Respect. I have heard all my life that respect is earned, to treat my elders with respect and a myriad of other platitudes based in good manners and proper behavior. But, when someone disrespects me, my readers and my peers, my good manners fly out the window and I have to shout my frustration from the rooftops – or from this blog.
Because, you see, I am angry. I have been simmering in anger since Sunday. I love my Sunday’s. I laze around, sometimes staying in my pajamas all day. I watch Hallmark Channel movies or reruns of Reese Witherspoon movies. You know the ones, Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama or Just Like Heaven. Any of them will do.
Sometimes my boyfriend, Michael, will research what’s happening around Chicago that day and make a suggestion. He loves finding new neighborhoods to explore or a street festival He suggests how to spend the day and I am happy to oblige. But, always, the day begins with a big pot of coffee and the New York Times.
I only get the Times on Sunday. It’s a gift that I give myself, a self-indulgence. I love savoring the stories, and opinions, reading the magazine and Style section and of course, the book reviews.
In The Mood for Love?
So you can imagine my elation this past Sunday when the Times Book Review honored a dozen romance novels with their cover story. It was titled “In the Mood for Love”. If you are unfamiliar with the layout, the lead story is the entire front page complete with a lovely illustration. In this case there were white doves circling an embracing couple. I couldn’t wait to dive in.
Instead of the usual format of reviewing a book and author in great detail, author Robert Gottlieb used a dozen romance novels to damn the genre with faint praise. He provided a synopsis of each book as opposed to a review. He used these carefully curated novels, to make his point.
What was his point? That romance novels are formulaic but “harmless.” The review felt a bit like a scolding parent who lays out all the evils of drinking alcohol before allowing that, perhaps, a glass of wine with dinner is acceptable. Gottlieb knows his stuff, and that might bother me most of all, as he has been editor in chief of not one, but two major publishing houses.
He stoked my simmering anger and frustration. I have written blogs about this before. It is a sore subject with me. I take exception to the attitude that many people express toward romance novels and romance writers. A chance to write a compelling story is appealing to an author. The opportunity to spark the reader’s imagination, make them feel empathy for a character. Who wouldn’t jump at the prospect?
Yet, too many people dismiss romance novels, forgetting that some of our greatest literature has been at heart, romance. Shakespeare, Cold Mountain, Gone with the Wind, and of course Pride and Prejudice.
Are romances formulaic? You bet. Readers would revolt if they selected a novel expecting a suave billionaire, as in my Beguiling Bachelors Series, and got a biker bad boy who loved BDSM. On the flip side, the reader assuming there will be hot sex and an Alpha hero, would be beyond disappointed to read a sweet romance. And, all of them would be furious without a happy ending.
Beyond the Expected
But, romance goes beyond formula today. Even modern regency romances give us strong, smart heroines. Expect an impoverished governess, or a down on her luck gentle woman and a dark, brooding and aristocratic male. But, also know that you will get a well-research novel with historic context that is accurate and informative.
Contemporary fiction with its sexier covers and steamy sex scenes might lead a novice romance reader to think they are reading fluff. Billionaire romance, Western romance, romantic suspense, I too can do what Gottlieb did – reduce a romance to its basic elements. What is missing from his assessment is that authors go far beyond formula today. Romance is the number one selling genre in the world for a reason.
Romance novels expose us to the world. Sure, it might be the world of billionaires, or cowboys but the billionaire might be King Henry, the cowboy might teach us the history of the gold rush. Do they have happy endings? Absolutely. But these novels and short stories deliver on all cylinders.
Besides well-researched history or settings, there are strong women role models for the millions of teens reading Young Adult romances and for the more adult reader, authors provide women who show us the way to solve mysteries, put food on the table, or be CEO.
Romance includes tales of career women struggling against stereotypes, mothers and daughters dealing with financial struggles, abusive husbands and fathers, deprivation and hunger. Leading ladies are maids, governesses, students, cops and financial analysts. Today’s romances tackle stress, alcoholism, and autism, all in a tale that manages to amuse, entertain and provide a few hours of escape.
The Harm in Harmless
So Mr. Gottlieb, here is what I have to say. Don’t reduce romance to terms like ‘preposterous’ and ‘harmless’. Give us our due. Romance authors and readers deserve more respect. Romance writers are storytellers who relate to how people live today. Romance readers are smart, imaginative people who love a good book.
Formulaic? Perhaps. Harmless? Sure. But, a romance novel can be oh so much more.
You might also like:
- In the Mood for Love by Robert Gottlieb, The New York Times Book Review
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- The complete works of William Shakespeare
- Price and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
- Legally Blonde
- Sweet Home Alabama
- Just Like Heaven