Happy Valentine’s Day!! I was recently asked who my favorite fictional couple was and it got me to thinking. One, can I pick a favorite couple? And two, who would I have to choose from? There were of course the typical couples; Romeo and Juliet, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Elinor Dashwood and Edward Ferrars, and of course Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. Of course I considered all of these as classic romances, but I wanted to come up with examples of amazing couples in fiction that weren’t these classic ones. So I wandered into my office and scanned the many books lining the shelves and came up with a list.
DIANA BISHOP AND MATTHEW CLAIRMONT
all souls trilogy by deborah harkness
WHY: Cause, can you really get any more spectacular than a centuries old vampire devoted to loving a witch he is forbidden to love? Like, hello! No but seriously, this couple symbolizes devotion and sacrifice.
SOPHIE HATTER AND HOWL PENDRAGON
world of howl collection by diana wynne jones
WHY: Just when one might think the self-centered magician couldn’t care less about anything or anyone but himself and certainly will never be able to help Sophie, he has actually been realizing that there is something other than himself in the world for a while. The best thing about them is that even when they argue and Howl still remains his frivolous self, both he and Sophie will go to the ends of the world for each other.
NORA AND ARUENDIEL
the thinking woman’s guide to real magic by lily crow barker
WHY: If Pride and Prejudice was set in a world with magicians and danger and Elizabeth was a kind of self-centered english major and Mr. Darcy a scarred and sage magician…I mean it’s like taking the classic couple and making them even more burning! Perils await and so do a lot of unsaid words of affection.
THURSDAY NEXT AND LANDEN PARKE-LAINE
the thursday next series by jasper fforde
WHY: Landen is the most accepting and loving husband I think I have ever read. For one thing, if you love books and have not read this series in general, read it! Also, while their love story might not be a large part of the novels, it is ever present in giving Thursday the constant support she needs given some of the dire situations she gets into. Their relationship is love, unconditional.
BIFF AND JESUS
lamb by christopher moore
WHY: Their friendship spans years, adventure, trials and death. Could someone ever be so accepting and devoted? Biff can. That endurance of friendship, that constant companion at your side, accepting you for what you are or what you believe in and never wavering…isn’t that what we all want.
CELIA BOWEN AND MARCO ALISTAIR
the night circus by erin morgenstern
WHY: Star crossed lovers, nothing gets better. The growth of this love that overcomes hatred and the sacrifice that they both are willing to make so as not to harm the other is not perhaps the lengthy love story that some may like but it is the kind of love that burns like a shooting star.
IDA MACLAIRD AND MIDAS
the girl with glass feet by ali shaw
WHY: The setting for this story is absolutely gorgeous and tragic but the fairy tale like quality catapults this fairy tale like love story forward. A unique sickness that will inevitably end a life, falling in love and having to stand by and watch, not being able to stop it; now that takes some strong love. The ending image of this novel is so incredibly beautiful and poetic that even with the awfulness it provides a sense of hope.
MEG AND CALVIN
the time quintet by madeleine l’engle
WHY: When you’re weird and don’t fit in and a teenager and then you happen to have some very strange incidences which involve traveling through space and time and this guy sticks by your side! Awesome! Such an underrated love story contained within this magical series that has touched so many with it’s adventure and characters, the love story between Meg and Calvin only make them better.
So, who would I pick? Ugh! Must I? I think I’ll go with all of them. Sorry.
But, I’ll play a little game and say my relationship is most like Thursday Next and Landen Parke-Laine. I was most devastated by the ending of The Real Woman’s Guide to Practical Magic, (though I know we will get to see more because there will be a second novel!!!!). The most magical is Sophie and Howl. The most legendary is for sure Matthew Clairmont and Diana Bishop. So while I can’t pick a favorite, I think that is a good thing because love is too varied and there is no way to just pick one great fictional couple.
Happy Valentine’s Day and may you all find great love!
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