3 in Love and Romance
So there are a few books that to me say 'romance', as I was pondering this after the last post (and readings)... They are all ones I've read in the past, and figured 'Romance' would be like-
The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye
Yes, this has a princess, but there is so rich a world around her and the boy that it isn't as narcissistic as the latest books I'd read this month. (I swear every book I picked up since the post 'Maybe I should become a romance writer' is just about the world according to the girl, revolving around the girl, and acting against the girl. Sorry, that just doesn't appeal to me. Watching a girl move through a world that has elements concerned with her and also wholy unconcerned with her is so much easier to relate to)
I don't remember if there actually is any sex in this book, but the most important thing was their relationship and how it spanned all the chaos around them...
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Ok, I remember I loved this one for the different characters. And yes, there was a sex scene in here that I remember just melded into the rest of the story, even though I do not remember the details well, just it was between the priest and the main girl. I just remember that when it happened, it was just so right, and I wanted something like that (but without all the complications of all that, naturally). And I believe I read that before I'd ever had sex myself, so I may have to go back and read it again...
Still, I remember there was this whole, real, believable world around them that didn't do what they wanted it to do, but they did what they could just the same. Somehow everything working out in the end just right doesn't appeal to me much...
Shakespeare in Love (Kay, it's a movie, not a book, but...)
Kay, besides the obvious hottness of Joseph Fiennes, and the superb acting by Gwyneth Paltrow (and the wonderful sets and costumes), the best part of this movie was the bet by the Queen - write a love story that's true to love. And of course, the final play, with all the comments by the Queen afterword. A close second to this movie would be Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett, though I love "Shakespeare in Love" more.
I suppose probably because the female lead was such a strong personality, without being abrasive or overly obvious. Favorite scene? The shot of Viola's maid, sitting in the chair outside the door as she and Shakespeare are making love for the first time, fanning herself because of what she's hearing behind the door, and then rocking the chair to disguise the sounds as another maid walks by.
Oh, and the shot of Viola walking up the beach into the new world, while Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" is voiced over: "For she will be my heroine for all time, and her name will be... Viola."
The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye
Yes, this has a princess, but there is so rich a world around her and the boy that it isn't as narcissistic as the latest books I'd read this month. (I swear every book I picked up since the post 'Maybe I should become a romance writer' is just about the world according to the girl, revolving around the girl, and acting against the girl. Sorry, that just doesn't appeal to me. Watching a girl move through a world that has elements concerned with her and also wholy unconcerned with her is so much easier to relate to)
I don't remember if there actually is any sex in this book, but the most important thing was their relationship and how it spanned all the chaos around them...
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Ok, I remember I loved this one for the different characters. And yes, there was a sex scene in here that I remember just melded into the rest of the story, even though I do not remember the details well, just it was between the priest and the main girl. I just remember that when it happened, it was just so right, and I wanted something like that (but without all the complications of all that, naturally). And I believe I read that before I'd ever had sex myself, so I may have to go back and read it again...
Still, I remember there was this whole, real, believable world around them that didn't do what they wanted it to do, but they did what they could just the same. Somehow everything working out in the end just right doesn't appeal to me much...
Shakespeare in Love (Kay, it's a movie, not a book, but...)
Kay, besides the obvious hottness of Joseph Fiennes, and the superb acting by Gwyneth Paltrow (and the wonderful sets and costumes), the best part of this movie was the bet by the Queen - write a love story that's true to love. And of course, the final play, with all the comments by the Queen afterword. A close second to this movie would be Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett, though I love "Shakespeare in Love" more.
I suppose probably because the female lead was such a strong personality, without being abrasive or overly obvious. Favorite scene? The shot of Viola's maid, sitting in the chair outside the door as she and Shakespeare are making love for the first time, fanning herself because of what she's hearing behind the door, and then rocking the chair to disguise the sounds as another maid walks by.
Oh, and the shot of Viola walking up the beach into the new world, while Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" is voiced over: "For she will be my heroine for all time, and her name will be... Viola."