With love being in the air, thought I’d take a moment to reflect on some of my all time favourite romantic books and films.
In the book realm, first honours would definitely go to The Bronze Horseman! Never before have I been so in love with a male character (one word: Shura) or so deeply affected by a love story that I had to keep reading until 4am – and then get out of bed to fish desperately for the sequel Bridge to Holy Cross which I had bought ready to read next – I had to make sure they saw each other again ha! The moment when I cracked and the tears first flowed was when Tatiana said, Jag alskar dig Alexander – because I recognised it as being Swedish for I love you thanks to the year I went to stay with my best friend in beautiful Linkoping, Sweden, one of my favourite places in the world. Paullina Simons, no one can write epic romance like you!
#2 would have to go to One Day by David Nicolls. I read it before the film came out, so I had no preconceived notions of the characters. Such a beautiful and poignant story, I loved if for its aching realness. The ending was absolutely masterful. You could relate to these characters and the way they bounced in and out of each others’ lives – after all ladies we’ve all had one that go away haven’t we?
I’m a sucker for historical fiction, so my #3 would then be The Dalriada Trilogy by Jules Watson, beginning with The White Mare. Beautifully written, and Eremon is my second favourite leading man in the fiction world. Jules Watson was also the first author to kindly respond to an email I once sent asking her for advice on writing and publishing. This was before Facebook and Twitter became ever-present in our lives, so I can’t tell you how hugely exciting it was to receive an email from a real author!
Meanwhile, over in the film realm, well there’s really no going past Pretty Woman is there? This movie made me love the name Edward long before a certain fanged one became famous 😛 Whilst I was in holidays in LA a few years ago, I went on one of those cheesy double decker hop-on-hop-off bus tours (my all time best recommendation for seeing any city on your first day there to get your bearings and cross off all the sightseeing spot essentials!) and when we stopped in Rodeo Drive they pointed out the now famous boutique Boulmiche from the scene where they won’t serve her is a real business and is still operating today. I didn’t manage to go inside though – Big Mistake. Big. HUGE. 😛
Charisse Nicolle 