Five Friday Finds: True Epic Romances

Hooray, it's finally Friday and the day I list five things that suit my fancy! The fun thing about Five Friday Finds is it can be about anything.  So THIS week I thought I'd share some epic romance-style happy endings. I confess I'm a real girl and when it comes to "chick flicks" I absolutely love the romantic, happy endings even though I'm now mature enough to realize these fictionalized moments are just that…fictional. 

They still make me all ooey-gooey, weepy, and happy inside when I watch them…and nary a vampire among them!

Edward and Elinor (Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility). Lover's kept apart by a secret promise Edward made to another woman long before they met, family expectations, and the opinion of society. Talk about epic love stories…angst, romance, heartbreak, regret, and the ultimate happy ending. This story has it all! 

Joe and Kathleen (You've Got Mail) begin as enemies with him as the owner of a giant chain bookstore and she the owner of a trendy little bookshop taking a financial hit from his store moving into her area. The irony is they have also been engaging in a kind of annonymous email romance until they finally decide to meet…and then the sparks really fly!

Clark and Marty (Jeannette Oke's Love Comes Softly). Marty and her young husband have traveled west to seek their fortune but shortly after arriving at their claim tragedy strikes and Marty's husband dies. Clark is a widowed father in need of someone to care for his child while he's working his farm so he asks Marty to marry him and come to live in his house (he moves to the barn) and promises to pay for her return east in the Spring. Without any options Marty (who is pregnant) accepts the proposal, and learns over time that love can blossom in the most unexpected of circumstances.

Gilbert and Anne (Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea). If ever there were two people made for each other it's Gilbert and Anne. Sadly, she's too wrapped up in silly notions of romance to see the chance for true love and companionship with the man who is one of her best friends…until she nearly loses him.

George and Mary (It's a Wonderful Life). A boy and girl in a small town grow up side by side but it's not until she's back from college when the boy finally realizes what the girl has known all her life…they are destined to be together. All Mary's ever wanted is to be with George for the rest of her life.  George has only one thing on his mind and that's leaving the small town he grew up in and see the world. It's not until he loses everything…including Mary…that he realizes he's always had everything he could ever desire.

Technorati Tags: Anne, Anne of Green Gables, Clark, Edward, Elinor, Elinor Dashwood, George, Gilbert, Human Interest, Jane Austen, Jeannette Oke, Joe, Kathleen, Marty, Mary, Sense and Sesibility