Recommendations for aesthetically pleasing romantic novels and movies?

[e282]

Can someone recommend a few aesthetically poignant or reminiscently nostalgic romance novels and/or movies? I'm often in the mood for some material that reflects and accentuates upon the existential loneliness aspect of life.

 

It seems most of the romantic movies these days are comedies, and there really isn't any true romance films being made anymore.. You know like the 1980's movie "Somewhere in Time" that focus on the central theme of ageless love and ONLY that..

 

Even a movie like Titanic is sidetracked by the whole epicness of the ship.. and not really a pure love story..

 

I've tried movie prediction engines but they aren't accurate enough.. and I ran the gauntlet with the IMDB list of top 1000 romantic genre movies and also Amazon's list..

 

But I'm convinced there are jewels and gems of decades pasted buried somewhere if only can be discovered..

 

It is like the content exists but there is no way to search for it.. and the movies coming out these days are junk...

[hers]

Honestly as trite as his novels may be, Nicholas Sparks books are good for that. Most have some sort of tragedy in them but they have great imagery and great love. I recommend three of them off the top of my head:

Nights in rodanthe

The notebook

The wedding (don't read before the notebook if you plan to read the notebook. Will contain spoliers)

 

Also, check out the pillars of the earth by Ken follet. Its a love story that lasts decades but it centers around the building of a cathedral. Its like Titanic almost...epicness of the church and such and a lot of true history but a great fictional love storybook. Beautifully written. By far my favorite book ever.

[e282]

Thanks for the book recommendations. Haven't read Pillars of Earth yet so I'll give it a try..

 

As for Nicholas Sparks yeah I've read a lot of his books.. Probably two of my favorite would be A Walk to Remember and The Notebook, oh and Message in a Bottle.. I've also read Nights in rodanthe (and seen the movie adaption), The Wedding was had a surprise twist ending to it.. I do think thought that in recent times Nicholas Sparks has lost his spark... lmao.. Starting from Dear John most of his novels are just rehashes and spinoffs of the "war on terror".. Again, too sidetracked from real romance for my tastes.. If I wanted to read the dynamics of war I'd read Sun Tzu.. His latest books seems to be written with the intention of film adaption and reads like a script..

[Capricorn3]

I recommend The Notebook, or anything by the author Nicholas Sparks.

[Capricorn3]

Ooooops, I see we posted at the same time, lol.

[hers]

Thanks for the book recommendations. Haven't read Pillars of Earth yet so I'll give it a try..

 

As for Nicholas Sparks yeah I've read a lot of his books.. Probably two of my favorite would be A Walk to Remember and The Notebook, oh and Message in a Bottle.. I've also read Nights in rodanthe (and seen the movie adaption), The Wedding was had a surprise twist ending to it.. I do think thought that in recent times Nicholas Sparks has lost his spark... lmao.. Starting from Dear John most of his novels are just rehashes and spinoffs of the "war on terror".. Again, too sidetracked from real romance for my tastes.. If I wanted to read the dynamics of war I'd read Sun Tzu.. His latest books seems to be written with the intention of film adaption and reads like a script..

I think he's been losing his spark too actually. I've been reading his books in lumps. He's the only author I've been reading lately and I've read probably 8 so far. The lucky one and the one called true believer I think were bad. I put them down 50 pages in. Nights in rodaanthe, to me was about everlasting love, despite it being so tragic. I enjoyed the book far better bc of the fact she was telling her daughter the story for such a specific purpose, rather than it being just a tragic love story like the movie ended up being.

 

The notebook was good bc of lifelong Love and unconditional love. The wedding was good bc of the twist at the end, but to me it was good bc it was about redemption and the fact that a marriage can be trying rather than the idealistic view That we saw in the notebook. All in all eight was quite pleased that it was a sequel to the notebook bc it shower that Noah and Allie made it look easy but let us not forget that love isn't always so.

 

I'm not a big love story fan usually so I can't really recommend others than his books though!

[jaydee19]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a great romance movie, and it is not your typical 'romance'. You could say it is more about break ups but it approaches romance in a different manner. Jim Carrey is also great in this movie, and plays a different character from his usual comedy ones. The movie has to do with a couple of complete opposite personalities, resulting in a break up, and having each other erased from their minds.

The Reader is also another movie with a twist to romance, and it is somewhat controversial. I found it strange, but it is truly a great movie.

Gone With The Wind, Atonement, and Pride and Prejudice are also some of my personal favorites.

[Uma]

Persuasion is pretty good. The tennant of Wildfell hall. Both are period dramas. The first about a pair of lovers 10 years down the track, the second about love the second time around for her.

 

Cold mountain? Brokeback Mountain? Not sure if these fit into your category.