Love In Literature - Part 4

First I need to apologize. Last month I promised a post about Realm Makers and I never delivered. If anyone was looking forward to that, I sincerely apologize. I guess I underestimated how tired a red eye flight would make me, and how out of whack I was the whole conference with getting snippets of sleep here and there. Me and lack of sleep don’t go too well together. It was either: sleep, or write my blog. You can figure out what I chose.

I was planning on putting one together when I got back home, and as soon as I was home I was laid up in bed for a few days, sicker than I’ve been in a while. They call it the Con Crud, and I got it hard. I’m STILL battling it three weeks later. No fun. 

By the time I was feeling even remotely better we had to go on a trip to Kansas, and I had a deadline with something else going on. When I actually got the urge to write my blog about RM, everyone else had already written theirs, and I felt it would be someone irrelevant and anti-climactic at that point. So, I just…didn’t. Oh well.

ONTO THE LOVE STUFF.

Welcome to the fourth and final week of our Love in Literature series.

Who are my favorite literary couples, you ask?

I’ll tell you in a minute, but first, stop on over to Jeb, Robin and Lucy's posts about Love in Literature. I wrap things up this final week of our Love Month with my own favorites.

I’d love to say its Anne and Gil from Anne of Green Gables. But alas, I cannot. Why? Because Anne took FAR too long to figure out she was in love with Gilbert. It was nothing but frustrating to say the least. And while Anne-girl is still one of my all-time favorite literary characters, (and so is Gilbert) their romance took too long for me to enjoy. Gil was obviously smitten with her from the start, but stubborn Anne, well, she just took too dang long to figure out her own feelings. I would have fallen for Gilbert right away.

I could say Jo and Laurie from Little Women (no, I am not copying Jeb here, we just happened to have THE EXACT SAME CHILDHOOD apparently-when it comes to everything we’ve read) but stupid Jo DIDN’T PICK LAURIE. 

How could you Jo?!?!?! HOW???!!!! YOU KILL ME WITH YOUR TREACHERY!!!! 

Laurie was amazing!!! Okay, you get my point. I’ll stop now. But seriously, Jo, that was low. Leading him on like that. Okay, you can slap me now.

My top couple would be Tris and Four from Divergent. I fell in love with them as a couple immediately. (I think it’s called shipping now). I ship TrisFour. Being a YA author I’ve had to figure out all the new ‘in’ lingo the teens are using now. I still sound lame using it though. Oh well, I try.

Tris and Four have this magnetism that just instantly draws readers in. Their chemistry is phenomenal. I love how they connect right away, and make their relationship grow as time goes on.

I don't care much for books where the two love interests hate each other at first and then grow to love each other later. It’s not my thing and I don’t understand it one bit. To me, that’s not real life. If I met someone I hated I wouldn’t stick around long enough to find out if it would eventually turn into love. But as authors, it's one good way to add some major tension into your story. And apparently it is a favorite trope of romance writers. I have nothing against authors using it. And some manage to do it well.

I do however, understand instalove. To me, personally, that is much more realistic. And I know that it drives other people crazy. There are only have a few hundred pages to fill up my love quota. Don’t use it all up on the main characters hating each other.

I love the instalove that Divergent’s Tris and Four provide. Instant *sighs* and heart-stopping kisses. Oh, the kisses. So many kisses. Almost too many. I love how when one was weak the other would be strong, and vise-versa. That’s the way every relationship should be.

My other favorite couple is Hazel and Gus from The Fault in Our Stars. And admittedly, this was one book that I threw across the room in anger, but I still can’t get over how amazing these two are together. Can we say, INSTANT BOND and CHEMISTRY? They were meant for each other. Perfect for one another in every way. 

While there were plenty of things that drove me nuts in the book TFIOS, Hazel and Gus blew me out of the water. Two teens battling cancer together. Being each other’s listening ear and solid rock. Their laughter and sense of humor despite a dire situation. They kept things positive, as much as possible. They weren’t afraid to go against the norm and do life differently. They lived when they could, and they loved with all their strength, even when that strength was ultimately failing. I still will never be able to think of Hazel and Gus without my eyes tearing up.

So those are my favorite literary couples, who are yours? Let us know in the comments below. 

-Deanna