12 Valentine's Day Reads If "It's Complicated"

Let's face it, there's nothing straightforward about being in love, in like, or otherwise. This Valentine's Day, put your drama on the back burner and enjoy these literary entanglements.

Anna Karenina & Count Vronsky from ANNA KARENINA

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A masterpiece to be sure, poor Anna Karenina is tempted, wooed, and ruined in one thousand pages. Don't be surprised to find yourself standing farther away from the train platform than usual...

Jane Eyre & Mr. Rochester from JANE EYRE

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Oh Jane, even we have mixed feelings about this relationship. The wife in the attic is certainly a problem. Dear reader, what do you think? Team Rochester?

Macon & Sarah from THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST

Random House

Macon and Sarah might love each other, but they are definitely not good together.

"In movies and such, people who made important changes in their lives accomplished them and were done with it. They walked out and never returned; or they married and lived happily ever after. In real life, things weren't so clean-cut." Amen, Anne Tyler!

Look for her new novel, A SPOOL OF BLUE THREAD, out this week.

Newland & Countess Ellen from THE AGE OF INNOCENCE

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FYI Newland, falling in love with your fiancé’s cousin never ends well. It only makes family dinners very, very awkward.

The women of SINGLE, CAREFREE, MELLOW

Single, Carefree, Mellow? Anything but. The women in this collection are sleeping with married men, cheating on their fiancés, and secretly in love with their roommates. But hey, we’re not ones to judge.

Elizabeth Bennett & Mr. Darcy from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

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Is he too proud? Or is it she's too prejudiced? Jury's out on that one, but I think we can all agree that Mr. Darcy is a dreamboat.

Anastasia Steele & Christian Grey from FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

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Enough said.

Heathcliff & Catherine from WUTHERING HEIGHTS

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Is Heathcliff the most tortured romantic hero of all time? We can't say for certain. But don't expect a white wedding!

Nick & Amy Dunne from GONE GIRL

Random House

"Complicated" doesn't even begin to cover it. There's more than one reason this film release wasn't scheduled for Valentine's Day.

Bridget & Mark & Daniel from BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY

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Saturday 14 February 2015

Alcohol units 4 (excellent), cigarettes 21 (poor but will give up totally tomorrow), number of dates in diary for tonight 2 (Mark or Daniel? Oh bugger, I choose vodka)

Romeo & Juliet from ROMEO AND JULIET

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The original pair of star-cross'd lovers.

Lolita & Humbert from LOLITA

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Complicated, creepy, controversial...this duo certainly qualifies as all of the above.