If anyone followed my blogathon series “Favorite Fictional Couples,” you’ll know that I claimed to read books that didn’t have the rather lovey-dovey(ness) found in the shows I watch. Well, I was wrong. So here’s a short list of the couples that I absolutely adored from inside of the books. And the books themselves are worth reading, so look into that, too.

Darcy and Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
This feisty couple personifies what has become the “Mulder and Scully relationship.” They hate each other at the beginning, but grudgingly fall in love when they realize nothing will stop their incorrigible feelings. When characters put aside their arrogance for each other, I let out an audible “ahhh.”

Lou Dimes and Candy from A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest Gaines
People should not pick up A Gathering of Old Men expecting to read a romance novel. It’s not. It’s a story about cultural evolution that follows a now-defunct plantation, where the old Black men are waiting to get revenge on an equally old white man. The book is poignant. Candy, an over-protective white girl, finally realizes she needs to move on from protecting the Blacks who don’t need her. Lou Dimes, her boyfriend and local reporter, almost gets fed up with Candy. But they stick together, without so much as saying “I love you.”

Cal and Min from Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
I don’t think I would have picked up this book if I hadn’t seen Jenny Crusie speak at a writing conference. After all, the cover screams “gushy romantic, slightly-naughty.” And you know, chick lit is not known for its originality. However, the book is humorous, and the two main characters, neither of whom really believe in ever-lasting love, find themselves thrown together by Fate. And boy, is Fate adamant in this one.

Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado about Nothing by William Shakespeare
The fast banter in Much Ado about Nothing almost makes the play modern. Beatrice and Benedick have their wits about them, and they also grudgingly fall for each other. They have an interest in each other from the beginning, but when their friends attempt to entangle them in a love trap, they have little way to struggle out of it. If you can, watch the movie version. I find it especially hilarious how they cast Keanu Reeves and Denzel Washington as half-brothers.

Guy Montag and Clarisse from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
I adore this book. And no, I don’t mean to insinuate that Guy Montag and Clarisse actually had some kind of sexual tension. I just liked the fact that he found someone who helped him guide his way through the odd feelings that he battled. I was just upset that Clarisse died, that the society managed to get to her.

Keep in mind that I actually read a lot more than this shows. However, many of the books I read have doomed couples or are just plain depressing. They’re wonderful books, just not fit for this list.

So, to my dear readers whom I know exist, what couples from the depths of your novels do you like the best? I’ll compile a list that I will post in a week.

Posted on September 4th, 2006 by Joy
Filed under: Books, Couples, Uncategorized