We’re voracious readers in this household. We probably single handedly support Borders, and Amazon.com. We also hit the library once or twice a month.
Lately, because I’ve been getting the house ready for our daughter’s wedding, I haven’t had as much time to read, so I forced myself not to collect any books that might tempt me. Sunday night I really needed to sit down with a book. My back was hurting and I needed a little quiet time, so I borrowed a book that my mother had just finished.
You can really tell that we are from different generations by the books we read. The book was by Jayne Anne Krentz. It was one of her “modern” books, rather than one of the Regency books she writes under the pseudonym “Amanda Quick.” Actually, I like the Regency books she writes, and I dislike the modern ones. It seems to me that the Regency heroines are all self-sufficient, intelligent women who are misfits in their time and very pragmatic about relationships. In the modern settings, you’re likely to find a heroine who WANTS to be overwhelmed by a man, and to some degeree measures herself by the men who want her.
I cringe when I read some of the lines she gives the men! “I must HAVE you.” “I had you last night, and you were willing.” “I’ll have you again.” What’s with the HAVE stuff?? I don’t know if she was just an immature author when she penned those lines, or if she really believes guys think and talk that way.
I guess what bothers me most about this is that she’s a best-selling author. That means that somewhere out there, women are enjoying what she’s writing. Does that also mean that there are women who swoon at the thought of being HAD….or taken? It’s one thing to have an emotionally and physically strong partner. It’s another to loose your say in what’s going on with your body or your life. All this HAVE stuff makes me vaguely uncomfortable.
I know that it’s not easy to write women’s romance. I’d LOVE to be able to write an entire book, but so far all I’ve managed is vignettes, and most of them are too pornagraphic to publish! Still, I’d rather see a plot with a strong female lead, instead of someone who worries that the big strong man MAY know her needs better than she does. I think it’s a bad idea to promote that idea.
I guess I’m lucky that this is the greatest of my worries tonight. *S* I hope you all have a great night!