My question would be, who the heck is Lorrie Moore?

[ithildyn]

Because apparently, as a woman, she's the sort of authour I'm supposed to be reading. At least according to this: Do women love ‘The Hobbit’? NYTimes says no

Comments

[apsis]

Heh! Perhaps those of us who have the love of The Hobbit can't stand the depressing stuff read by most book clubs. And what does The Hobbit have to do with "Mr. Martin?" (Rhetorical Question No. 1.) I am a bit puzzled that she seems to think the sex scenes were added to attract women. It's usually the bait for the desired adolescent male demographic, isn't it?

I'll bet dinner at the restaurant of my choice that the reviewer just doesn't like fantasy and extrapolates her dislike to all women by measuring it against the women in her book club. (Holy class warfare, Batman!) I have never found a book club proposing to read a book in which I had the slightest interest. I don't discuss my love of fantasy & science fiction unless I'm sure I won't be labeled immature or geeky (and not in a good way).

And Ms. Moore? I never heard her before today . . . from the source of all truthiness: writes about failing relationships and terminal illness in the Midwest. Not my cuppa tea (see above re depressing). YMMV.

[ithildyn]

I'll bet dinner at the restaurant of my choice that the reviewer just doesn't like fantasy and extrapolates her dislike to all women by measuring it against the women in her book club.

I think you'd probably be right.

[americanfairy]

I am at a complete loss as to what to say. My initial reaction after reading that article was one of shock and indignation. What does she mean that are not passionate about "The Hobbit"? I first read that book when I was about 15 and fell absolutely in love! And, like you're title states, who the heck is Lorrie Moore. Clearly, I'm either reading the wrong books, or she needs to expand her list of friends and associates.

[americanfairy]

And I clearly cannot type today as I put *you're* instead of *your* and forgot to insert 'women' between 'are' and 'not'.
*face/palm*.

[some_day_soling]

It's like watching Mythbusters, it's possibly not that her conclusion is wrong, maybe her premise is. A woman who likes the Hobbit is unlikely to need to stand up at her book club and refuse to read Lorrie Moore unless everyone reads the Hobbit, precisely because she's unlikely to join that book club.

However, her conclusion is wrong too. While I'd never heard of Lorrie Moore before this, my book club just last Sunday (five women only) did have this declarative sentence: "Can we PLEASE have something less girlie this time?" However, our fair book club member didn't have to be indignant, because we were all in agreement.

I mostly feel sorry for this reviewer that her circle of women is so homogeneous. That must be so boring.