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After

The Chief

Monica McCarty2010

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • The Sheik

    E. M. Hull1919

    An Englishwoman is abducted in the Algerian desert by an Arab sheik. She remains his captive and eventually develops feelings for him.

    Same earnest register, still historical romance

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Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Madame Bovary

    Gustave Flaubert1856

    A doctor's wife in provincial France seeks escape from her mundane life through expensive tastes and extramarital affairs.

    earnest → tense

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

  • Paradise Logic

    Sophie Kemp2025

    A young woman follows advice from a magazine to become a perfect partner. Her quest involves surreal jobs and messages from the beyond.

    earnest → epic

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

  • For My Lady's Heart

    Laura Kinsale1993

    A knight in the 14th century becomes the protector of an exiled princess and navigates a world of courtly politics.

    Same earnest register, still historical romance

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • The Husband Hunt

    Lynsay Sands2012

    A woman attempts to convince her childhood friend to marry her. He resists due to his parents' unhappy marriage until a rescue changes things.

    earnest → playful, still historical romance

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Truce

    R.L. Mathewson

    Two neighbors who have feuded since childhood are forced to interact during a house party. Their long-standing prank war turns into a romance.

    earnest → playful, still historical romance

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • The phoenix guards

    Steven Brust1991

    Four guardsmen navigate court intrigue in a fantasy world. The prose mimics the verbose, formal style of 19th-century swashbuckling adventures.

    earnest → playful

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Savage Prince

    Meghan March2018

    A powerful man in the New Orleans underworld becomes obsessed with a woman and pursues her despite the danger of his lifestyle.

    earnest → propulsive, still enemies to lovers

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

  • The Professional: Part 2 (The Game Maker, #1b)

    Kresley Cole

    A Russian enforcer continues his pursuit of a graduate student across Europe. The focus is on their sexual power dynamic and his mafia duties.

    earnest → tense

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Victory at Prescott High

    C.M. Stunich

    A high school girl seeks revenge against the boys who bullied her while navigating a complex relationship with all of them at once.

    earnest → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Ulysses

    James Joyce1914

    Three characters wander through Dublin on a single day in 1904. Each chapter uses a different literary style to mimic thoughts and sensations.

    earnest → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

    The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

    earnest → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+2

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    earnest → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • A Farewell to Arms

    Ernest Hemingway1929

    An American ambulance driver and a British nurse conduct a love affair during the Italian campaign of World War I.

    earnest → elegiac

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+2

  • Tess of the D’Urbervilles

    Thomas Hardy

    A country girl is sent to claim kinship with wealthy relatives. Her life is derailed by a sequence of social betrayals and rigid moral standards.

    earnest → elegiac

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Brokeback Mountain

    Annie Proulx1997

    Two ranch hands begin a secret sexual and emotional relationship in 1963 Wyoming. The story follows their occasional meetings over twenty years.

    earnest → elegiac

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2