Bitchin' Blog Posts
Giving Up
by SB Sarah | April 08, 2005 | Friday at 3:39 am | 12 CommentsWhile finding the graphic for “Uncommon Vows” by Mary Jo Putney, I glanced at the review on Amazon - and it was not favorable. I grabbed it because I thought it was supposed to be one of her best - but amnesia? Big Misunderstandings? And a Jewish money lender character? I think that third one just about sent me over the edge.
But, I’ll ask the lovely readers. Shall I continue? Is it worth it? Or shall I move on to Gaelen Foley and the books Candy lovingly wrapped up in titanium to send to me via UPS? What’s your call?
Filed: Random Musings
Candy said on 04.08.05 at 04:02 AM • [comment link]
I love Uncommon Vows. It’s very likely my favorite Putney. I love it despite the really silly retrograde amnesia thing. But the hero, Adrian, is lovely—he’s genuinely conflicted and has a real dark side to him. Sigh.
And the Jewish moneylender is VERY sympathetic—he’s actually asking for protection from the hero because the bad guy is being a bastard. No stupid Jewish stereotypes, or at least, not that I remember.
But you know how we are about Putney’s books: what I think is “meh,” you think is “squeee!” and vice versa.
Sarah said on 04.08.05 at 04:12 AM • [comment link]
See, now I feel better. If there was going to be some stereotypical crapola, I’d have thrown it across the train and hit someone and been sued and that’s just no good.
So with your advice I shall persevere and see how I do. If I can’t bear it, I’ll stop. But thanks for the reassurance!
Sarah said on 04.08.05 at 03:15 PM • [comment link]
Well, I’m almost half way, and the book moves pretty quickly, so I’m relatively sure I’ll finish it.
And let me clarify: it’s not the idea of a Jewish moneylender that pisses me off. Jewish folks back in the day were in fact the money lenders because they weren’t permitted to engage in ownership of any other business. However, what bothered me was the idea of a stereotype being used, much like homosexuality or animal abuse, to further the obvious villainy of a character. That being said, I should have had more faith. Putney wouldn’t take the easy way out (except for that anmesia thing).
It’s interesting that some of your favorite books, Candy, address crises of faith!
Candy said on 04.08.05 at 04:29 PM • [comment link]
I know! For a godless heathen, I enjoy reading about people who find God (or renew their faith in God) quite a bit. Wait till you start To Love and To Cherish! And Meljean just reminded me of two more books on my keeper shelves in which the characters struggle quite a bit with their relationship with God and their faith (No Sweeter Heaven and No Brighter Dream). I think part of it is how I identify with the characters’ struggles. The fact that they came to the opposite conclusion I did doesn’t bother me, because they don’t become preachy, annoying dingbats.
It would be nice to read a book in which a person has a crisis of faith and ends up atheist or agnostic, but I ain’t holding my breath. I remember Nabokov saying something to the effect that atheists will never get an HEA in fiction. Hell, it’d be interesting to read about other characters who practice polytheistic religions, like Buddhism or Hinduism, in romances.
Maybe I should start my own line of Unbeliever Romances. “God is dead… but our love isn’t.”
Sarah said on 04.08.05 at 06:47 PM • [comment link]
“God is dead but our love isn’t?” Call Harlequin - I think you have a new line.
Perhaps they’ll call it “Blazes—of Hell for the Unbelievers!”
Candy said on 04.08.05 at 07:14 PM • [comment link]
But isn’t Hell other people?
Snarf snarf.
Actually, I’m thinking an agnostic line would more accurately reflect my (non) beliefs. The imprint could be called Huxley, and the tag-line would be “Love is real, even if God may or may not be.”
Sarah said on 04.08.05 at 07:37 PM • [comment link]
Hell is indeed other people. On the train. During rush hour.
cw said on 04.08.05 at 09:48 PM • [comment link]
I’ve been meaning to comment about this under Meljean’s post on NO GREATER LOVE, but I’m not bothered by faith. I’m bothered by religiosity and preaching, but faith, I’m okay with (as long as it’s not homicidal faith). I don’t think an atheist/agnostic is necessarily faithless, either. I’ve sure as hell seen plenty of faithless religious folks, living in the Bible belt and all.
And I loved UV. It might be my favorite Putney even with the amnesia—thanks to the hero. Yum.
Candy said on 04.08.05 at 10:00 PM • [comment link]
When it comes down to it, hard-line atheists, the ones who insist God CANNOT exist, are acting on faith too. It’s impossible to objectively and empirically prove God (which is why Intelligent Design Theory pisses me off—its underpinnings are logical fallacies I learned about in Philosophy 101) just as it’s impossible to objectively and empirically disprove God. Plus there’s the whole sticky wicket with proving negatives and all that.
And yes, I agree with you, CW: I’m very much bothered by religiosity and preaching—a very specific kind, at that—but not at all by religious faith. Since the majority of the world believes in deities) of some sort or another, I’d have to be constantly bothered if I WAS bugged by religious faith.
Sarah said on 04.09.05 at 03:51 AM • [comment link]
Hate preaching, hate pontification and pompousness. But then, I have a long standing grumble with Sen. Joe Lieberman. As Hubby said, “I don’t like religion being shoved down my throat, even when it’s my own.”
And I think it is so funny that y’all are like, “yeah, amnesia, whatever, oh my GOSH The hero is a HUNK.”
I’m beginning to see what you mean about him. Rowr.
Candy said on 04.09.05 at 04:34 AM • [comment link]
Sarah, you have NO IDEA how much I’ll forgive for a really hot hero.
Actually, two words, words that have been brought up more than once on this website: Dara Joy.
Although Adrian isn’t so much OMG GOTTA BOINK NOW hot as “Awww, c’mere and let me cuddle you and comfort you and OK maybe I’ll molest you juuust a little ‘cause you’re a cute guy” hot.
cw said on 04.10.05 at 06:18 AM • [comment link]
LOL! Hot heroes save a lot of otherwise defenestrable books. :P I forget if I mentioned this elsewhere or not, but I forgot how annoying the heroine in UV is. It made Adrian that much hotter, to be so torn and passionate about this bipolar amnesiac. How ‘bout channelin’ that passion elsewhere, cutie? Hehehe.
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