Vintage romances for the brink of spring
Earnest, low-key love stories
Saturday Morning Serial is the weekend section of Library Binding. It’s a personal corner where I publish short stories, book reviews, and literary musings.
These past few weeks, our mountain keeps waking up, falling back asleep, and waking up again. The sky unleashes a weekend of snow and sleet, and then, in apology, bestows a string of sunny sandal days.
No wonder spring is associated with love.
In love, are we awake or asleep? Who can predict our unsteady ways?
The halting onset of spring here in Arizona has fertilized my latent interest in vintage romance novels. You know the kind—a low-key butterscotch story written between 1900 and 1990, roughly.
Obviously, I’m not looking for anything profound or rigorous. (I’ve got my Shakespeare-in-a-Year for that.) I’m also not looking for a true romance novel, not wholly.
Right now, I'm polishing off The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 8 (the last available book in the series so far), and I'm already wondering what I should queue up next.
It's been a while since I've compiled a book list, so I threw together a dozen vintage novels that all contain elements of romance.
I have NOT read any of these, have you?
If so, let me know what you loved and what you didn’t.
The Grand Sophy (1950) by Georgette Heyer
When the unconventional and irrepressible Sophy Stanton-Lacy arrives at her cousins’ house in London, she quickly takes charge of their romantic and financial troubles—whether they like it or not.
Tisha (1976) by Robert Specht
Based on a true story, this novel follows 19-year-old Anne Hobbs as she moves to a remote Alaskan village in the 1920s to work as a teacher.
Fair Stood the Wind for France (1944) by H.E. Bates
When a British pilot crashes in Nazi-occupied France, a young French woman risks everything to help him recover and escape.
Rose in Bloom (1876) by Louisa May Alcott
I enjoyed Eight Cousins, but I haven't yet read the sequel. In the second installment, Rose faces love, loss, and difficult choices as she navigates society and her feelings for two very different men.
The Bird in the Tree (1940) by Elizabeth Goudge
Matriarch Lucilla Eliot has worked tirelessly to create a haven for her family, but when her beloved grandson David falls in love with a married woman, the peaceful life she cherishes is threatened.
The Perilous Gard (1974) by Elizabeth Marie Pope
Set in Tudor England and based on the Tam Lin legend, this novel follows Kate Sutton, a young noblewoman who is exiled to a remote castle. There, she uncovers the existence of an ancient, secretive fairy court and finds herself drawn to a brooding young man trapped in their dangerous world.
The Changeling Sea (1988) by Patricia A. McKillip
A young fisherman's daughter, Peri, unknowingly entangles herself in a mysterious love triangle when she casts a hex into the sea and attracts the attention of both a lost prince and an enigmatic sea-dweller.
Nine Coaches Waiting (1958) by Mary Stewart
Young governess Linda Martin takes a position at a grand French château, where she falls for the enigmatic and charming Raoul Valmy, only to discover that someone in the household is plotting murder.
Gaudy Night (1935) by Dorothy L. Sayers
When detective novelist Harriet Vane is invited back to her Oxford college, she begins investigating a series of disturbing incidents, all while wrestling with her feelings for Lord Peter Wimsey, amateur detective.
Dragonwyck (1944) by Anya Seton
When naïve country girl Miranda Wells is invited to live at the grand Dragonwyck estate, she is captivated by its darkly charismatic master, Nicholas Van Ryn. But as she becomes entangled in his world, she begins to suspect that beneath the wealth and refinement lies something sinister.
A Tangled Web (1931) by L. M. Montgomery
When Aunt Becky of the Dark and Penhallow clans dies and leaves her treasured heirloom jug to be awarded to one relative after a year-long waiting period, long-held family secrets, rivalries, and romances begin to unravel in unexpected ways.
Bel Lamington (1961) by D. E. Stevenson
Bel Lamington, a quiet and dreamy young woman working in a London office, yearns for more beauty and connection than her solitary city life provides. Then, a surprising inheritance opens the door to a new life and new friendships in the countryside.
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Have you read any of these? Which did you like, and what other books should I know about?
Before you go—a snapshot, a scripture, and a survey.
My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass.
–Deut. 32:2
I’ll leave you with one irresistible indulgence—are you a member?
Your devoted,
Michelle
Gaudy Night is wonderful, but you need to read the backstories with Harriet Vane and Lord Peter first—Strong Poison and Have His Carcase.
Thank you for this list!
I've been reading a lot of Georgette Heyer lately, and The Grand Sophy was one. I enjoyed it, but Arabella is my favorite so far.
Also, Tisha has been a long time favorite. Great story.