Last week, I had to visit my bank in person to get a new ATM card, and the bank manager happened to be in my branch, covering a vacancy. She asked if I had a new book coming out any time soon. “On the shelves as we speak,” I said, and pulled out a postcard I was taking to a local bookseller. “Please tell the other women, too.”
She was so happy! Looking at the postcard, she said, “These are my favorite books. My family always wants to know why I read them and I say ‘they are candy for the mind.’ I can just escape when I read them.”
“Don’t apologize,” I said. “You’re allowed to choose whatever kind of reading material you like. You’re an adult, and well aware of all the choices out there. If romance works for you, read them proudly. People don’t apologize for liking romantic comedies at the movies, or chick flicks. They like them. So what?”
“Oh!” She inclined her head, recognition dawning. “That’s true. Why is that?”
I have no idea.
The local paper is running a new book column, written by a young woman who likes to read and wants to talk about her favorites. I am delighted to see local material on books, and applaud the troubled newspaper for trying this approach. She seems to enjoy commercial fiction, especially mysteries, and for me—a commercial fiction writer—this is even better news. (For the record, I welcome ALL book coverage in all venues, it’s just especially nice to see the commercial fiction angle covered once in awhile.)
Last week, she decided to wade into romance. And before I tackle the paragraph that stuck in my craw, I want to say that she enjoyed the romance that she read, very much, and can’t wait for the next one in the series.
She begins by telling us that she’s not much of a romance kind of person, candles and movie love stories, all that. Which is fine. We do not all like the same things, the same books, even the same genres. The paragraph that made me sigh in exasperation is this one:
“Despite my warped sense of romance, I decided to brave [there be monsters here] the romance aisle at Barnes and Noble. There’s a huge population of readers who love book covers featuring shots of near naked models overlaid with suggestive titles. I wanted to honor those romance junkies, but wanted to stretch their reading limits, too. So I didn’t pick just any romance. Uh-uh. I picked The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox. “ (Anita Miller, The Gazette Telegraph, Sunday Jan 18)
Two things are frustrating about this paragraph. The first is her assumption that romance readers need someone to take them by the hand and stretch their boundaries, which I will address in a moment.
The other assumption is a little more subtle. She goes on to give a great synopsis of the book, and a thoughtful review, and she really loved it, which is all great for the genre, and paranormals in particular. But I bet she is still holding her nose when she enters the romance section of the store, thinking not, “Wow, I found such a great new genre to read!” but, “I have found the only romance out there that’s not a piece of crap.”
It’s just so frustrating, maybe the most frustrating thing about the on-going, practically immovable prejudice that surrounds our genre. When I first began writing category romance, a very well educated relative read my book and said, “Well, it’s still not really my thing, but you are such a good writer you write above it.”
Um. No. Since she had read NO OTHER CATEGORY ROMANCE EVER, she had no idea there were tons of books out there that were quite a lot better than mine. Not your thing? I get that. Judging a genre you don’t know at all? That I don’t.
And yet, my relative knew best, didn’t she? She knows about romance, not from personal experience, but because everyone just knows and understands, like the sky is blue and the gravity holds us to the earth beneath our feet, that romance novels are just trashy and poorly written.
Which is what our columnist knew, too: romance readers require guidance, poor dears, from a more experienced and thoughtful reader, help them expand their horizons. It never occurred to her that romance readers might read many kinds of books, just as she does. That it is quite possible to read a romance on Tuesday and a food memoir on Saturday and a paranormal next Monday, with the last week of the month set aside for reading her book club choice, which is a serious novel about Afghanistan.
Never crossed her mind that a highly educated bank manager could walk into a bookstore, right past all the tables of new books of endless varieties, skip the mysteries and the literary fiction and the Oprah club books, and head to the romance shelves by choice.
Yes, I’m ranting. Yes, I am exasperated. I have been writing some form of romance novel for twenty years and reading them for way longer than that. It is as marvelously varied and rich and even as pathetically bad as any other genre. I’m not on a quest to convert readers who like very serious work or science fiction war games to my genre. But I don’t speak to nuances I don’t understand in genres I have not read.
I applaud the young columnist for wading into the romance section to read a romance for a column on commercial fiction. I respect her willingness, so I didn’t blast her with a letter to the editor. Instead, maybe I’ll send her a copy of The Lost Recipe for Happiness, my own sexy, romantic women’s fiction book, and hope she’ll read a local writer. Perhaps I’ll include a cheerful breakdown of the various categories of romance novels, so she can check out others she’d like, a recommendation of other paranormal authors she’d enjoy. Maybe she’ll discover she likes many kinds of romances.
Or not. At least she will be somewhat better educated. One more and one more and one more….and eventually, maybe, one day we won’t have to write any more of these letters.
What do you do when you’re confronted with readers who apologize for reading romances, or run into the uniformed? Do you blast them with facts? Tease them with humor? Ignore it with a big roll of the eyes? What?
No related posts.
I may not be the author, but I would love a cheerful breakdown of the various categories of romance novels!
I definitely agree with the impetus behind your rant. We need to find a way to keep “Romance” and “Trashy” from being equivalent in the minds of readers. There will always be a group of elite Readerati who sneer at anything that could be read for pleasure, but their opinions shouldn’t be the standard.
Romance is one of the best selling genres (if not THE best)
and love, in my opinion, is THE most worthy emotion to write about.
Yes, there will always be a handful of people
who don’t ‘get’ romance
and don’t like romance
but who cares?
Millions of women read and enjoy romance.
I’d rather concentrate on them.
BTW…
I tell all my male business buddies
that if they hope to sell to women at all,
they should try to understand them.
That means
knowing about
the movies they like,
the tv shows they follow,
and the novels they read.
Yep, anyone targeting the female demographic should read romance novels.
Rant away, I’m right there with you. I joined a writers group a few years back where one of the board members sniffed when I said I wrote romance and paranormals, and told me that “Romances are written by and for people with a grade eight education.” Needless to say, I didn’t stay a member for very long.
Romance holds the biggest sales of all genres, and the one of the largest sections in the B&N. When I’m in the book store, there are always more people in that isle then any place else. I have run across individuals who refuse to read romance, not because of the story, but the they claim, the writing. The romance authors I know are well educated, talented and beautiful writers. Look at it this way, Oprah refuses to read romance, claiming its not really writing, with her influnce on the public, she still didn’t put a dent in the sales or popularity. Romances were the first genre in print, going back to the Vikings. It has survived everything, and always will. One thing a romance writer won’t do, lie to Oprah, like the couple did, who she claimed had the greates romance story in the world.
I don’t follow Oprah’s book club but I was always wondering why there wasn’t a romance novel on her club. Now I know, and I’m a little ‘tick’ about it. What does she mean about not being “really writing”. Nothing makes me more upset than statements like those. Did she said that on her show? Where can I find where she said that? I would love to read it.
Well, to be fair to the brave young lady, all those suggestive titles and practically naked clench covers do give the impression that all the Romance novels are only about sex and nothing else. People who have a healthy grip on romance in Real Life know there’s a heck of a lot more to it than sex. Therefore, any book which calls ‘just sex’ romance cannot be all that brilliant and is probably porn. That’s the automatic assumption. Remember though, she’s new to this.
I think we should cut a lot of slack to people who are just wading into this. It takes a while to learn how to navigate. It takes a while to realize that cover art and titles sometimes do not accurately reflect the story or that there’s a story at all.
If we’re not patient and helpful to newcomers, we might only drive them away and reinforce their preconceptions.
This is from someone who boycotted the Romance genre for two decades for similar reasons.
I loved your post, Barbara. I can remember sitting at a local RWA meeting and a new potential member joining us. I was the leader of the group at the time and always asked what people read and wrote. She replied she read “trash” or something like that, then let out a nervous giggle. She was so used to having to make fun of what she read to other people it didn’t occur to her that we UH, read and WROTE the same books.
I do not apologize for what I read or write. And I am quite good at unleashing the hairy eyeball if someone makes a disparaging remark.
Maybe hairy eyeballs should just come with every romance novel purchase…
I agree with you Kimber An.
Here’s a reporter willing to expand her reading assumptions and try romance. I wouldn’t hold her feet to the fire now. I agree with the thought that all the romance readers I know have very broad reading sensibilities, and read many different genres, but they know what romance has to offer them, they are familiar with the variety of stories in the romance isles, and they embrace it.
I think we should embrace this reporter and welcome her into the fold. If we’re hyper-sensitive about what we read, and that comes out in a certain defensiveness about our genre, that will only reinforce stereotypes instead of break them down.
I tend to respond to negativity with, “Yeah, I read and write them. They’re great books. You should try them.”
This reported tried them. She liked them. Let’s applaud that. (Angie’s book is great by the way, everyone should pick up a copy. It is a laugh a minute, and a steamy romance with a very hot hero.)
A tragedy here would be scaring this reporter away from reviewing more romances because the romance community was willing to rip her to pieces over one paragraph in a very complimentary article.
Let’s stay open. Let’s stay positive. And let’s show the world that there is a story for everyone in the romance section, even those who like science-fiction war games. I know of quite a few hot science-fiction war games romances. (Including mine
)
Jess
There are always people who believe themselves superior because of their choices. They denigrate other options as unworthy, be it romance novels, science fiction novels, action movies, Nascar, whatever.
For some reason, the tag seemed to stick with Romance. I don’t know if its because many consider it a “guilty pleasure” or what
Wonderful post, Barbara. People really need to get over this hang up.
I like to kill people who make such uninformed/biased statements with kindness and facts. Instead of them embarrassing or stumping me by making a stereotypical comment about romance, I’ll launch into a dissertation on the genre and smile away. Then, I’ll start to lend them books, first general fiction, maybe mystery/sci-fi depending on their interests, and then I’ll slowly start slipping in the romances. Before they know it they’re reading Ann Aguirre and Stephanie Laurens and liking them. This is how I converted all my neighbors and family members who only read “real” books and Oprah selections.
Oprah seriously needs to read some romance. LOL
Jess
Oh, and I’m sure for everyone in a book club that only reads Oprah books, there’s one like my friend who asked me if I’d heard about the latest title she had to read. I told her it was an Oprah book, and she responded with, “Oh, no. Dang it!” (I’m paraphrasing. The point is she’d rather read romance.)
Jess
I only tend to blast people who put down romance when they’re doing it from within the genre.
That truly gets my goat.
Seriously, when someone in the “real world” talks down about what I’m reading or buying, I generally shrug it off – unless they’re persistent. Then they may get an education.
I’m a little less patient when other romance readers take we should “broaden our reading horizons” tack as Barbara mentions in her post. I encountered this attitude when I first got online and wasn’t impressed with it at all. The thing that gets me the most is that in real life we can walk away from the people that do it or if, say, it’s family we can, hopefully, draw some boundaries for discussions. I said hopefully, okay.
But in these forums, there are times when one has to speak up simply because these are other romance readers putting down the free choice of other adults at the same time they’ll be spouting off about the persecution of the genre, for goodness sakes. They don’t even realize what they’re doing it. It truly boggles the mind.
Do you blast them with facts?
I have a tendency to launch into a rather detailed explanation about how I do literary criticism of romance novels. I sometimes worry that perhaps I’ll bore people, but so far most people I’ve talked to have responded to this with interest and I’ve had all sorts of helpful comments.
Can we shift that “practically immovable prejudice that surrounds our genre”? Yes we can!
A few weeks ago a 17 year old male co-workers asked me what was the appeal of all those harlequins that so many people like to read and all seemed the same to him. I enjoyed explaining to him the difference between Harlequin Blaze and Harlequin Intrigue and the other lines. He mentioned something about ridiculous titles and I directed him to a video on youtube where one of the Mills & Boon editors explains how the writers don’t pick them and all that. Hopefully he listened as walked away with a little more insight.
I don’t hear as much romance novel bashing where I am since I left college -I was an English major so you can imagine what I heard. Thank goodness I was reading romances way before college and didn’t let the attitudes sway me. The only thing I get now is snickering teenagers at the bookstore. I don’t think the teen section and the romance/erotica section can ever be far enough apart.
Hey! I’m the columnist you wrote about today. I did not mean to disparage romance readers or writers AT ALL…apologies all the way around, for those of you who took it that way! I am so NOT one of those people who stick up their nose at romance or any other genre.
The reason I think some romance readers could benefit from “stretching their boundaries” is because they get hooked on a certain sub-genre. For example, I actually had to PLACE THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER IN MY SISTER’S HANDS before she would read it. She is normally a fan of historical romance only. She ended up loving the book (actually cursed me for keeping her up all night with it) and is now exploring other romance sub-genres while she keeping historicals near and dear to her heart.
It’s a kick to expand people’s reading horizons, if they’re open to it…but if they’re happy staying with one genre, that’s a kick, too…I’ll try to find more of what they like and recommend that in my column, too.
In an earlier column I wrote that I used to read ONLY mysteries. I cringe at all the great books I missed during those years. For those of you who read everything, I’m glad, but that’s not the case with everyone and if I can expand some reading horizons, I will. From thriller into romance from non-fiction into mysteries…whatever. I have readers who’ve contacted me about the ADS review and said they are reading it as their first romance EVER. Can you imagine?!
Finally, ADS reintroduced me to romance and I will be reading and recommending more of it. If anyone out there wants me to consider reading their book (any genre, any year published), please contact me.
Anita,
Good for you for being so darn professional about this. As we writers all know, it is challenging to have our books or words reviewed, especially when that review isn’t stellar.
And I think it is very clever of you to include romance in your reviews. It IS the number one selling genre so you’ll expand your readership more quickly by including these popular novels.
Plus it again shows your professionalism that you put your readers’ wishes first (because readers like to see reviews of books they might actually buy).
I’m glad to hear your response, Anita.
(And I’m sorry for the terrible typos in my earlier post. Sheesh, that’s me in the morning. I apologize.)
You do have a point. Some readers get stuck in ruts, and it is good to try new things.
I hope you continue to write reviews for your paper. I liked your review, and the romance genre can use as many advocates as it can get.
Jess
Anita,
I think there is sometimes a tendency for us to get stuck in a favorite genre or to avoid another (I happen to dislike historicals as a rule because I prefer contemporary heroines)–it’s always good to have our horizons expanded.
I’m still baffled by why the stigma remains about romance. As pointed out by others here, it’s the best selling genre out there and certainly we’re not all bored, loveless housewives with no lives. But if anything, I’ve learned as an adult that if someone is determined to disagree with you, nothing you say is going to change their minds, so there’s no point in engaging. If, on the other hand, you can put a book in someone’s hands and say “hey, this was great. It’s got the such and such blah blah and I think you’ll like it” so that they read it and like it and THEN you tell them “by the way, that was romance” it’s gratifying. I’ve got one of my best friends dipping her toes into the genre now that she found out that there are subgenres to romance that don’t involve gratuitous sex.
I’m totally here for romance. I am a believer in the genre!
http://www.anitalaydonmiller.blogspot.com
Anita,
Thanks for being such a good sport, and for wading right in here with us. Bravo! I hope you see that I was very grateful that you reviewed the book and were willing to expand and explore.
Great comments all around. I never think it’s a good idea to blast somebody–that does a lot of harm, and I’ve seen some very shrill comments from romance writers/readers at times, and that’s counter-productive.
Laura, I like that: Yes, we can!
I think Mark’s “guilty pleasure” remark is spot on. I don’t think it’s so much that romance novels have this horrible stigma so much as they are really enjoyable reads most of the time. And they have happy endings. They make people smile, and laugh, and sometimes turn them on.
America was founded by a bunch of puritans, and that puritan ethic, that anything that feels good is sinful and shouldn’t be indulged in, has subtly worked its way into the root of our culture, IMO.
So if it’s enjoyable and feels good, then you should at least have the sense to feel a little guilty about it. Enjoy your romance but then call it trashy, so people don’t think “you” are trashy.
I think it’s more about the people than the genre. I also think that a lot of times people “apologize” for reading romance in order to avoid this judgment from other people. So if someone else admits to reading “trashy romance novels” too, then the conversation quickly turns away from denigrating the genre and into what you like and don’t like and who your favorite authors are.
Most of us also feel guilty about ice cream. It’s as if acknowledging we were bad eating that sundae, makes it okay to indulge. But ice cream manufacturers don’t worry about this stigma, because they know people love ice cream and will keep coming back.
Romance is the ice cream sundae of fiction. Everyone feels guilty, but they all love it and come back. At least fiction is calorie free.
I think Mark’s “guilty pleasure” remark is spot on. I don’t think it’s so much that romance novels have this horrible stigma so much as they are really enjoyable reads most of the time. And they have happy endings. They make people smile, and laugh, and sometimes turn them on.
America was founded by a bunch of puritans, and that puritan ethic, that anything that feels good is sinful and shouldn’t be indulged in, has subtly worked its way into the root of our culture, IMO.
So if it’s enjoyable and feels good, then you should at least have the sense to feel a little guilty about it. Enjoy your romance but then call it trashy, so people don’t think “you” are trashy.
I think it’s more about the people than the genre. I also think that a lot of times people “apologize” for reading romance in order to avoid this judgment from other people. So if someone else admits to reading “trashy romance novels” too, then the conversation quickly turns away from denigrating the genre and into what you like and don’t like and who your favorite authors are.
Most of us also feel guilty about ice cream. It’s as if acknowledging we were bad eating that sundae, makes it okay to indulge. But ice cream manufacturers don’t worry about this stigma, because they know people love ice cream and will keep coming back.
Romance is the ice cream sundae of fiction. Everyone feels guilty about it, but they all love it and come back. At least fiction is calorie free.
and eeek, sorry for the double post. My computer was being SLOW and I thought it didn’t go through.
This reminded me of a review I saw at Amazon, talking about how the reviewer never read romance, except for this one author who was so unusual and above the genre and blah blah blah. And I just about died laughing, because that particular author, while certainly a good writer and storyteller, is in no way exceptional to anyone familiar with the genre. Think of what would happen if she tried Laura Kinsale or Judith Ivory — her head would explode!
I think people think of it as trash because there IS a lot of trashy stuff out there. In such a big category, where so much of it is straight to paperback, it’s kind of inevitable that a lot of dreck gets published along with the good stuff. And the covers ARE largely cliche and silly, which makes the whole genre look bad.
Plus, they’re the books most likely to contain porn, so of course it’s hard to shake the reputation of being the housewife’s Playboy. They “read it for the articles” and all that.
Tami, of course different people might break this down in another way, but I will give it my best shot. Categories of romance novels:
Category, which includes all the lines of Harlequin and Silhouette. These are further broken down into traditional, romantic suspense, home and hearth, erotic and others. Each line has a certain feeling to it.
Historical romances, which cover every time period before the turn of the 20th century. Sweet or sexy, and everything in between.
Contemporary romances, which take place in the modern world.
Romantic suspense, romance mixed with suspense in various proportions.
Paranormal romance, which includes a vast array of fantasy elements including vampires, demons, fairy, ghosts, etc. If there are supernatural elements mixed with romance, it’s a paranormal romance.
Erotic romance, in which the main storyline explores sexual relationships in some way. (This is an evolving subgenre and one I am not as familiar with, so maybe someone else can jump in here?) Brava publishes erotic romance.
And finally, women’s fiction, which sometimes involves romance, but differs from contemporary romance in that a woman is facing other issues with family, work, life, and may or may not fall in love forever with one person.
I’m sure I’ve missed something. Fill it in for me, will you?
Well, being a Science Fiction Romance author, I’d like to shout out to the other SFR writers out there. While usually lumped in the paranormal basket, SFR has it’s roots in science fiction, a strong genre in its own right, and doesn’t always involve magical elements so much as the possibilities of technology and human innovation. SFR usually contains the high-impact action of blockbuster movies with the scope of sweeping epics. It’s a very fun sub-genre for those who like adventure.
You also didn’t mention Inspirational Romance, which is a full and popular subgenre. Inspirationals include stories that center around a spiritual theme, where the characters falling in love and overcoming their obstacles do so with a strong religious backdrop. These are usually reflect their religious overtones in that there is little a church going audience would object to.
And as far as Erotic Romance goes, ER needs to have a development of an actual romance in the course of the book, but the primary focus is on character growth and liberation through exploration of sexual themes. Erotica isn’t constrained by dealing with love, and solely focuses on that change in character through the character’s sexual exploration.
Now am I missing anything?
Jess
With the uninformed, who ask why I read/write that trash, my response is generally very simple:
Have you ever actually read one?
It’s astounding how often the answer is “um… well… actually… no.”
Then, depending on the party in question, I respond with either a “don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” response or a lengthier discussion of the genre and the sub-genres it employs.
With rude salespeople in bookstores, I’m far more Ranty McRanterson– I’ve been known to call over their managers and give them public grief for mocking the reading tastes of a customer.
I don’t think there is another topic that will set romance writers off like this one. Like many of you, besides reading and writing romance, I read many different genres and even the books some term ‘literary.’ One thing that is clear from my diverse reading is that there is wonderful and not so great writing in all types of books. Even text books that our children are required to read in school. I think some people make fun or romance because of the HEA just like they do for chick fliks. So much fiction that critics claim has literary merit is populated by dysfunctional characters, sick relationships and highlight the worst in society. I’m sorry. If I want that I turn on the news or read the newspaper. I read to escape. I want to read about heroic people, people who do the right thing when the pinch comes. So give me my romance. I’m going to put on ‘How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days’ and prop my feet up after a week out there in the real world.
I think readers of all genres get stuck in their categories, so I can’t blame Anita for trying to stretch her sister’s mind. Romance readers don’t need their minds stretched more than any other readers do.
It’s interesting to me, come to think on it, that I don’t actually encounter many people who stigmatize romance. Maybe it helps that my subculture is entrenched in book loving (of all kinds), but I haven’t ever felt disparaged for reading a romance.
What I would do should that ever happen is point out that, back in the day, genres like horror were relegated to the “trash” pile right along with science fiction and fantasy and that literary fiction itself only recently took the shape it has.
Heck, some of the most epic and famous stories we have in our culture were romances as much as hero stories … where do they think we got the knight in shining armor theory? And anyone who was an English major like I was knows that’s “literary,” so why not romance today?
Barbara & Anita,
Couldn’t agree more, Barbara, and good on you, Anita, for stopping by and diving in!
Kris
Romance is the ice cream sundae of fiction.
I like this metaphor, Zoe, in the ways you mean it: people enjoy it, might feel guilty about it, and keep on coming back for more. But I do more than enjoy a good romance: I learn from it—facts and wonder and ways to understand the world and value my relationships. Laura V, and other literary critics, wouldn’t find much in romance if it were made up of empty calories.
So yeah, an ice cream sundae…but don’t forget good ice cream contains a healthy dollop of calcium.
I have finally, finally found the perfect answer. Because of my profession, I get a lot of flack for reading romance. A lot, a lot of flack.
But then I tell people I also love Ghost Hunters which is about two Roto-Rooters’ plumbers who investigate haunted buildings.
The stunned silence that greets that announcement beats getting yelled at.
I have a new love that engenders more scorn than my love of the romance genre.
LMAO, what’s wrong with Ghost Hunters?
That’s a cool show.
I think so too, but what do I know? I read romance.
For the longest time I didn’t want my mother to read any of my books. I still don’t want her to, but she insisted in that ceaselessly persistent way that mothers have, and I relented and gave her my first book to read. She passed it on to a friend of hers, who considers herself quite well read (I don’t know what she reads, but apparently she’d never read a romance). The comment? A rather surprised remark that it was actually well constructed, included realistic conflicts and everything (shock, horror). She then suggested I try to write a novel.
Well, I thought I had, but apparently not..?
My mother also chimed in with “You’re actually not a bad writer. You’re better than these (elegant sniff) little sex books.” This from the woman from whom I stole my first ever Jackie Collins.
Like I said, I didn’t want her to read them. Mothers–what are you gonna do?
I work at a newspaper and we get tons of books in the mail for review (without requesting them) — sadly 95 percent are self-published (which rarely are reviewed). The other 5 percent are “The Complete Idiot Guide” books and such, which are pretty cool. If you are a local author (and not self-published), send your newest release to newspapers in your area (you can ask first if they do reviews) and be sure to include a press kit or news release with a way to contact you for more information. Personally, I love the romance genre so those are my favorite to review.
Oh, Barbara, boy does this post touch a nerve with me! My very literary friends are still trying to get over my fairly recent revelation that I write romance. Recently, I gave an anti-romance friend a Lani Diane Rich novel to read, knowing she loves books with humor. Well, she became a fanatic and has now read just about every Lani Diane Rich book out there. I think she even wrote a fan letter to Lani. BUT she still doesn’t think she likes romance novels. Like the reviewer you mention in your post, she seems to think that Lani is a freakish exception to all that other “formulaic” badly written stuff in the romance section.
Honestly, I don’t think there’s much point in trying to preach to people about it. They either “get” the romance genre or they don’t. They either appreciate that escapism and sheer entertainment are valid reasons for reading a book, or they don’t.
What bothers me more than whether a person likes romance novels, is the assumption some (like your reviewer) seem to make that anyone reading these things is not reading anything else and is therefore stupid. I do enjoy freaking that sort of person out by pointing out that not only do I enjoy a good “trashy bodice ripper,” I also enjoy Salman Rushdie, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce -and Baudelaire in the original French. Boy, they hate it when I tell them that, it really messes up their vision of romance readers.
Sorry to be so verbose, but this is a favorite subject of mine!
“They either appreciate that escapism and sheer entertainment are valid reasons for reading a book, or they don’t.”
What I find bizarre is that I don’t find that romance is any more shallow than any other genre fiction. I mean let’s face it, your average bio-tech thriller isn’t exactly Anna Karenina.
So I’m not sure exactly why reading a thrilller, horror novel, or mystery is all good fun, but read a romance and people go to terror level orange over it.
I used to get a lot of flak from my brothers about reading romances. However, there was a time when they didn’t have any form of entertainment around except for my books, so they ended up reading them. I think they enjoyed it, even so far as having one brother demand I get the next book in a Nora Roberts trilogy because he just had to know what happened next.
I always had the impression that people who don’t read romance have a very warped view of them, and often have a superior complex because they think it doesn’t take any brains to read them. Which is sad, and wrong. I read non-fiction, sci-fi & fantasy, a bit of horror and even technical books because I want to. I have healthy discussions on politics, technology, philosophy and other topics. When I tell people that I read romance novels, they are surprised. And I do throw back the question “Have you read a romance novel before?” and the responses are usually, “No.”