Thursday Three: Favorite Love Stories

I am a sucker for a good love story, but I do not enjoy "Romance" books.  I prefer books with a plot, that just happen to have a side dose of romance.  Smutty bodice rippers are not my style, nor are sappy Nicholas Sparks type stories.  (I haven't actually read any of his books, but the movies completely put me off--with the exception of The Notebook, which I love).  Perhaps I am more of a sap than I realize, but none of my choices today can be considered sappy, I think.  So let us begin with a few of my favorite love stories.  I highly recommend all of them!
1.  The Time Traveler's Wife
I just love this book.  It has gotten mixed reviews.  I love the story, but not the often overly descriptive love scenes.  Henry and Claire's story takes place over a lifetime.  Henry is an unwilling time-traveler; he can't control his jumps.  As an adult, he gets to know the child, Claire, who will grow up to be his wife.  I would love to go back and meet my husband as a child.  Wouldn't that be interesting?  The story is heart wrenching as Henry can disappear at anytime.  He gets to see his family at different ages, but Claire is left alone, not knowing when or even if she will see him again.  It is a marvelous love story in my opinion.
2.  These Is My Words
I can never say enough to recommend this book.  It is such a fabulous story.  The characters are wonderful.  Told in diary/journal form, from the mouth of Sarah Agnes Prine, you get to know this sassy, spunky, spirited girl.  It is based on the author's great-grandmother, set at the end of the 1800s and spanning the American frontier.  There is an epic love story at its heart between Sarah and Captain Jack Elliot, an officer with the cavalry that infiltrates her life as a child and never goes away.  He is an awesome character.  I could go on forever about this book, but the bottom line is: if you haven't read it yet, pick it up now.  You won't regret it.
3.  Gone With The Wind
This is a book I wish wasn't so long because I would reread it in a heartbeat.  The loves story of Scarlet O'Hara and Rhett Butler is know by just about everybody.  I suppose that is to do with the movie, but the characters have become immensely famous.  I wanted to strangle Scarlett most of the time.   Along with the love story, I love the shot of history you get.  Despite how inaccurate it may be from an historical perspective, I love reading books set in other time periods.  The setting is a character in itself, in a way Contemporary novels lack.  This book is filled with intriguing characters, and you can't help but love Rhett (unless you're Scarlett).  If you long for that happy ending, I recommend reading the sequel (Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley).  It's not nearly as good.  It will take some time to get used to the difference in writing (at least it did for me), but I still really enjoyed it as well.  I just loved the original so much I wasn't ready for it to end.