Love on the Home Front

The Folks/Girl Back Home. Any war, anywhere, anytime, just solid romantic stories.

I just finished “Robin”, a romantic story set against WWI---the girl left behind/on the home front with a bit of mysticism thrown in…you know how Burnett was about such things. It got me thinking about other such works: “Little Women”on the home front during the War Between the States; “Rilla”, a lovely coming of age/romantic tale set against the horrors of WWI; “Cheerfulness Breaks In”, romance in Britain on the eve of WWII; “The Trumpet Major”, a love story in the time of the wars with Napoleon; stretching the point a bit: five of Jane Austen’s major works can be viewed as families on the home front stories during the time of Napoleon/civil unrest. In addition, works such as “The Enchanted April”, could be viewed as a WWI love tragedy/rebound in the person of Lady Caroline Dester (Scrap), the girl left behind forever; I would also include Lorna Doone, a love story set in the time of the British civil war. Here’s my starter list:

“Robin”, Frances Hodgson Burnett, WWI
“Little Women”, Louisa May Alcott, War Between the States
“Rilla of Inglesides”, Lucy Maude Montgomery, WWI
“Cheerfulness Breaks In”, Angela Thirkell, prelude to WWII
“The Trumpet Major”, Thomas Hardy, Napoleonic Wars
“The Enchanted April”, Elizabeth von Arnim, Aftermath of WWI
“Lorna Doone”, Richard D. Blackmore, British civil war
Jane Austen (except “Emma”), Napoleonic Wars

Can you think of any other books which could be included? These books have taught me more about historical events, motivations, thinking of average folks than the dry boring texts ever could…have given an emotional connection with events if you will. I am afraid I share Catherine Morland’s low regard for writers of solemn and often wrong histories.