The Greatest Western Romance Books of All Time

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
13 Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen 1813 British English
29 Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë 1847 British English
58 Gone With the Wind Margaret Mitchell 1936 American English
83 Emma Jane Austen 1815 British English
119 The Three Musketeers Alexandre Dumas 1844 French French
176 The End of the Affair Graham Greene 1951 British English
192 Persuasion Jane Austen 1817 British English
196 Lady Chatterley's Lover D. H. Lawrence 1928 British English
273 The Betrothed Alessandro Manzoni 1827 Italian Italian
289 A Room With a View E. M. Forster 1908 British English
297 Ivanhoe Sir Walter Scott 1819 British English
337 Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare 1597 British English
425 Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen 1811 British English
489 Manon Lescaut Abbe Prevost 1731 French French
503 Pamela Samuel Richardson 1740 British English
504 Her Lover Albert Cohen 1968 Swiss French
590 Northanger Abbey Jane Austen 1817 British English
641 Bridget Jones's Diary Helen Fielding 1996 British English
674 Far from the Madding Crowd Thomas Hardy 1874 British English
717 A Sport and a Pastime James Salter 1967 American English
731 The Mysteries of Udolpho Ann Radcliffe 1794 British English
765 The Thorn Birds Colleen McCullough 1977 Australian English
786 The Far Pavilions Mary Margaret Kaye 1978 British English
811 The Phantom of the Opera Gaston Leroux 1909 French French
842 Outlander Diana Gabaldon 1991 American English
845 Evelina Fanny Burney 1778 British English
886 Riders of the Purple Sage Zane Grey 1912 American English
947 Bel Canto Ann Patchett 2001 American English
974 The Poems of John Keats John Keats 1817 British English
997 Julie, or the New Heloise Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1761 French French
1009 Love Story Eric Segal 1970 American English
1056 Maurice E. M. Forster 1971 British English
1128 The Price Of Salt Patricia Highsmith 1952 American English
1176 Carmen Prosper Mérimée 1845 French French
1186 Tristan Gottfried von Strassburg 1210 German Middle high german
1198 Lorna Doone R. D. Blackmore 1869 British English
1203 Nine Coaches Waiting Mary Stewart 1958 British English
1231 Patience And Sarah Isabel Miller 1969 American English
1235 Cheri Colette 1920 French French
1330 The Song of Achilles Madeline Miller 2011 American English
1340 As You Like it William Shakespeare 1600 British English
1471 Aurélien Louis Aragon 1944 French French
1555 Troilus And Criseyde Geoffrey Chaucer 1385 British Middle english
1561 Oscar and Lucinda Peter Carey 1988 Australian English
1675 The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger 2003 American English
1791 Confessions Of Felix Krull, Confidence Man Thomas Mann 1954 German German
1863 Katherine Anya Seton 1954 American English
1918 The Lady Of The Camellias Alexandre Dumas 1848 French French
1934 Corelli's Mandolin Louis de Bernières 1994 British English
2010 The Notebook Nicholas Sparks 1996 American English
2108 The Shell Seekers Rosamunde Pilcher 1987 British English
2214 The Lake of the Bees Theodor Storm 1849 German German
2329 Whitney, My Love Judith McNaught 1985 American English
2457 The Prisoner Of Zenda Anthony Hope 1894 British English
2509 Curial e Güelfa Unknown 1450 Spanish Catalan
2589 Sir Charles Grandison Samuel Richardson 1753 British English
2594 Bid Time Return Richard Matheson 1975 American English
2614 The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare 1600 British English
2676 Anne Of The Island L. M. Montgomery 1915 Canadian English
2682 Twilight Stephenie Meyer 2005 American English
2745 Erec And Enide Chrétien de Troyes 1160 French Old french
2746 The Romance of the Rose Guillaume (de Lorris) 1230 French Old french
2897 Indigo Beverly Jenkins 1996 American English
2904 Longsword, Earl Of Salisbury Thomas Leland 1762 Irish English
2923 The African Queen C. S. Forester 1935 British English
2986 Tipping The Velvet Sarah Waters 1998 British English
3021 An Infamous Army Georgette Heyer 1937 British English
3052 Red, White & Royal Blue Casey McQuiston 2019 American English
3105 Foreign Affairs Alison Lurie 1984 American English
3221 Aphrodite Pierre Louÿs 1896 French French
3226 Much Ado about Nothing William Shakespeare 1600 British English
3252 Endless Love Scott Spencer 1979 American English
3324 Tirant Lo Blanc Joanot Martorell 1490 Spanish Catalan
3324 Love in Excess; or, The Fatal Enquiry Eliza Haywood 1719 British English
3324 Pepita Jimenez Juan Valera y Alcalá-Galiano 1874 Spanish Spanish
3405 Fifty Shades of Grey: E. L. James 2011 British English
3430 Get A Life, Chloe Brown Talia Hibbert 2019 British English
3496 Devil's Cub Georgette Heyer 1932 British English
3545 Daphnis and Chloe Longus -200 Greek Ancient greek
3580 Call Me By Your Name André Aciman 2007 Italian English
3598 The Wedding Date Jasmine Guillory 2018 American English
3599 Daisy Jones & The Six Taylor Jenkins Reid 2019 American English
3607 Virgin River Robyn Carr 2007 American English
3612 The Life Of Marianne Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux 1731 French French
3637 The Second Wife E. Marlitt 1899 German German
3637 The Papalagi Erich Scheurmann 1920 German German
3814 Dark Lover J. R. Ward 2005 American English
3842 An Extraordinary Union Alyssa Cole 2017 American English
3911 Salt On Our Skin Benoîte Groult 1988 French French
4065 The Princess Diaries Meg Cabot 2000 American English
4096 Boyfriend Material Alexis Hall 2020 British English
4123 A Very Long Engagement Sebastien Japrisot 1991 French French
4131 Dark Avenues Ivan Bunin 1943 Russian Russian
4177 De Roos Van Dekama Jacob van Lennep 1836 Dutch Dutch
4189 The Bridges Of Madison County Robert James Waller 1992 American English
4189 Flowers From The Storm Laura Kinsale 1992 American English
4304 A Court Of Thorns And Roses Sarah J. Maas 2015 American English
4306 It Ends With Us Colleen Hoover 2016 American English
4308 Indiana George Sand 1832 French French
4308 Regency Buck Georgette Heyer 1935 British English
4308 Moon Over Africa Pamela Kent 1955 British English
4308 The Weather In The Streets Rosamond Lehmann 1936 British English
4308 The Reluctant Orphan Sara Seale 1947 British English
4308 Fair Stood The Wind For France H. E. Bates 1944 British English
4547 Forever Amber Kathleen Winsor 1944 American English
4547 Frederica Georgette Heyer 1965 British English
4547 Restoree Anne McCaffrey 1967 American English
4547 Bride Of The Mac Hugh Jan Cox Speas 1954 American English
4547 The Wolf And The Dove Kathleen E. Woodiwiss 1974 American English
4547 Mistress Of Mellyn Victoria Holt 1960 British English
4737 When A Scot Ties The Knot Tessa Dare 2015 American English
4781 The Art Of Love Ovid 2 Roman Latin
4832 Entwined Destinies Rosalind Welles 1979 American English
4898 The Foxes Of Harrow Frank Yerby 1946 American English
4928 Dreaming Of You Lisa Kleypas 1994 American English
4996 The Sun Is Also A Star Nicola Yoon 2016 American English
5018 Me Before You Jojo Moyes 2012 British English
5036 Highland Velvet Jude Deveraux 1982 American English
5043 By Firelight Edith Pargeter 1948 British English
5097 A Hunger Like No Other Kresley Cole 2006 American English