Unabridged Opinions

One of my very favourite authors, Robin McKinley, emphasizes that she writes stories full of “girls who do things”.  It’s true; her heroines fight, cast magic, make decisions, and influence the worlds they live in.  They take action when they can, and, even more, they take responsibility for themselves and those around them. (By the way, read her books! They are great!)

What does this have to do with romance? Or Valentine’s Day? Well, in speaking with a friend recently (who will read “anything but romance”), I ended up defending the romance genre, and it got me thinking.

I, myself, like the romance-suspense.  I think it all goes back to the idea of “women who do things”.  Oftentimes, in these stories, the women are front and center in the decision making and exhibit bravery, intelligence, and a ready wit.  Which, of course, makes it even more fun to read. Plus, you usually get a happy ending and one-true-love.  Writers like Nora Roberts, Kay Hooper, Mary Stewart, and Amanda Quick consistently write fun, sometimes creepy, tightly plotted books–why are they consistently seem as somehow less than the rest of the beach-reading world.  Except for the flavours of Jane Austen, why would we assume that Bridget Jones is any better? (And do we? I’m not sure.)

Really, what is there to dislike? I’m not sure why the genre is so..clichéd…as a nothing worthy genre.  I can say, though, that I think it is possible to find as much good writing as you do in other genres–and I imagine that part of it is discomfort with the idea of women and sex in general–so it gets shoved to the side and made fun of to make it something laughable and less threatening.

For a website that has much better take on this idea, go to Smart Bitches, Trashy Books–the writing is great and the community hopping.

On a completely unrelated note, my review of John Wray’s Lowboy is up at bookgeeks.  It’s a weird, wild ride.