fiction

“The Nightingale and the Rose” is a children’s story by Irish writer Oscar Wilde, included in his 1888 fairy tale collection, The Happy Prince and Other Tales. Like many of the other stories in the collection, “The Nightingale and the Rose” is a fable examining the nature of love and self-sacrifice. “The Nightingale and the Rose” conforms to the simplistic story structure of traditional fairy tales while subverting many of the genre’s norms.This guide refers... Read The Nightingale and the Rose Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Colonialism

Tags Asian Literature, Historical Fiction, Chinese Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Magical Realism, Romance, Fantasy

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo was published in 2020. Like Choo's debut novel, The Ghost Bride (2013), The Night Tiger is a mixture of genres, including mythology and historical fiction, and it is a New York Times bestseller. The Night Tiger chronicles the period between May and July of 1931. The setting is colonial-era Malaysia, or “Malaya.”Plot SummaryChinese house servant Ren, is a 10-year-old orphan who’s mourning the death of his master, Dr. MacFarlane... Read The Night Tiger Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Romance


Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Romance, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction

The Notebook is a 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks. The story centers on the relationship between Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson. Spanning over five decades, their love endures an uncertain beginning, the onset and conclusion of World War II, the death of one child, and Allie’s eventual diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Sparks is also the New York Times best-selling author of A Walk to Remember (1999), Dear John (2006), The Longest Ride (2012), Safe Haven... Read The Notebook Summary


Publication year 1988

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Latin American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classical Period, Romance, Classic Fiction

The Old Man Who Read Love Stories, an ecological novel by Chilean writer Luis Sepúlveda, first published in Spain in 1989. Peter Bush’s English translation published in America in 1993. This story is a parable about the encroachment and ecological consequences of non-native humans, especially hunters, gold prospectors, and politicians, on the Ecuadoran rainforest. The novel won Spain’s Tigre Juan Prize. Sepúlveda has written 16 books and four screenplays, directing two of them for the... Read The Old Man Who Read Love Stories Summary


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Romance, Psychological Fiction, Relationships, Technology, Love / Sexuality, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt

Tags LGBTQ, Romance, Arts / Culture, Grief / Death, Health / Medicine, Love / Sexuality, Mental Illness, Parenting, Relationships, Religion / Spirituality, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Life/Time: The Future, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Society: Nation

Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, Romance, Auto/Biographical Fiction

The Other Boleyn Girl (2001) is a historical women’s fiction novel by British author and journalist Philippa Gregory. Gregory first reached bestseller status with her debut historical novel Wideacre (1987). The Other Boleyn Girl won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association and was adapted into a film. The novel is narrated by Mary, the Boleyn daughter whose more famous sister, Anne, has overshadowed her in the historical record. Mary... Read The Other Boleyn Girl Summary


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Historical Fiction, Science / Nature, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Romance


Publication year 1994

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Teams

Tags Business / Economics, Leadership/Organization/Management, Psychology, Psychology, Romance, Self Help


Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Romance, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Depression / Suicide, Relationships, Trauma / Abuse / Violence

The Pact: A Love Story (1998) by Jodi Picoult tells the story of teens Emily Gold and Chris Harte who enter into a pact to die by suicide. Emily’s death has taken place by the novel’s opening, but Chris is swiftly charged with her murder. As the novel unfolds, the complicated dynamics of the lives of the teens—lifelong best friends who grew up next door to one another—are presented. The nature of the “pact” that... Read The Pact Summary


Publication year 1925

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Self Discovery, Society: Colonialism, Relationships: Marriage

Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Classic Fiction, History: World, Chinese Literature

The Painted Veil (1925) is the 11th novel by British novelist and playwright William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965). He obtained the title from the opening lines of an untitled sonnet by British Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, posthumously published in 1824: “Lift not the painted veil which those who live / Call Life” (Shelley, Percy Bysshe. “Lift Not the Painted Veil.” 1824. Reprint. The Reader, 6 Feb. 2017. Accessed 17 Jul. 2022). The novel originally appeared... Read The Painted Veil Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender

Tags Romance, LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction, Love / Sexuality, Humor


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Mothers, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Family

Tags Relationships, Romance, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Humor