Facebook Contest - April 2009

Help us select a WINNER

Here were the rules for this contest: Submit the title and short summary of your favorite LOVE STORY (book or short story). We received some great entries and now it’s time to find a winner…So, which one of these love stories do you think should WIN?

HERE ARE THE DIFFERENT ENTRIES

True Love — In true love the smallest distance is too great, and the greatest distance can be bridged.”True Love burns the brightest, But the brightest flames leave the deepest scars.” It is impossible to fall out of love. Love is such a powerful emotion, that once it envelops you it does not depart. True love is eternal. If you think that you were once in love, but fell out of it, then it wasn’t love you were in. There are no ‘exit’ signs in love, there is only an ‘on’ ramp. True love doesn’t have a happy ending, because true love never ends. Letting go is one way of saying I love you. For true love is inexhaustible; the more you give, the more you have. And if you go to draw at the true fountainhead, the more water you draw, the more abundant is its flow.”

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks — A man with a faded, well-worn notebook open in his lap. A woman experiencing a morning ritual she doesn’t understand. Until he begins to read to her. The Notebook is an achingly tender story about the enduring power of love, a story of miracles that will stay with you forever. Noah Calhoun, thirty-one, is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories . . . until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again. Allie Nelson, twenty-nine, is now engaged to another man, but realizes that the original passion she felt for Noah has not dimmed with the passage of time. Still, the obstacles that once ended their previous relationship remain, and the gulf between their worlds is too vast to ignore. With her impending marriage only weeks away, Allie is forced to confront her hopes and dreams for the future, a future that only she can shape. Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. In the end, Allie must decide which course to take - the man she loves with such passion, or the man whom her family and society expects her to marry. “I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.” - Noah Calhoun in The Notebook. This is the story Noah reads to his sweetheart many years later, when Alzheimer’s claims her memories. On a good day, she comes back to him and knows the story is about the two of them. It is truly a story about the power of true love.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer — Bella Swan has always been a little bit different. Never one to run with the crowd, Bella never cared about fitting in with the trendy, plastic girls at her Phoenix, Arizona high school. When her mother remarried and Bella chooses to live with her father in the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, she didn’t expect much of anything to change. But things do change when she meets the mysterious and dazzlingly beautiful Edward Cullen. For Edward is nothing like any boy she’s ever met. He’s nothing like anyone she’s ever met, period. He’s intelligent and witty, and he seems to see straight into her soul. In no time at all, they are swept up in a passionate and decidedly unorthodox romance - unorthodox because Edward really isn’t like the other boys. He can run faster than a mountain lion. He can stop a moving car with his bare hands. Oh, and he hasn’t aged since 1918. Like all vampires, he’s immortal. That’s right - vampire. But he doesn’t have fangs - that’s just in the movies. And he doesn’t drink human blood, though Edward and his family are unique among vampires in that lifestyle choice. To Edward, Bella is that thing he has waited 90 years for - a soul mate. But the closer they get, the more Edward must struggle to resist the primal pull of her scent, which could send him into an uncontrollable frenzy. Somehow or other, they will have to manage their unmanageable love. But when unexpected visitors come to town and realize that there is a human among them Edward must fight to save Bella? A modern, visual, and visceral Romeo and Juliet story of the ultimate forbidden love affair - between vampire and mortal.

Love Story by Eric Segal — Love Story by Erich Segal is a timeless story of tragic love. Oliver is a child of privilege, the son of a family of importance dating back many generations. Jennifer is the only child of a widowed baker, as opposite from Oliver as one person can be. However, their union is one of strength and volatility that sweeps them both up in an uncontrolled wave, their love surviving every obstacle except one, mortality. Love Story is the Romeo and Juliet of the twentieth century. Love Story revolves around the lives of two young college lads, whose love for each other was immortal. Oliver Barrett, heir to the Barrett fortune and legacy and Jennifer Cavilleri, daughter of a poor baker who does not own a huge bank account but has lots of love. Oliver was expected to follow in his father’s huge footsteps, Jennifer, music major was to go on and study in Paris. But when they met, the sparks flew, and we get involved with them as their love grows deep and strong. Oliver turns his back on his family and fortune to marry Jenny. Jenny gives up her dreams of Paris and being a musician. They are happy with each other in their lives and the stable flow of income that is enough to sustain them. But life can be cruel and Jenny is diagnosed with leukemia. With just a few days to live, the novel speaks about the emotional pain they both go through.

“The Gift of the Magi” — “The Gift of the Magi” was a short story written by O. Henry (William Sydney Porter). In the story, a young couple struggling with economic hardship are faced with what to get each other for Christmas. The wife really wants a beautiful comb for her hair and the husband a chain for his watch. But they really can’t afford it. In order to buy the chain for her husband, the wife chops off her long hair and sells it. However, what she doesn’t know, is that her husband has sold his watch to buy a tortoise shell comb for her hair. They sacrifice their most prized possessions for each other and know that even though they can’t use their gifts, they are still meaningful and deeply cherished.

“A Silent Love” by unknown – Disclaimer: Sorry it is not a very short summary but every word was so important.

From the very Beginning, the girl’s family objected strongly on her dating this guy. Saying that it has got to do with family background & that the girl will have to suffer for the rest of her life if she were to be with him. Due to family’s pressure, the couple quarrel very often. Though the girl love the guy deeply, but she always ask him: “How deep is your love for me?” As the guy is not good with his words, this often cause the girl to be very upset. With that & the family’s pressure, the girl often vent her anger on him. As for him, he only endure it in silence. After a couple of years, the guy finally graduated & decided to further his studies in overseas. Before leaving, he proposed to the girl: “I’m not very good with words. But all I know is that I love you. If you allow me, I will take care of you for the rest of my life. As for your family, I’ll try my best to talk them round. Will you marry me?” The girl agreed, & with the guy’s determination, the family finally gave in & agreed to let them get married. So before he leave, they got engaged. The girl went out to the working society, whereas the guy was overseas, continuing his studies. They sent their love through emails & phone calls. Though it’s hard, but both never thought of giving up. One day, while the girl was on her way to work, she was knocked down by a car that lost control. When she woke up, she saw her parents beside her bed. She realised that she was badly injured. Seeing her mum crying, she wanted to comfort her. But she realized that all that could come out of her mouth was just a sigh. She has lost her voice……The doctors says that the impact on her brain has caused her to lose her voice. Listening to her parents’ comfort, but with nothing coming out from her, she broke down. During the stay in hospital, besides silence cry,…..it’s still just silence cry that companied her. Upon reaching home, everything seems to be the same. Except for the ringing tone of the phone. Which pierced into her heart everytime it rang. She does not wish to let the guy know. & not wanting to be a burden to him, she wrote a letter to him saying that she does not wish to wait any longer. With that, she sent the ring back to him. In return, the guy sent millions & millions of reply, and countless of phonecalls,.. all the girl could do, besides crying, is still crying….The parents decided to move away, hoping that she could eventually forget everything & be happy. With a new environment, the girl learn sign language & started a new life. Telling herself everyday that she must forget the guy. One day, her friend came & told her that he’s back. She asked her friend not to let him know what happened to her. Since then, there wasn’t anymore news of him. A year has passed & her friend came with an envelope, containing an invitation card for the guy’s wedding. The girl was shattered. When she open the letter, she saw her name in it instead. When she was about to ask her friend what’s going on, she saw the guy standing in front of her. He used sign language telling her “I’ve spent a year’s time to learn sign language. Just to let you know that I’ve not forgotten our promise. Let me have the chance to be your voice. I Love You. With that, he slipped the ring back into her finger. The girl finally smiled.

“I love you not” by unknown – This is how the conversation begins…
Boy: Baby, we need to talk.
Girl: Ricardo, what do u mean?
Boy: Something has come up…
Girl: What? What’s wrong? Is it bad?
Boy: I don’t want to hurt you, baby.
Girl: *Thinks* Oh my God, I hope he doesn’t break up with me… I love him so much.
They go back and forth while she tries to get him to tell her what is wrong. During the conversation her father picks up the phone and yells at her to hang up and stop talking to boys. Then, she decides to sneak out and meet him at the park so he can tell her whats wrong. After they meet, he explains that his father is sending him to a boarding school out of town. He then hands her a letter and leaves. She reads the letter after he leaves…and begins crying…it has many hateful words in it. It said he never loved her…to forget him etc. A few days later, after crying her heart out, her friend calls her and tells her that Ricardo (the same guy) sent a message to tell you that he slipped another letter in her jacket. It basically showed how much he loved her…that all the hateful words= love words…he did this incase her dad found the letter. She is so happy and turns on the tv…the flight he was on crashed!! She has noone and nothing to live for and commits suicide. The phone rings…it’s Ricardo saying that he is alive and well, not to worry because he missed his flight…he wanted to see her one last time. Now he is staying in town for good.

First Love by Ivan Turgenev – Again, another story highlighting practicality. Despite a bit of a tragic ending, it explores the feelings of a young boy who experiences “love” for the first time. I think it’s rather entertaining for anyone over the age of 16 who has once upon a time thought they had their “first love.” I’ll paste the wikipedia summary for your benefit: “Vladimir Petrovich, a 16-year-old, is staying in the country with his family and meets Zinaida Alexandrovna Zasyekina, a beautiful 21-year-old woman, staying with her mother, Princess Zasyekina, in a wing of the manor. This family, as with many of the Russian minor nobility with royal ties of that time, were only afforded a degree of respectability because of their titles; the Zasyekins, in the case of this story, are a very poor family. The young Vladimir falls irretrievably in love with Zinaida, who has a set of several other (socially more eligible) suitors whom he joins in their difficult and often fruitless search for the young lady’s favour. Zinaida, as we find throughout the story, is a thoroughly capricious and somewhat playful mistress to a set of rather love-struck suitors. She fails to reciprocate Vladimir’s love in a sensible and honest manner, often misleading him, mocking his comparative youth in contrast to her early adulthood. But eventually the true object of her affections and a rather tragic conclusion to the story are revealed. Conclusion and outcome: Vladimir discovers that the true object of Zinaida’s affection is his own father, Pyotr Vasilyevich. In the tragic and devastatingly succinct closing two chapters, Vladimir secretly observes a final meeting between Pyotr and Zinaida at the window of her house in which his father strikes her arm with a riding crop. Zinaida kisses the welt on her arm and Pyotr bounds into the house. Eight months later, Vladimir’s father receives a distressing letter from Moscow and tearfully begs his wife for a favor. Pyotr dies of a stroke several days later, after which his wife sends a considerable sum of money to Moscow. Three or four years later, Vladimir learns of Zinaida’s marriage to a Monsieur Dolsky and subsequent death during childbirth.”

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton — It starts out about a man visiting the small town of Starkfield. He notices Ethan Frome due to his unusual physical appearance. Some days later, the man has trouble reaching a train station to go to work and asks Ethan to assist him for a small price. Ethan agrees to and one day while they are coming back, a huge snowstorm hits and they are forced to stay the night at Ethan’s house. Before they get to his house however, the flashback of Ethan’s love story begins. Ethan is 28, his parents are dead due to illness and his wife is always sick and bitter. His wife’s niece comes to take care of her and Ethan and the niece fall in love. Before Ethan’s wife finds out, they start to run away and end up in a huge accident. Later when they come home (after the hospital), the wife ends up taking care of the niece. Then the man and Ethan enter Ethan’s house from the storm.