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You Like What You Like
It's so funny to read book reviews on Good Reads. It's great having tons of reviews, but it brings home that people can like wildly different things. One person's four star review is another's "What the hell is THIS?!" And some of it really boils down to nothing but preference. Some of my biggest reactions are when someone flat-out admits to liking and/or disliking a certain trope and their like/dislike is the polar opposite of my own, or one I find the 'dislike' to be something I find to be inexplicable.
Examples of comments that made me go huh:
-- "I don't like it when the hero has been in love before..."
My Reaction: Wha-huh? Doesn't this cut out a LOT of potential stories and storylines? That seems terribly arbitrary.
--"I really liked the author's proper use of grammar..."
My Reaction: Um... this is a review of an AUDIO BOOK. What the heck are you talking about? Subject/verb agreement?
-- "I don't like a commoner involved with a titled person stories. I like them both to be aristocrats..."
My Reaction: What kind of classist B.S. is this? (Admittedly, the commoner/"beneath you" trope where classes intersect is one of my go-to kinks.)
-- The pervasive love of rich domineering assholes. There are SO many people who seem to love that archetype. My reaction to it this time basically came from a poll on an author's web site where she was asking which of her stories was her fans' fave, and the winner was the one where I spent waaaaaayyyyyyyyyy too much time mentally fuming re: the hero "What an ASSHOLE!!" The book was good overall (but not because of HIM), but the "hero" was a terrible asshat who needed to be taken down many a peg, but wasn't. Meanwhile waaaaayyyy down the poll list was my favorite of the writer's stories, the one where a bonafied nice person was the hero. I probably have a long musing post one day on the Uberwealthy Domineering Asshole archetype that seems so popular. Not today, but someday...
Examples of comments that made me go huh:
-- "I don't like it when the hero has been in love before..."
My Reaction: Wha-huh? Doesn't this cut out a LOT of potential stories and storylines? That seems terribly arbitrary.
--"I really liked the author's proper use of grammar..."
My Reaction: Um... this is a review of an AUDIO BOOK. What the heck are you talking about? Subject/verb agreement?
-- "I don't like a commoner involved with a titled person stories. I like them both to be aristocrats..."
My Reaction: What kind of classist B.S. is this? (Admittedly, the commoner/"beneath you" trope where classes intersect is one of my go-to kinks.)
-- The pervasive love of rich domineering assholes. There are SO many people who seem to love that archetype. My reaction to it this time basically came from a poll on an author's web site where she was asking which of her stories was her fans' fave, and the winner was the one where I spent waaaaaayyyyyyyyyy too much time mentally fuming re: the hero "What an ASSHOLE!!" The book was good overall (but not because of HIM), but the "hero" was a terrible asshat who needed to be taken down many a peg, but wasn't. Meanwhile waaaaayyyy down the poll list was my favorite of the writer's stories, the one where a bonafied nice person was the hero. I probably have a long musing post one day on the Uberwealthy Domineering Asshole archetype that seems so popular. Not today, but someday...
no subject
I think I know why. Although it's hard to put in words. I think it's pure fantasy.
There was this interview with EL James who wrote the 50 Shades books, and she was sort of asked that question. What she said is there's this fantasy of just having everything taken care of, all decisions, etc. But in reality - you do want someone to help you wash the dishes.
So..a lot of people seek out in romance novels the exact opposite of what they'd want in reality. I know my mother did - she adored the boddice rippers. And the edgy heroes - although with the caveat that the woman was just as tough and could rip him a new one.
The problem I have with a lot of the new romance novels is the heroine isn't very strong, the hero is a domineering asshole who is uberwealthy, and she's weak and kittenish. Give me a break. ewww. For it to work for me - they sort of have to be on equal footing. (ie. Spuffy)
But, I've discovered a lot of female readers identify with the kittenish heroine (Bella from Twilight until she becomes a vampire, I'm guessing) and don't like the strong one (who they consider shrewish - which is odd). They are oddly more forgiving of an asshat hero than an asshat heroine. (internalized sexism?)
For myself? I'm intrigued by impossible relationships. It's what I liked about Spuffy, actually, it was impossible. Nasty guys are often more interesting to read about as heroes in a romance novel, less predictable, ...but keep in mind, I'm not necessarily reading it for the "romance" - so much as for the conflict resolution and to see how they overcome their issues. I'm not fantasizing about dating the guy myself or that relationship. So I'm not reading the novel for the same reasons a lot of people are. I trying to figure out something else - something else is pulling me in. Of course if the guy doesn't change and remains an uberwealthy asshat throughout or the forgiveness isn't earned or doesn't come across as believable...and the heroine stays with him...I get annoyed.