Unlikely Love Stories

What do I mean, unlikely love story? It's beyond the stiff-lipped Mr. Darcy and snappy comeback Lizzy Bennett. I was watching Corrina, Corrina the other day and was trying to figure out why I love this movie so much. It's not Ray Liotta's mournful eyes and sexy grin, or even Whoopi Goldberg's sassy dialogue. In their world, they're not supposed to be together. As Manny's (Liotta's) mother tells him, "A bird and a fish can fall in love. But where will they build their nest?"

The unlikely or unexpected love story between two different people is what's so appealing whether in books or movies. In the loosely biographical Becoming Jane, Jane Austen has a superior contempt over the fighting, womanizing Tom LeFroy. They fall in love despite their differences and circumstances.

Jane Eyre is another favorite depiction of unlikely love. The worldly and  jaded Mr. Rochester would never have looked twice at the plain governess half his age. They fall in love despite his secret, and despite Mrs. Fairfax's warning to Jane that "fine gentlemen are not accustomed to marrying their governesses."

In Water for Elephants, another unlikely love match is Jacob and Marlena. When I first read the book, I was driving myself crazy trying to figure out where and how these two would be able to live together. The surprise ending took care of that.

What is your favorite unlikely love match? Is there one in your own family? I'd love to know!