Bridget Jones’s Diary (for humor); Love: A User’s Guide (for vetting Mr. Right); Cinderella (The Brothers Grimm version, for its inexhaustible romance, deathless popularity and universal story-power); most examples of Chick Lit (for their laser focus on mating).
I can’t think of any other book that portrays intense sexual attraction, successful mutual seduction and a delicately orchestrated meeting of the hearts that flows into a satisfying ending. Is this the most engaging, character-driven love story of the century to date? The answer emerges near the end of the last chapter.
The Bridges of Madison County for the poignancy of a love story. Although the frisson of adultery is absent from A Perfect Woman (the main characters are single) the build-up of romantic give and take leads to a moment of closure that can carry the characters into a positive future, assuming they can successfully build their “life ladder” together.
The Friends of Eddie Coyle as an example of how a dialog-driven novel can draw readers into a story and talk them through to the last word.
A Perfect Woman is the opposite of Endless Love.