Confessions....

Everyone has their vices, no? Sure, I have a few others.... Dr. Pepper. M&Ms. Sleeping in. But my most embarrassing vice? I love romance novels. If I read strictly for pleasure, without thought of what a steady diet of romance novels (and absence of other fare) would do to me, I would rarely read anything else. Sigh.

But that isn't the worst of it! Gasp. I want idealistic, satisfying endings with emotional closure. I want a dashing hero. I want a morally decent story line. And if that comes at the expense of good writing, it doesn't always matter to me. Hanging head in shame. I know some of you are gagging, but will you still love me?

It started in middle school. I read Janette Oke and Grace Livingston Hill. I still have a weathered copy of Crimson Roses, which I've read a thousand times. I read countless others not worth mentioning (though, luckily, the middle school library was stocked with relatively age-appropriate material). I continued reading romance novels through high school. Oh, sure, it isn't like I didn't read Uncle Tom's Cabin, Les Miserables, The Deerslayer, or The Count of Monte Cristo, but I craved a good romance above anything else.

Over the years, I've developed a healthy appetite for quality literature and non-fiction. But what I'd really love is quality literature with a love story. And a happy ending. So, I've stooped to enjoying stories such as E. P. Roe's From Jest to Earnest, written in 1875. Yes, the author does hit the reader over the head with his message. No, it isn't subtle. Or complex. But, golly, it is sweet. And clean. You know? Or, there's The Harvester, written by Gene Stratton Porter in 1911. If you're looking for a(n unrealistic) guy to swoon over, look no further. Seriously, that is one romantic book. (I can see my mother shaking her head now.) And we can't forget the romance novels of George MacDonald.

What really makes my day, though, is a story that is subtle, complex, full of rich character development, well-written, fascinating, and compelling. With romance and a happy ending. Is that too much to ask? I'm thinking North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (actually, the BBC movies will more than suffice).

Wives and Daughters, also by Gaskell... meh. The movie didn't entrance me (I think I didn't care for the lead actress), and the book was so disappointing at the end. Why didn't anyone tell me that the author died before finishing it?! A romance is nothing without the ending!!

Dark and depressing doesn't do it for me. Wuthering Heights, no thanks. Maybe not even Jane Eyre. (I'll let you know when I re-read it next month.) Tragic doesn't work for me. Open-ended leaves me unhinged. (Think Rebecca.)

The Little French Girl by Anne Douglas Sedgwick is way up there on my list. The epitome of subtle and complex, with diverse and rich characters and situations, the book does not preach. The author doesn't do the thinking for the reader. She weaves a spell. And a satisfying ending. I suppose a more dashing male character would have detracted from the over-all story, so I won't complain.

Okay, this is the point where I ask for suggestions. To re-cap: relatively clean love story, masterfully written (whether modern or classic), complex, subtle, full of rich language and fascinating characters, compelling plot, happy ending. Not too idealistic. No heavy-handed preaching. Not dark, depressing, or tragic. {Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!!!!!!!!!!} Are you up to the challenge?