tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post3701418218554406110..comments2023-04-28T21:57:55.187+09:30Comments on Kaetrin's Musings: A Tale of Two A**holes, or: What a difference female agency makesKaetrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936055488367251592noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-72744287108967558212013-06-23T19:18:35.864+09:302013-06-23T19:18:35.864+09:30Thx Nicola :)
No, I don't enjoy doormats of a...Thx Nicola :)<br /><br />No, I don't enjoy doormats of any gender actually. Most often it's the heroine though and it seems so much worse when she's paired with the uber-dominant "hero".Kaetrinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936055488367251592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-55077382338784226262013-06-23T14:33:40.816+09:302013-06-23T14:33:40.816+09:30"The ass and the doormat is no fun for me. T..."The ass and the doormat is no fun for me. The ass and the ass-kicker - now that's a different story."<br /><br />What an excellent distillation. Great analysis!<br /><br />I'm pondering some thoughts about an Anna Campbell hero who was a rilly big jerk, but I liked the book-- and yes, the heroine, while disadvantaged, is in no way a doormat! (are doormat heroines ever good?)Nicola O.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13947359287796827837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-89963935811553325152013-06-17T18:56:03.872+09:302013-06-17T18:56:03.872+09:30@AJH I'd be very surprised if you liked Fever...@AJH I'd be very surprised if you liked Fever! Brandon Birmingham was a saint compared to Jace! LOL. <br /><br />I don't mind some of the power exchange stuff in my reading when it is an <em>exchange</em> but it isn't the first thing I reach for and it's kind of more a curiosity to me than anything else - because I can't imagine it in real life, even though I know it really works for others. <br /><br />I don't know what makes a reader hero or heroine-centric. There are plenty of females who are all about the heroine - I think they are probably in the majority actually. But I think it does inform one's taste in books. I can probably go for a darker hero because of it. Maybe. I've probably got to think that one out a bit more actually. Hmmm...<br /><br />I think I'm becoming more heroine-sensitive as I get older however, as I am exposed to interesting feminist discussions and observations and as I engage with the romance genre in other ways than pure entertainment (which is still a very good thing and I do that too).<br /><br />Kaetrinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936055488367251592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-54023689043922765862013-06-17T18:34:57.533+09:302013-06-17T18:34:57.533+09:30I find your musings on heroine-centric versus hero...I find your musings on heroine-centric versus hero-centric readings very interesting... I'm always paying more attention to the heroines for some reason. Not get all gender essentialist about it, but I don't know if there's an instinct to draw towards the unlike over the like, since you've already got the other angle covered. I don't know, that's not a very sophisticated take :P<br /><br />Alternatively, I think I go to where the interesting stuff seems to be happening and, actually, in romances, or at least in the pathetic handful I've read, I usually find the women much better 'realised' than the men, as the men stand around basically wanting to sex the woman, but don't have much more going on with them.<br /><br />Incidentally, I think this book might be marmite for me. I don't really like TPE in general (again, that's a personal preference) though I understand why it's a legitimate lifestyle choice and/or fantasy. But I think when that entangles with actually issues of social and cultural power - eeek. Disaster, waiting to happen. AJHhttp://quicunquevult.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-87292391304940536432013-06-12T11:52:29.596+09:302013-06-12T11:52:29.596+09:30@Vi I've seen reviews where people really lov...@Vi I've seen reviews where people really loved Jace but didn't think much of the heroine. But Jace got on my last nerve in this one! :)Kaetrinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936055488367251592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-10969529514121357042013-06-12T11:44:08.603+09:302013-06-12T11:44:08.603+09:30I read the Fever excerpt at the end of Rush. It di...I read the Fever excerpt at the end of Rush. It didn't appeal to me. I'm glad I didn't read it after your review. <br />Vi Daohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06995999071619067805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-45261247653862590552013-06-12T09:42:34.617+09:302013-06-12T09:42:34.617+09:30@Vi I didn't mind Rush. Gabe wasn't all ...@Vi I didn't mind Rush. Gabe wasn't all that different to Jace but Mia had a job, independent wealth, her own group of friends, etc. She wasn't dependent on Gabe for everything like Bethany was. I think that was the main difference between the two books but I didn't want to do a "blame the heroine" post because it was Jace who was the asshole here - Bethany was wet but she deserved better (and also, a personality).Kaetrinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936055488367251592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-75911170135495224082013-06-12T04:33:27.781+09:302013-06-12T04:33:27.781+09:30Rush was my worst read this year. *grins* Thank yo...Rush was my worst read this year. *grins* Thank you for putting into words why I like the occasional asshole hero. Vi Daohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06995999071619067805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-1921317509994746912013-06-11T22:07:26.526+09:302013-06-11T22:07:26.526+09:30@Marg - I liked Tangled but there were... issues :...@Marg - I liked Tangled but there were... issues :)<br /><br />I think there have always been assholes (Steve from Sweet Savage Love anyone?) - but perhaps there's more of the billionaire asshole at present? Kaetrinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936055488367251592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-3060053001462401672013-06-11T20:56:25.799+09:302013-06-11T20:56:25.799+09:30Everything I am hearing about Tangled is making me...Everything I am hearing about Tangled is making me want to read it!<br /><br />Interesting dissection of agency. It does seem that there are more asshole heroes in romance than there used to be, or maybe that is just a reflection in my current reading choices.Marghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13508430635744720721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-42984083753255991212013-06-11T13:41:20.965+09:302013-06-11T13:41:20.965+09:30@Aztec Lady IDK, as I said I'm not really muc...@Aztec Lady IDK, as I said I'm not really much of a placeholder reader but I wondered if a heroine such as this would suit some readers better? <br /><br />I'm sure there are myriad reasons why a particular reader would like this book - there were certainly plenty of readers who did if the GR rating is anything to go by. Kaetrinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936055488367251592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-60948887620966246002013-06-11T13:34:50.525+09:302013-06-11T13:34:50.525+09:30I am not sure, unless the story appeals to a parti...I am not sure, unless the story appeals to a particular fantasy--as you say, "for some, this type of hero appeals to the fantasy of the woman not having to decide anything for herself in a world where many women are overwhelmed by all the decisions they have to make."<br /><br />Even then, though, I think the fantasy only works in a very limited way--in real life, even the most abject doormats have opinions, feelings and thoughts, and if the reader can't see these expressed/reflected in the story some way, how can you accept the validity of the whole construct?<br /><br />I'm not sure I'm making sense here, but it's part of the worldbuilding bot me--I would need to believe that this particular doormat both understands and wholly acquiesces to conform/submit to the circumstances, and why. Because it's easier to let life drag you than to guide your own life? Not my cuppa (vegemite) but to each her own.<br /><br />The lack of self awareness in characters written as plot devices is what gets me, I guess.<br /><br />(Sorry, rambling much?)aztecladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14857872357667370906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-52669497057515313412013-06-11T11:46:36.671+09:302013-06-11T11:46:36.671+09:30@Aztec Lady I don't think I'm a placehold...@Aztec Lady I don't think I'm a placeholder reader for the most part - I tend to be more voyeuristic than that. I wonder if a placeholder reader would appreciate the invisible heroine more?Kaetrinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936055488367251592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480569708975020177.post-9676766632410505672013-06-11T07:22:30.091+09:302013-06-11T07:22:30.091+09:30The hero is only as good as his heroine---YES, a m...The hero is only as good as his heroine---YES, a million times yes.<br /><br />Until recently, I didn't have a name for the concept of "agency" but it has always been something essential for me, as a reader, to be able to sink into the world the author has created. Doormats and other two dimensional characters hold absolutely no interest for me, and I'm always aware that anything they do is to serve the plot, which pretty much finishes off any interest I could have in that either.aztecladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14857872357667370906noreply@blogger.com