What book or series has the best love story you've ever read?
By story_forest
It doesn’t really have to turn into a romance, and definitely not one of those cheap penny-dreadful things with shirtless guys plastered on the cover.
Reader discussion: Love Story
Public reader discussion about Love Story in the WeRead Catalog by Irving E. Cox.
So I read Super Sad True Love Story. Is it just me or does anyone else find the protagonist a clingy asshole?
By simpledragon
I had to read this for my American Comic Novel class. A bunch of it was actually really funny—the whole lexicon/slang thing, and some of the grossly off-style phrase choices (like “just butt-fucking” still gets a laugh out of me, even if it’s totally lowbrow). But overall, yeah, most of the characters felt pretty flat and kind of annoying. Is this Shteyngart trying to say that fast online communication is messing with people and turning everything into sound-bites and catchphrases? Could be, but if that’s what he’s doing, it felt a little too blunt and lazy to me. That said, the trailer is hilarious. He definitely seems smart and like he’s got his finger on the pulse, so I’m probably going to check out Absurdistan since my classmates said it’s way different from SSTLS.
The most deeply romantic book you've read? (not necessarily from the romance genre!)
By Hidden-Cougar
I’m not really hunting for romcom stuff. I want books that feel emotionally deep and/or kind of romantically beautiful. The ending can be happy or heartbreaking, I’m good either way. Also, they don’t even have to be labeled romance. But honestly, a lot of the “romantic” books I’ve tried didn’t really hit the vibe—too much petty miscommunication angst, insta-lust, too fast-paced, stuff like that. A few that totally worked for me: - *Persuasion* by Jane Austen (still my favorite of hers!) - *A Brightness Long Ago* by Guy Gavriel Kay (the prose is gorgeous and the lovers are… tragically romantic) - Weirdly, *A Song of Ice and Fire* by GRRM too. It’s knights and medieval chaos, so he can set up a bunch of romance tropes and then flip them around. Jaime/Brienne especially is a big fave. I did feel a little let down by *The Song of Achilles*, though—like, the writing is great, but Patroclus and Achilles’ relationship felt a bit too underdeveloped to me. ETA: Thanks to everyone for the suggestions! Some of the ones I already had on my TBR just jumped way higher, and I’m really excited to check out a bunch of titles I’d never heard of before.
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By foxEpilogue
This is a place where you can find book recs from other people based on what you ask for. There are also some handy threads like beginner/veteran/expert suggestions, what to read after Harry Potter, books like Game of Thrones, best books from 2019, and stuff like that. Just make sure spoilers are tagged if you’re talking about plot stuff, and don’t post things that aren’t really asking for book suggestions. Also no spam, piracy links, selfies/self promo, or random low-effort stuff.
"Super Sad True Love Story" by Gary Shteyngart - your thoughts?
By Teacup-Happy1988
Has anyone here read this? I think it came out in 2010, and it looks like it’s basically satire or commentary on the whole “Facebook generation” thing. Not sure if it still feels relevant after all these years though—any thoughts?
I think the love story between Arthur Dent and Fenchurch (So Long and Thanks For All The Fish, Douglas Adams) is one of the most beautifully written I've ever read.
By atlas_stone
Honestly, this story really makes it feel like Adams has a ton of talent. There’s this passage that just hits hard and I keep thinking about it. The part where they just look at each other and the moment stretches out feels weirdly real, like time gets hard to measure. And then it’s like Arthur is suddenly seeing everything differently—almost like he’s been in this confined little world and suddenly the door’s open and there’s this whole bigger space outside. I also like how it builds up that he didn’t even know life had a way of talking to you, answering the stuff you’re always wondering about. Like he’s only noticing it now, and the answer he gets is just “yes.”