Tag Archive for: realistic couples in literature

Top Ten Tuesday: My Top Ten Favorite Realistic Couples in Literature

top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is “All About Romance Tropes/Types — top ten favorite hate-to-love romances (from books or movies or tv), top ten favorite (or least favorite) instalove romances, favorite slow-burn romances, favorite starcrossed lovers, etc. etc. Can go so many ways with this one).”

Okay, so I actually groaned a little bit when I read this week’s topic since romance isn’t really my thing when it comes to reading. I don’t like love triangles, instalove, or basically any romantic situation that I see as a distraction from the main storyline of a book.

That said, what I do very much enjoy are realistic portrayals of relationships – the slow build from strangers to friends to lovers, or maybe even from hate at first sight to friendship to something more. I love witty banter, fights, going through tough times together and coming out stronger than ever, or maybe even a couple drifting apart and eventually finding their way back to each other. I even love reading just the evolution of an established relationship over time.  So yeah, realism is definitely my thing when it comes to romance.  So what I went with for this week’s special Valentine’s Day Top 10 edition are my Top Ten Favorite Realistic Couples in Literature.  I think each of my selections in some way embodies what I’ve just described in terms of a realistic relationship.  As you’ll see, Jane Austen’s novels figure prominently in my list as I consider her to be one of the masters of creating a realistic relationship.

MY TOP 10 FAVORITE REALISTIC COUPLES IN LITERATURE

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1. BENEDICT AND BEATRICE

from Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

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2. ELIZABETH BENNETT AND FITZWILLIAM DARCY

from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

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3. RON WEASLEY AND HERMIONE GRANGER

from the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

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4. AUGUSTUS AND HAZEL

from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

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5. ELINOR DASHWOOD AND EDWARD FERRARS

from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

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6. WILL TRAYNOR AND LOUISA CLARK

from Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

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7. IFEMULU AND OBINZE

from Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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8. ANNE ELLIOTT AND FREDERICK WENTWORTH

from Persuasion by Jane Austen

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9.  CINDER AND KAI

from Cinder by Marissa Meyer

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10.  ELEANOR AND PARK

from Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

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Question:  What literary couples do you find to be the most realistic?