Skip to content

Top Navigation

Martha Stewart Martha Stewart
  • FOOD
  • HOLIDAYS
  • ENTERTAINING
  • HOME
  • GARDENING
  • CLEANING & ORGANIZING
  • WEDDINGS
  • SHOP
  • DIY
  • BEAUTY & WELLNESS
  • LIFE
  • NEWS
  • MARTHA'S BLOG
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Martha's Blog
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Your Content
  • Logout

More

  • Enter to Win $10,000 to Makeover Your Home!
  • Martha's Blog
  • Weddings
Login
Pin FB

Explore Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart Martha Stewart
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 7 Things to Do in the Morning to Be Healthier and More Productive

      7 Things to Do in the Morning to Be Healthier and More Productive

      Kick-start your day by making habits out of these mood-boosting tips. Read More
    • Should You Refrigerate Bananas?

      Should You Refrigerate Bananas?

      It's one of your favorite fruits, but does it belong on the counter or in the refrigerator? Read More
    • This 3-Ingredient Homemade Weed Killer Uses Vinegar to Safely Remove Pesky Growths from Your Garden

      This 3-Ingredient Homemade Weed Killer Uses Vinegar to Safely Remove Pesky Growths from Your Garden

      A few easy-to-find ingredients are all you need to create a powerful formula that squashes weeds. Read More
  • FOOD

    FOOD

    See All FOOD
    Our 20 Most Popular Recipes for Summer

    Our 20 Most Popular Recipes for Summer

    • Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Drink Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Cooking How-Tos
    • Baking
    • Menu Planning
    • Food News & Trends
    • Wine
    • Mastering the Holiday Meal
    • What's for Dinner
    • All Recipes
  • HOLIDAYS

    HOLIDAYS

    See All HOLIDAYS
    The Most Patriotic Flowers for the Fourth of July, According to Symbolism

    The Most Patriotic Flowers for the Fourth of July, According to Symbolism

    Show your love of country by displaying these varieties on America's birthday.
    • Father's Day
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Hanukkah
    • Christmas
    • New Year's Eve
    • Valentine's Day
    • St. Patricks Day
    • Passover
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
  • ENTERTAINING

    ENTERTAINING

    See All ENTERTAINING
    How to Start Entertaining Friends and Family More Regularly

    How to Start Entertaining Friends and Family More Regularly

    Make gathering with loved ones a priority.
    • Seasonal Entertaining & Decorating
    • Baby Shower Ideas
    • Dinner Party Ideas
    • You're Invited
  • HOME

    HOME

    See All HOME
    We're Putting Up Walls Again—Is the Open Floor Plan on Its Way Out?

    We're Putting Up Walls Again—Is the Open Floor Plan on Its Way Out?

    We asked the experts to weigh in on this popular home design concept.
    • Home Design & Decor
    • Paint Colors & Palettes
    • DIY Home Projects
    • The Well-Kept Home
  • GARDENING

    GARDENING

    See All GARDENING
    A Month-by-Month Hydrangea Care Guide

    A Month-by-Month Hydrangea Care Guide

    Confused about when to do what to your favorite flowering shrubs? We have you covered.
    • Container Gardening
    • Flower Gardens
    • Houseplants
    • Landscaping
    • Vegetable Gardens
  • CLEANING & ORGANIZING

    CLEANING & ORGANIZING

    How to Wash Pillows

    How to Wash Pillows

    They're an essential element of a comfortable bed, so keep yours fresh and in their best shape ever with these expert-approved tips.
    • Cleaning
    • Storage & Organization
    • Laundry & Linens
  • WEDDINGS

    WEDDINGS

    See All WEDDINGS
    Who Pays for What for the Wedding?

    Who Pays for What for the Wedding?

    Get the traditional rules for who pays for the wedding details.
    • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Party
    • Wedding Planning & Advice
    • Wedding Ceremony & Reception
    • Wedding Jewelry
    • Dresses & Style
    • Wedding Beauty & Wellness
    • Wedding Registry
    • Wedding Showers & Parties
    • Love & Marriage
    • Wedding Travel
  • SHOP
  • DIY

    DIY

    See All DIY
    How to Melt and Reuse the Leftover Wax from Candles

    How to Melt and Reuse the Leftover Wax from Candles

    Our easy melt-and-pour method saves the last bit of this home essential.
    • Dyeing
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Kids' Crafts
    • Knitting
    • Paper Crafts
    • Sewing
    • Rescue & Revamp
  • BEAUTY & WELLNESS

    BEAUTY & WELLNESS

    Can Rice Water Really Encourage Hair Growth?

    Can Rice Water Really Encourage Hair Growth?

    This buzzy ingredient is a star player in many new-age hair care products.
    • Beauty
    • Health & Wellness
    • Live Well
  • LIFE

    LIFE

    See All LIFE
    • Family
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • Net Worth
  • NEWS
  • MARTHA'S BLOG
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Martha's Blog
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Your Content
  • Logout

More

  • Enter to Win $10,000 to Makeover Your Home!
  • Martha's Blog
  • Weddings
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. marthastewart.com
  2. Weddings
  3. Wedding Ceremony & Reception
  4. Wedding Décor & Details
  5. 10 Classic Love Stories to Add to Your Summer Reading List
Martha Stewart Weddings

10 Classic Love Stories to Add to Your Summer Reading List

Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Skip gallery slides
Pin
romantic-beach-reads-intro-0715.jpg
Credit: Courtesy of Puffin in Bloom

Swoon-worthy novels that will make you fall in love with love all over again.

Start Slideshow

1 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
romantic-beach-reads-intro-0715.jpg
Credit: Courtesy of Puffin in Bloom

Take a break from planning your wedding—on the beach, by the pool, snuggled beside your sweetie—and remind yourself what the celebration is all about. These classic (and classic-in-the-making) love stories, hand-picked by Entomology of a Bookworm's Kerry McHugh, are full of romance from beginning to happily ever after. If you haven't read them yet, well, what are you waiting for?

1 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

"One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez

romantic-beach-reads-one-hundred-years-solitude-0715.jpg
Credit: Courtesy of Harper Perennial

Considered by many to be the Latin American author's greatest work, One Hundred Years of Solitude

packs seven—yes, seven!—generations of family stories into one beautiful, inspiring novel full of powerful matriarchs and many a romance.

2 of 11

3 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

"The Engagements" by J. Courtney Sullivan

romantic-beach-reads-engagements-0715.jpg
Credit: Courtesy of Vintage
Find Books to Read on Love Before You Get Married

Sullivan's novel weaves together the stories of four unique marriages with the life of Frances Gerety, the (real-life) advertising woman behind the now-famous tagline "A Diamond Is Forever." Through multiple lenses, The Engagements

explores the ups and downs and ins and outs of marriage, in all its many variations and across the generations.

3 of 11

Advertisement

4 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

romantic-beach-reads-jane-eyre-0715.jpg
Credit: Courtesy of Penguin Books

Poor Jane Eyre is faced with one challenge after the next, but her determination keeps her trucking along until she gets the happy ending she deserves. If you're already more than familiar with Jane's trials and tribulations, consider Re Jane

, by Patricia Park, a modern retelling that takes inspiration from Brontë's original story but updates it in surprising ways. Both old and new are tributes to the importance of staying true to one's self in the search for love.

4 of 11

5 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

"Parnassus on Wheels" by Christopher Morley

romantic-beach-reads-parnassus-wheels-0715.jpg
Credit: Courtesy of Melville House
Find Ideas for Books to Read on Your Honeymoon

The Melville House edition of Morley's 1917 novella is compact enough to fit in the pocket of any bag, making it the perfect lightweight on-the-go companion. Don't let its small size deceive you, though: the story of a traveling bookseller and the unexpected love he finds when selling his bookmobile packs a big heart.

5 of 11

6 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

"Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

romantic-beach-reads-americanah-0715.jpg
Credit: Courtesy of Anchor Books

Ifemelu leaves Nigeria, and her first love, Obinze, to go to college in America. In her years abroad, she learns about how to cope with the struggles of immigrant life and what it means to be black for the first time. But above all, she learns how love can be tested but still endure across thousands of miles and decades of time. While the subject matter may seem heavy, Adichie's novel is so engaging that you won't be able to put it down until you find out whether or not the two young lovers find their way back to each other.

6 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

"A Room With a View" by E. M. Forster

romantic-beach-reads-room-with-view-0715.jpg
Credit: Courtesy of Penguin Books

Published in 1908, Forster's novel centers on young Lucy, who is touring Italy with a chaperone in order to see the world. As she falls in love, gets engaged, and travels from Florence to Rome, readers are treated to a will-she-won't-she romance that is at once heartfelt and humorous. It reads like a turn-of-the-century romcom, complete with absurd coincidences and biting humor.

7 of 11

8 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

"Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell

romantic-beach-reads-gone-with-wind-0715.jpg
Credit: Courtesy of Simon & Schuster

Mitchell's epic story of the South before, during, and after the Civil War has been hailed by some as the greatest love story of all time—and rightly so. Though tinged with heartbreak and heartache, the romance between Scarlett and Rhett may be one of the most powerful of its kind.

8 of 11

9 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

"The Red Notebook" by Antoine Laurain

romantic-beach-reads-red-notebook-0715.jpg
Credit: Courtesy of Gallic Books

The Red Notebook

recounts the missed-connection love story of Laurent Letellier, a Parisian bookseller who finds a woman's purse on the sidewalk and is determined to return it to its owner. What starts as a good neighborly deed turns into something more as Laurent reads the small red notebook he finds in the purse and is desperate to meet the purse's owner. The novella, translated from the original French, is clever and charming and a delight to devour.

9 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

"Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

romantic-beach-reads-little-women-0715.jpg
Credit: Courtesy of Puffin in Bloom

If you haven't read Little Women

since childhood, it's time to revisit it as an adult. The story of four sisters explores the strength of family bonds and friendship and romantic love—there's more than one marriage in the mix. The combination of a good story and a heavy dose of nostalgia will sweep you up in the lives of the March sisters.

10 of 11

11 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

"Middlemarch" by George Eliot

romantic-beach-reads-middlemarch-0715.jpg
Credit: Courtesy of Penguin Books

If you're the type to pack War and Peace in your tote, Middlemarch

may just be the challenge for you. Eliot's novel weighs in at over 800 pages, but it's well worth the effort if you're willing to stick with it. The novel explores the female identity and the subject of marriage in particular, and its mix of good and bad unions provides both entertainment and education alike. Bonus: If you love the novel, or love the idea that novels can be powerful forces in our lives, consider picking up

My Life in Middlemarch

by Rebecca Mead as a second course.

11 of 11

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    `
    Martha Stewart Weddings
    View All
    • How to Get More Bang for Your Honeymoon Buck
    • Prince Charles Reportedly Got Emotional When He Met His Granddaughter Lilibet for the First Time
    • This Couple's Farm Wedding Perfectly Blended Rustic and Modern Aesthetics
    • What Is a "Volunteer-Moon" and How to Decide If You Should Take One
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 11
    2 of 11 "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez
    3 of 11 "The Engagements" by J. Courtney Sullivan
    4 of 11 "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
    5 of 11 "Parnassus on Wheels" by Christopher Morley
    6 of 11 "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    7 of 11 "A Room With a View" by E. M. Forster
    8 of 11 "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell
    9 of 11 "The Red Notebook" by Antoine Laurain
    10 of 11 "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
    11 of 11 "Middlemarch" by George Eliot

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Martha Stewart

    Learn More

    • Contact Us
    • Customer Service
    • Media Kit
    • Martha's Blog
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing
    • FAQ
    • Corporate
    • International
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithMartha Stewart is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Martha Stewart. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.marthastewart.com

    Sign in

    View image

    10 Classic Love Stories to Add to Your Summer Reading List
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.