I'm a hopeless romantic...or so I've been told. Anyway, be that as I may, you would probably expect that I like romances. Not really. (Okay, I'm pretty fond of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.) But when it comes to the majority of 'romances'...nah.
I much prefer action, adventure, and hair-breath escapes! I don't mind a side-line romance. Actually, I like that. But I do not like stories where the point is nothing but the romance. A good deal of 'young adult' fiction (at least the kind for girls) is sappy romances. (And that comment comes pretty much from just looking at the covers and reading the back of the books.)
This comes to mind because I started to read the first book out of the "Annual's of Lystra" series by Robin Hardy this morning. Maybe it gets better, but where I quit (I think it was chapter 3 or 4), I already knew that the main character Nicole, was going to end up married to Commander Ares. It was way too sappy and non-realistic and I really don't think it was worth the time.
Also, another thing about romances. It can't be healthy for young girls to be reading stuff that has sexual tension/innuendo's in it. Okay, so that really exists in the real world, but how is it edifing? (I am glad my sister pounds that word at times.) While this particular book could have been worse, some of it could have not been in there in the first place and it would have: 1) been more edifing, and 2) not been missed--it was unnecessary. Remember, I was only four chapters (at most) into the book...
I think that my 'hopelessly romantic' nature displays itself in the fact that I do like 'happily ever after' stories. I like stories that have happy ending (I hate depressing stories), and of course, I do like it when the fella gets the girl. But I just don't like that to be the point of the story and the only source of tension.
This reminds me of a romance that I do like. It's a movie called, of all things, "Love Affair". I have actually seen two versions of this, a Black and White (30's vintage, I believe) and a color version (50's) with Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant (I love Cary Grant!) Depending on which version you watch, both characters are involved with someone else to one extent or another and they meet on shipboard. They fall in love (alright, so that was an unnecessary statement). They decide to ditch the other people and meet at the Empire State Building to get married at a set date. On the way, the girl gets hit by a car and is crippled. Well, dude up in the tower has no idea what has happened and feels betrayed (naturally). Anyway, the story follows both of them as they make major changes in their lives (still in love, though he doesn't know it--of course, I always thought it stupid of her not to tell him--after all if he really loved her it wouldn't matter whether she was cripple or not.) I like this movie because even though it is a romance, both of them have some serious character growth. Particularly him...he starts out as a playboy and ends up an honorable man.
Romance...there are so many different aspects. Suffice to say, I don't like romance with sexual tension. I do like solid romance were it is real love--and love is an action, not just a 'feeling'.
Now that I have probably confused you sufficently, I'll say adieu for this evening...
I much prefer action, adventure, and hair-breath escapes! I don't mind a side-line romance. Actually, I like that. But I do not like stories where the point is nothing but the romance. A good deal of 'young adult' fiction (at least the kind for girls) is sappy romances. (And that comment comes pretty much from just looking at the covers and reading the back of the books.)
This comes to mind because I started to read the first book out of the "Annual's of Lystra" series by Robin Hardy this morning. Maybe it gets better, but where I quit (I think it was chapter 3 or 4), I already knew that the main character Nicole, was going to end up married to Commander Ares. It was way too sappy and non-realistic and I really don't think it was worth the time.
Also, another thing about romances. It can't be healthy for young girls to be reading stuff that has sexual tension/innuendo's in it. Okay, so that really exists in the real world, but how is it edifing? (I am glad my sister pounds that word at times.) While this particular book could have been worse, some of it could have not been in there in the first place and it would have: 1) been more edifing, and 2) not been missed--it was unnecessary. Remember, I was only four chapters (at most) into the book...
I think that my 'hopelessly romantic' nature displays itself in the fact that I do like 'happily ever after' stories. I like stories that have happy ending (I hate depressing stories), and of course, I do like it when the fella gets the girl. But I just don't like that to be the point of the story and the only source of tension.
This reminds me of a romance that I do like. It's a movie called, of all things, "Love Affair". I have actually seen two versions of this, a Black and White (30's vintage, I believe) and a color version (50's) with Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant (I love Cary Grant!) Depending on which version you watch, both characters are involved with someone else to one extent or another and they meet on shipboard. They fall in love (alright, so that was an unnecessary statement). They decide to ditch the other people and meet at the Empire State Building to get married at a set date. On the way, the girl gets hit by a car and is crippled. Well, dude up in the tower has no idea what has happened and feels betrayed (naturally). Anyway, the story follows both of them as they make major changes in their lives (still in love, though he doesn't know it--of course, I always thought it stupid of her not to tell him--after all if he really loved her it wouldn't matter whether she was cripple or not.) I like this movie because even though it is a romance, both of them have some serious character growth. Particularly him...he starts out as a playboy and ends up an honorable man.
Romance...there are so many different aspects. Suffice to say, I don't like romance with sexual tension. I do like solid romance were it is real love--and love is an action, not just a 'feeling'.
Now that I have probably confused you sufficently, I'll say adieu for this evening...
RSS Feed
