Dear Author
In case anyone was interested, the answer was "I took as much as I could carry." I wrote two book reviews, read and wrote another review, finished Yarn Harlot's latest book, and finished another rectangle for the knitalong afghan. I had time to do this in the 10 minutes to jury selection for my panel that stretched for about 5 hours until they told us to turn the cards back in and go home.
And also, thanks to Tangled Skein having the rare 5.5" double-pointed needles in larger sizes, the Swiss Army knitting kit is done without any special work on my part. Two short needles, two point protectors, and a hotel sewing kit equipped with stitchmarkers and those itty bitty scissors. Add yarn and done!
However, that book I read? Hoo, boy, did I wish I could write a Dear Author right there! So, to get it out of my system:
Dear author:
There is more to having a feminist heroine than making her female. Even if you make her a progressive woman. Even if you give her an education and the aspiration to hold a job at the turn of the previous century. Especially if you make her a socialist suffragette with an Oxford education and then forget to remind her that the working poor she's always worrying about includes her own servants, whom she treats like furniture.
Making her repeat "I have an education and I want to be a journalist and I won't let men push me around" doesn't actually count when the pedal hits the metal feminism-wise. She has to actually back up those words... and frankly? Not seeing too much of that. I've been reading crime stories for years now, and you've written the first one where the investigator never actually talks to the victim's friends and family or investigates the scene of the crime. That sort of thing is for the menfolk, apparently.
It's not a feminist novel when most of the other characters are women too. Even when the suspect is an art-loving, recreational-drug-taking, socialist suffragette lesbian. Even when the victim is an art-loving bisexual free love proponent. It's I-think-I'm-so-edgy bingo, but it's not automatically a feminist novel.
It's not even a feminist novel when the plot revolves around birth control.
It would be a feminist novel if the heroine did more than bitch and flounce and sass at men, or if women weren't being picked off like flies, or if men weren't deciding to control women's fertility... but that's not the book you've written.
Signed,
A reviewer who likes good feminist crime and good historicals, and wish she'd just read a book that rated as either
And also, thanks to Tangled Skein having the rare 5.5" double-pointed needles in larger sizes, the Swiss Army knitting kit is done without any special work on my part. Two short needles, two point protectors, and a hotel sewing kit equipped with stitchmarkers and those itty bitty scissors. Add yarn and done!
However, that book I read? Hoo, boy, did I wish I could write a Dear Author right there! So, to get it out of my system:
Dear author:
There is more to having a feminist heroine than making her female. Even if you make her a progressive woman. Even if you give her an education and the aspiration to hold a job at the turn of the previous century. Especially if you make her a socialist suffragette with an Oxford education and then forget to remind her that the working poor she's always worrying about includes her own servants, whom she treats like furniture.
Making her repeat "I have an education and I want to be a journalist and I won't let men push me around" doesn't actually count when the pedal hits the metal feminism-wise. She has to actually back up those words... and frankly? Not seeing too much of that. I've been reading crime stories for years now, and you've written the first one where the investigator never actually talks to the victim's friends and family or investigates the scene of the crime. That sort of thing is for the menfolk, apparently.
It's not a feminist novel when most of the other characters are women too. Even when the suspect is an art-loving, recreational-drug-taking, socialist suffragette lesbian. Even when the victim is an art-loving bisexual free love proponent. It's I-think-I'm-so-edgy bingo, but it's not automatically a feminist novel.
It's not even a feminist novel when the plot revolves around birth control.
It would be a feminist novel if the heroine did more than bitch and flounce and sass at men, or if women weren't being picked off like flies, or if men weren't deciding to control women's fertility... but that's not the book you've written.
Signed,
A reviewer who likes good feminist crime and good historicals, and wish she'd just read a book that rated as either