Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

What are romance novels on the List?

Romance Genre

A romance novel or romantic novel is a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." There are many subgenres of the romance novel, including fantasy, gothic, contemporary, historical romance, paranormal fiction, and science fiction. (From Wikipedia)

Romance -- Boxall Bookshelf

Under construction

Mansfield Park
Persuasion
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Wuthering Heights
Rebecca
War and Peace
Emma

Camilla
Evelina

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Jane Eyre
Shirley
Villette
Agnes Grey

North and South
Wives and Daughters
Mary Barton

Lady Chatterley's Lover
A Room with a View
Little Women
A Town Like Alice
Memoirs of a Geisha

All right!! Great suggestions!

I’m not sure about Gone with the Wind. I think of it more as Historical Fiction but GR lists it as Romance as well.

Possession
Like Water for Chocolate
The Age of Innocence

I’m literally scrolling through my list going “Oooo. That was lovely!”

A Tale of Two Cities, A Farewell to Arms, and For Whom the Bell Tolls count as romances to my mind, even though they seem to be viewed more as historical fiction.

The Great Gatsby
Candide
Anna Karenina

Lolita is technically classified as romance, even though it reads more like horror.

I can think of a lot that contain romance but not sure if they are "romance" books. Three I would add are:

Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon
The Female Quixote
Of Love and Shadows

On Love by Alain de Botton could be added here too.