Which Romantic Country Book Should Book Clubs Discuss Next?

If your book club is itching for a novel that feels like a long, sunlit afternoon in another country, I'd nudge you toward 'Call Me by Your Name'. I fell into this book like diving into warm water — the prose is basically sensation: peaches, cicadas, the stickiness of Italian summer, and the musical, aching way desire is described. André Aciman writes memory as if it's tactile; the setting in northern Italy is not just a backdrop but a character that shapes every choice and silence. For a group, that richness gives you a ton to talk about — the politics of longing, how place affects identity, and how memory reshapes reality. You can easily split a discussion into themes like language (the gorgeous multilingual lines), the ethics and power dynamics of relationships, and the role of time and adult memory in shaping youth.

A nice practical angle for club night: pair the reading with the film adaptation and compare what the medium loses or gains — the book's inner monologue versus the film's visual poetry is a lovely debate. Bring Sufjan Stevens on the playlist, stack a few peaches or Italian wines on the table, and watch how sensory details prompt very different members to get emotional or analytical. Some potential conversation prompts: did the summer change Elio, or simply reveal him? How does Aciman use music and food to signal desire? Is the age gap handled sensitively or problematically? Also, be ready for triggers — the intimacy and age dynamics can prompt strong feelings, so set a respectful tone.

If your club likes pairing reads, try combining 'Call Me by Your Name' with 'Giovanni's Room' by James Baldwin for a cross-era look at queer desire and exile, or something like 'A Single Man' by Christopher Isherwood for a quieter, elegiac tone. For a lighter night, watch the film and make it a discussion + movie dessert evening; for a deeper literary dive, consider a two-meeting arc: sensory/setting in one session, ethics and character in the next. Personally, this book left me wanting to revisit summers I’d forgotten I loved — and it always sparks unexpectedly tender, sometimes messy conversations in a group, which to me is book-club catnip.

If your group prefers something a bit more classic and quietly searing, give 'Persuasion' a shot — it’s the kind of English-country romance that rewards slow reading and discussion. Anne Elliot’s second-chance love story is built on restraint and social detail rather than big declarations, so it makes for a book-club night full of subtle observations: who has the power in each scene, how social class and naval service shape the characters, and why quiet endurance can be as dramatic as fireworks. I like to frame a meeting around contrasts — Anne versus other Austen heroines, Captain Wentworth’s letters as moments of raw honesty, and the seaside settings that keep popping up as places of emotional revelation.

For a lively session, ask members to come with one passage they’d underline and one social rule from the novel they’d break today; that opens up personality reveals and modern parallels. You can compare film and TV adaptations (there’s a 1995 film and a 2007 modernized take in some stage versions), which always highlights what directors think is most romantic. If you want a sensory touch, bring tea and shortbread — the quiet domestic details help people settle into the world of the novel. To me, 'Persuasion' is perfect for a group that enjoys slow-burning emotion and smart conversation, and it leaves everyone pleasantly thoughtful rather than exhausted.