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Quick answer: If you loved Cyrano de Bergerac, try Much Ado About Nothing, The Three Musketeers, Persuasion, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, The Phantom of the Opera and Twelfth Night. Each one offers hidden love, witty heroes, letters written for another or bittersweet romance.
Edmond Rostand's 1897 verse play follows Cyrano, a brilliant poet and swordsman in 17th-century France who is ashamed of his enormous nose. He loves his cousin Roxane, but she loves the handsome, tongue-tied cadet Christian. Cyrano writes Christian's love letters and speeches for him, winning Roxane's heart for another man. Readers love its wit, its swordplay and its heartbreaking ending. These books share its secret love and its panache.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Format | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Much Ado About Nothing | William Shakespeare | Play | readers who love witty romance |
| The Three Musketeers | Alexandre Dumas | Novel | readers who like swashbuckling France |
| Persuasion | Jane Austen | Novel | readers who like patient love |
| The Hunchback of Notre-Dame | Victor Hugo | Novel | readers who like unrequited love |
| The Phantom of the Opera | Gaston Leroux | Novel | readers who like hidden admirers |
| Twelfth Night | William Shakespeare | Play | readers who like disguised love |
| The Princess Bride | William Goldman | Novel | readers who like swordplay and romance |
| Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda | Becky Albertalli | Novel | readers who like secret letters |
| To All the Boys I've Loved Before | Jenny Han | Novel | readers who like love letters |
| Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen | Novel | readers who like letters that change everything |
| The Love Letter | Cathleen Schine | Novel | readers who like anonymous letters |
| The Scarlet Pimpernel | Baroness Orczy | Novel | readers who like hidden heroes |
| Scaramouche | Rafael Sabatini | Novel | readers who like witty swordsmen |
| The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society | Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows | Novel | readers who like love through letters |
| Dear Mr. Knightley | Katherine Reay | Novel | readers who like letters to a stranger |
1. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Rivals are tricked into love.
Best for: readers who love witty romance.
2. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
A young Gascon joins the musketeers.
Best for: readers who like swashbuckling France.
3. Persuasion by Jane Austen
A woman meets the man she rejected years before.
Best for: readers who like patient love.
4. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
A bell-ringer loves a dancer.
Best for: readers who like unrequited love.
5. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
A masked genius loves a singer.
Best for: readers who like hidden admirers.
6. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
A disguised heroine woos for another.
Best for: readers who like disguised love.
7. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
A farm boy and princess face villains.
Best for: readers who like swordplay and romance.
8. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
A boy falls for an anonymous emailer.
Best for: readers who like secret letters.
9. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
A girl's secret letters are mailed.
Best for: readers who like love letters.
10. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
A letter changes how Elizabeth sees Darcy.
Best for: readers who like letters that change everything.
11. The Love Letter by Cathleen Schine
A bookseller finds an anonymous love letter.
Best for: readers who like anonymous letters.
12. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
An English nobleman hides his daring.
Best for: readers who like hidden heroes.
13. Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini
A lawyer becomes a swordsman.
Best for: readers who like witty swordsmen.
14. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
A writer falls in love through letters.
Best for: readers who like love through letters.
15. Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
A young woman writes to a mysterious benefactor.
Best for: readers who like letters to a stranger.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Cyrano de Bergerac: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Cyrano de Bergerac. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
For the same mix of wit and romance, Much Ado About Nothing is perfect. If you loved the swashbuckling, The Three Musketeers and Scaramouche are thrilling. Readers who were moved by the letters should try The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society or Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Persuasion has a similar patient love.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cyrano de Bergerac about?
A witty poet with a big nose helps a handsome man win the woman he secretly loves.
Is Cyrano a real person?
Yes. Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac was a real 17th-century writer, though the play is fictional.
How does the play end?
Years later, Roxane realizes Cyrano wrote the letters just before he dies.
Is the play in verse?
Yes. It is written in rhyming verse, often translated into English verse.
What is panache?
Cyrano's last word, meaning his flair and spirit.
Is there a movie?
Yes. Films include the 1990 French film and the 2021 musical Cyrano.
Is Roxanne based on it?
Yes. The 1987 Steve Martin film is a modern version.