Not sure about your situation but for me I realized I had shifted so many of my perceptions of the world based on my love for this person and once I realized they were just as—if not more flawed—than I was, it became easier to see that they weren’t the missing piece of my life puzzle but rather an integral part of a puzzle that wasn’t for me to begin with.
I’ve been pretty avoidant of reading anything on this subject specifically for that reason (and should probably try it out myself) but I hope things get better for you, sincerely.
Hailifiknow on
Martin Edin by Jack London. It helped to shape my life
alexinwonderland212 on
Tale of Two Cities or Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
toadrulez on
Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler
Raptorsaurus83 on
28 Summers by Elin Hildebrand.
gonzo-is-sexy on
Rememberance by Danielle Steele
imperfectsunset on
Love in the times of cholera
Fresh_Mushroom_8281 on
Great Expectations
mendizabal1 on
The great Gatsby
berrytone1 on
“Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. It is a romance, but also a tragedy. Not unrequited, but there is definitely not a happily ever after.
Haykyn on
Me before you, not 100% unrequited love but not exactly a happy ending either.
Responsible_Star2783 on
Norwegian wood
shan23 on
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
I re-read it every 5 years.
cesar9219 on
Anna Karenina – Tolstoi
demilitarizdsm on
The Unbearable Lightness of Being | It’s like looking at the stars and remembering your problems aren’t as big as you think. Several stories of love play out over lifetimes, with little bits of philosophical ideas sprinkled throughout and there is sex but it is tasteful, history but it is never the focus and it manages to be superb and deep without being very long.
maryjolisa34 on
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Díaz
CatPaws55 on
A few classics I haven’t seen mentioned yet:
Edmond Rostand’s “Cyrano de Bergerac”
Gustave Flaubert’s “Madame Bovary”
Thomas Hardy’s “Tess of the d’Urbervilles”
Joaquim Machado De Assis’ “Dom Casmurro”
LexiNovember on
The Sun Also Rises and The Great Gatsby both come to mind.
LTinTCKY on
Ivanhoe by Walter Scott.
It’s not really about unrequited love, and the main character marries the woman he was intended for all along, but there are undercurrents between other characters that might scratch this itch.
Not that I’ve shipped Ivanhoe/Rebecca since the 1982 miniseries or anything…
charactergallery on
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin could fit. It’s not necessarily unrequited, but it wasn’t pursued.
Telephusbanannie on
Phantom of the opera, hunchback of Notre dame, Eugene Onegin
rosebeach on
I can just tell you about my last situationship
urdeadcool on
“Of Human Bondage” by W. Somerset Maugham would fit the bill I think. I just finished reading it. It spans quite a long period of time, from the protagonists childhood to their adulthood, but quite a bit of time is spent grappling with an unrequited love. The protagonist despises themselves for loving the object of their affection so deeply. I definitely related to that part! Imo it’s very accessible and reads like a modern book.
Good luck OP!
Boring-Salad9186 on
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. It’s a story of a 17 year old who thinks she’s immune to love, until she has her first calamitous heartbreak. Definite Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte vibes + interwar British politics, class conflict, and Bohemian style. I’ve probably read it at least five times and it never fails to break my heart all over again. Cassandra Mortmain is one of the most authentic and winsome narrators I’ve ever met.
Rumpelstiltskin2001 on
The Great Gatsby
bad_russian_girl on
The French lieutenant’s woman
elizscott1977 on
Snow falling in cedars
Crustyfae on
Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro
agal-withquestions on
“My Sister, The Serial Killer” by Oyinkan Braithwaite
lady_lane on
The Sun Also Rises
Atonement
peteryansexypotato on
Jude the Obscure by Hardy is a real punch in the gut.
davegarner71 on
Remains of the Day…
ctrl_alt_deletelife on
If you want to go a non sexual way and more of unrequited in being wanted you could read Frankenstein
35 Comments
The sufferings of young Werther by Goethe
Brontë, Wuthering Heights
I know your pain too well and I’m sorry :’)
Not sure about your situation but for me I realized I had shifted so many of my perceptions of the world based on my love for this person and once I realized they were just as—if not more flawed—than I was, it became easier to see that they weren’t the missing piece of my life puzzle but rather an integral part of a puzzle that wasn’t for me to begin with.
I’ve been pretty avoidant of reading anything on this subject specifically for that reason (and should probably try it out myself) but I hope things get better for you, sincerely.
Martin Edin by Jack London. It helped to shape my life
Tale of Two Cities or Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler
28 Summers by Elin Hildebrand.
Rememberance by Danielle Steele
Love in the times of cholera
Great Expectations
The great Gatsby
“Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. It is a romance, but also a tragedy. Not unrequited, but there is definitely not a happily ever after.
Me before you, not 100% unrequited love but not exactly a happy ending either.
Norwegian wood
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
I re-read it every 5 years.
Anna Karenina – Tolstoi
The Unbearable Lightness of Being | It’s like looking at the stars and remembering your problems aren’t as big as you think. Several stories of love play out over lifetimes, with little bits of philosophical ideas sprinkled throughout and there is sex but it is tasteful, history but it is never the focus and it manages to be superb and deep without being very long.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Díaz
A few classics I haven’t seen mentioned yet:
Edmond Rostand’s “Cyrano de Bergerac”
Gustave Flaubert’s “Madame Bovary”
Thomas Hardy’s “Tess of the d’Urbervilles”
Joaquim Machado De Assis’ “Dom Casmurro”
The Sun Also Rises and The Great Gatsby both come to mind.
Ivanhoe by Walter Scott.
It’s not really about unrequited love, and the main character marries the woman he was intended for all along, but there are undercurrents between other characters that might scratch this itch.
Not that I’ve shipped Ivanhoe/Rebecca since the 1982 miniseries or anything…
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin could fit. It’s not necessarily unrequited, but it wasn’t pursued.
Phantom of the opera, hunchback of Notre dame, Eugene Onegin
I can just tell you about my last situationship
“Of Human Bondage” by W. Somerset Maugham would fit the bill I think. I just finished reading it. It spans quite a long period of time, from the protagonists childhood to their adulthood, but quite a bit of time is spent grappling with an unrequited love. The protagonist despises themselves for loving the object of their affection so deeply. I definitely related to that part! Imo it’s very accessible and reads like a modern book.
Good luck OP!
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. It’s a story of a 17 year old who thinks she’s immune to love, until she has her first calamitous heartbreak. Definite Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte vibes + interwar British politics, class conflict, and Bohemian style. I’ve probably read it at least five times and it never fails to break my heart all over again. Cassandra Mortmain is one of the most authentic and winsome narrators I’ve ever met.
The Great Gatsby
The French lieutenant’s woman
Snow falling in cedars
Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro
“My Sister, The Serial Killer” by Oyinkan Braithwaite
The Sun Also Rises
Atonement
Jude the Obscure by Hardy is a real punch in the gut.
Remains of the Day…
If you want to go a non sexual way and more of unrequited in being wanted you could read Frankenstein