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Literary Relationships That Were Never Meant to Be

Soooo, spoilers. The relationships in these books don't turn out well. Whether it's death, selfishness, class structure, or just plain ol' bad timing, the lovers in these tales aren't destined for a Happily Ever After after all. Although some of the protagonists do end up with their lovers, there's every indication in the novel that their relationship isn't going to last for too long afterward.
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1
Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier)
Rebecca
Daphne Du Maurier
2
Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
Wuthering Heights
Emily Bronte
3
Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
Great Expectations
Charles Dickens
4
A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)
A Farewell to Arms
Ernest Hemingway
5
The Idiot (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
The Idiot
Fyodor Dostoevsky
6
Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert)
Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert
7
The Awakening (Kate Chopin)
The Awakening
Kate Chopin
8
Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
Anna Karenina
Leo Tolstoy
9
Love in the Ruins (Walker Percy)
Love in the Ruins
Walker Percy
10
Out (Natsuo Kirino)
Out
Natsuo Kirino
11
Bear (Marian Engel)
Bear
Marian Engel
12
Ethan Frome (Edith Wharton)
Ethan Frome
Edith Wharton
13
Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel García Márquez)
Love in the Time of Cholera
Gabriel García Márquez
14
The Graduate (Charles Webb)
The Graduate
Charles Webb
15
A Handful of Dust (Evelyn Waugh)
A Handful of Dust
Evelyn Waugh
16
The Heart of the Matter (Graham Greene)
The Heart of the Matter
Graham Greene
17
The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton)
The Age of Innocence
Edith Wharton
18
The French Lieutenant's Woman (John Fowles)
The French Lieutenant's Woman
John Fowles
19
Salvage the Bones (Jesmyn Ward)
Salvage the Bones
Jesmyn Ward
20
Norwegian Wood (Haruki Murakami)
Norwegian Wood
Haruki Murakami
21
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Edward Albee)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Edward Albee
22
To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf)
To the Lighthouse
Virginia Woolf
23
Tender Is the Night (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Tender Is the Night
F. Scott Fitzgerald
24
A Streetcar Named Desire (Tennessee Williams)
A Streetcar Named Desire
Tennessee Williams
25
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
George Orwell
26
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
27
Revolutionary Road (Richard Yates)
Revolutionary Road
Richard Yates
28
Brideshead Revisited (Evelyn Waugh)
Brideshead Revisited
Evelyn Waugh
29
Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys)
Wide Sargasso Sea
Jean Rhys
30
The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway)
The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemingway
31
Oedipus Rex (Sophocles)
Oedipus Rex
Sophocles
32
Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)
Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn
33
Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)
Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov
34
Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Choderlos De Laclos)
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Choderlos De Laclos
35
The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
The Fountainhead
Ayn Rand
36
The Secret History (Donna Tartt)
The Secret History
Donna Tartt
37
Fifty Shades of Grey
Fifty Shades of Grey
38
The Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins)
The Girl on the Train
Paula Hawkins
39
The Hired Man
The Hired Man
40
Eva Luna (Isabel Allende)
Eva Luna
Isabel Allende
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