Love Stories

I picked up this book - Treasures of the North - from my church's library, thinking I would give it a try. I tend to shy away from Christian fiction, because I find the books are frequently too sappy and romantic for my taste, and I am not always that impressed with the writing itself. This book lived up to my expectations. My biggest pet peeve with this book, however, is the supposed "love story" that occurs between two of the main characters. Without going into too much detail, there were several times throughout the book when I found myself rolling my eyes in disbelief, especially after this line:

"Grace looked deep into Peter's eyes. How she loved this man. God help her, but she loved him more with every word that came from his mouth."

Now, this is touching sentiment, and I could be moved if the author had convinced me that Grace and Peter actually knew each other and should be together. As it was, the way the story went, it sets it up so that these two people barely spend any time together, don't really talk to each other, and don't really know each other; yet they fall deeply in love. Is that even possible? How do you fall in love with someone you don't even know? Or am I just being naive?

Stories like this make me want to vomit because I think some women may consider these stories as a "safe and clean" way to get the romantic stories we want, without all the graphic sex we know we shouldn't be reading. These stories hit women right where it counts - the handsome, brave, sensitive man sweeps the beautiful, carefree woman right off her feet by the words he says and the way he treats her, while trying to steal a kiss or two.

Writing like this has convinced me again that one of the all-time best love story put into fiction is Anne and Gilbert. In contrast to the line above, consider this line from L.M. Montgomery, as she describes Gilbert's thoughts as Anne approaches him on their wedding day:

"She was his at last, this evasive, long-sought Anne, won after years of patient waiting. It was to him she was coming in her sweet surrender of the bride. Was he worthy of her? Could he make her as happy as he hoped? If he failed her - if he could not measure up to her standard of manhood - then, as she held out her hand, their eyes met and all doubt was swept away in a glad certainty. They belonged to each other; and, no matter what life might hold for them, it could never alter that. Their happiness was in each other's keeping and both were unafraid."

Now that's what I call a love story!