Valentine's Day Reads: The Theme of Love

Our Valentine's Day Reads: The Theme of Love Collection features titles centered on love and all of its complexities. This Collection represents authors who have grappled with romantic, familial, and other forms of love through writing. With titles ranging from contemporary romance picks to works by Shakespeare, this Collection has something to offer any reader who has ever lost or found love.

Machines Like Me

by Ian McEwan

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Birth, Appearance & Reality, Community, Family, Friendship, Love, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Technology, Love & Sexuality, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Madame Butterfly

by Giacomo Puccini

Publication year 1904

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Love, Colonialism

Tags Music, Drama, Italian Literature, Romance

Madam Butterfly is the English adaptation of the tragic Italian opera Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini. It opened in Milan in 1904, and the orchestral score was first published in 1906 by Giulio Ricordi. Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa wrote the libretto (text of the opera). Puccini based his opera on the play by David Belasco and story by John Luther Long, as well as the novel Madame Chrysanthème by Pierre Loti. These sources, and... Read Madame Butterfly Summary

Maeve Fly

by CJ Leede

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Gender Identity, Good & Evil

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Psychological Fiction

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Magic Hour

by Kristin Hannah

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Grief, Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery, Community

Tags Romance, Dramatic Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

by Helen Simonson

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Family, Race, Grief, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Death, Social Class, Colonialism, Equality

Tags Romance, British Literature, Historical Fiction

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is a contemporary comedy of manners written by English-born author Helen Simonson, exploring the tensions that erupt in a conservative English village when a respected widower, Major Pettigrew, falls in love with Mrs. Ali, a Pakistani shopkeeper’s widow. While the Major longs for companionship with the gracious and sensible Mrs. Ali, he must also navigate conflicts with his self-absorbed son, the changing economy of rural English life, and the melodrama unfolding... Read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand Summary

Manfred

by Lord George Gordon Byron (Lord Byron)

Publication year 1817

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Memory, Guilt, Love

Tags Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Romanticism, British Literature, Gothic Literature, World History, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Written in 1816-1817 by the British poet Lord George Gordon Byron, Manfred is a closet drama, meaning that Byron never intended it to be produced onstage despite writing it in the style of a play in verse, with dialogue parts for various characters. The work centers on the guilt of the eponymous Manfred over his tragically flawed romantic relationship with a woman named Astarte. Many critics believe that Manfred and Astarte’s relationship is implied to... Read Manfred Summary

Mansfield Park

by Jane Austen

Publication year 1814

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Gender Identity, Love, Conflict

Tags Classic Fiction, World History, Regency Era, Romance, Historical Fiction, British Literature

Mansfield Park (1814) is the third novel by English novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817). Set in Regency-era England, Mansfield Park is a bildungsroman, charting the life of Fanny Price from childhood to adulthood. At the age of 10, Fanny is sent from her poverty-stricken home to live with her wealthy uncle and aunt, Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram. The narrative follows the protagonist’s struggles adjusting to life at Mansfield Park, her moral challenges, and her secret... Read Mansfield Park Summary

Maria Chapdelaine

by Louis Hémon

Publication year 1913

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Love, Family, Colonialism, Community, Nation, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

Maria Chapdelaine (1916) is a novel by Breton author Louis Hémon. Maria Chapdelaine tells the story of its titular protagonist, a young woman who lives on her family’s farm in a remote stretch of Québec wilderness. Against the backdrop of a brutal and unpredictable climate, Maria must choose between three suitors who each represent different lifestyles: A trapper, a farmer, and a factory worker who has emigrated to the United States. Hémon explores The Hardships... Read Maria Chapdelaine Summary

Masters of Death

by Olivie Blake

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Death, Future, Teamwork, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror & Suspense, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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Maurice

by E. M. Forster

Publication year 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Sexual Identity, Shame & Pride, Social Class

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Arts & Culture, Social Class, Love & Sexuality, British Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Maurice (1971) is a coming-of-age novel and love story by English author E. M. Forster. Like much of Forster’s work, it straddles the realist and modernist eras; stylistically, it resembles the literature of the 19th century, but its themes—in particular, its depiction of unconscious experience—anticipate the work of writers like Virginia Woolf and D. H. Lawrence. Drafted between 1913 and 1914, it was not published until 1971—one year after Forster’s death—because of its subject matter;... Read Maurice Summary

Maybe Next Time

by Cesca Major

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Hope, Joy, Love, Memory, Midlife, Daughters & Sons, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Romance, Fantasy

... Read Maybe Next Time Summary