Who doesn’t love reading a short love story once in a while?

Especially the ones that can be finished during a quick break? The ones you can read during the Valentines week or whenever you’re itching for a romantic spark. 

No matter what you say about the cliched romance and over-hyped concept of true love, we’re all in need of stories that fill our hearts with hope, despair, and the joy of human attraction. 

But, where do you find these stories? How do you choose the best ones? 

Well, I’ve done the homework for you. 

I’ve compiled a list of the best love stories for you to read. All of these tales are 20 pages or less but jam-packed with romantic sentiments and emotional meanings and are written by some of the most beloved authors of the literary world. 

So, without further ado, check out this list for the best classic short love stories ever told.

 

The Cheater’s Guide to Love by Junot Díaz

In The Cheater’s Guide to Love, Junot Díaz has created an erratic protagonist, who rehearses a broad repertoire of bad behaviour. The story is a stream of all the bad things the protagonist did by perpetuating a cycle of insensitive behaviour and cheating on his fiance with fifty other women. 

 

 

Spring in Fialta by Vladimir Nabokov

With ‘Spring in Fialta,’ Vladimir brings us Victor and his accidental meeting with a woman named Nina. For the next fifteen years, they’d both bump into each other, by strangest of luck, and in the oddest of places. While Victor harbours feelings for Nina, she seems to forget all about him every time they part. Victor is not so happy about this. 

 

 

The Lady with the Dog by Anton Chekhov

The Lady with the Dog is a crisp narrative of two characters who fall in love despite the best of their efforts for being loyal to their partners. Even with its short form, it leaves a mark as a deeply touching story and makes us question whether love redeems or torments us. 

 

 

   

The Romance of a Busy Broker by O. Henry

Henry’s ‘The Romance of a Busy Broker’ is about a protagonist who has a hard time separating his personal life from work. In this story, we have the theme of love, control, gender roles, and conflict. What is interesting about the story is the main protagonist being in conflict with himself. He’s so immersed in his work that he leaves very little room for other aspects of his life. The story takes an interesting turn when he forgets he had married Miss Leslie the previous evening.

 

 

Amy Foster by Joseph Conrad

Conrad’s classic short story is a heartbreaking depiction of a young man’s alienation from British society. The shipwrecked protagonist eventually falls in love with Amy Foster — a local servant girl, and the only woman in an extremely hostile village who was kind to him. 

 

 

For Esmé—with Love and Squalor by J. D. Salinger

‘For Esmé—with Love and Squalor’ recounts a sergeant’s meeting with a young girl, Esme, before he was sent into World War II combat. J.D. Salinger’s works are conceived as a tribute to WWII veterans and convey to the general people what soldiers endured during the war. 

 

 

The Grasshopper by Anton Chekhov

Inspired by the real-life love affair between Anton’s close friends, The Grasshopper is a wonderful portrayal of love, social corruption, vanity, and human’s futile aim for worldly happiness. 

 

 

Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx

Annie Proulx’s famous short story Brokeback Mountain is a beautifully heartbreaking tale about two lonely cowboys who fall in love with each other and begin a troubled, lengthy affair.

 

That’s all folks. Now, I’d like to know what you think of these stories. Have you read any of the titles mentioned in this list? If so, how would you like to share it in the comments section below? I’d love to update the list with your suggestion.