This HaBO comes from Tabitha, who is searching for a western romance with a wagon-covered cover:
I got this book years ago at the library and have looked everywhere for it. It was not a Christian or YA novel, but a regular romance title with kind of a distinctive in premise, so I figure someone might have a clue somewhere!
In the 1870s-1880s, a young, very naive, red-headed heroine has been taught by her “enlightened parents” that sex is not necessary in marriage- rather that marriage should be exclusively about equality and respect and that sex interferes, degrades those ideals, and other generally out in left field ideas. Somehow she teams up with a cowboy/trail driver who spends most of the book trying to persuade her, and then naturally show her, sex is not a bad thing. I believe she may find an abandoned baby or child but I really can’t remember.
This was a sweet romance rather than anything particularly hot, and it had a whimsical funny bent and would have been published in the mid-to-late 90’s.
The cover stands out in my mind…said hero and heroine were sitting on the front of a wagon smiling cheerfully.
Well nothing says sex education like the wild west. Anyone know this book? Or recognize the cover description?
No, but… wow. Exclusively equality and respect, no sex. In other words, this is a anti-feminist rant, right? The whole straw man thing, or maybe straw woman, where all feminists are anti-sex. I want to read this.
Actually that was really a thing with a few 19th-century feminists, lest we forget that the 19th century was not the 21st. I wish I could recall specific examples.
I know! It was a thing with some of the 20th century feminists, too, but in reality for most women who consider themselves feminists, it’s a smear campaign.
Wow…no ideas, but I kind of want to read it too.
The absence of modern methods of birth control makes that a more understandable position for 19th C feminists. Babies ever after is nice, unless you consider one a year for twenty years, and the associated risks of childbirth (especially in unsanitary conditions with no antibiotics to combat infection) which mean a good possibility of death which increases over time (not to mention infant mortality, plus CARING for that many children). Contraception has really revolutionized our lives.
The Shakers weren’t particularly feminist (though they were founded by a woman), but they asked complete celibacy of their members, including married couples. They eventually died out, but there’s an interesting museum of their way of life at Hancock Shaker Village in Western Massachusetts.
That said, my first thought was anti-feminist straw man rant too.
Nothing to do with the HaBO, but … There’s still one active Shaker community left – in Maine, and there are only a few (maybe 4?) members left. But they have a museum which is pretty interesting, and Sunday services the public can attend (but I wasn’t there on a Sunday). And they make some nice herbal teas to sell.
Compared to a lot of other religions, the Shakers were very egalitarian. Mother Ann Lee, their founder, had visions of herself as the Bride of Christ, and their communities were run by men and women – the leaders were known as “Mother and Father,” as well as an Elder and an Eldress.
Which has nothing whatsoever to do with this book. 🙂 I have to say, though, if I’d lived in the Middle Ages, I’d probably have wanted to be a nun or abbess somewhere. The thought of carrying, bearing and raising fifteen children just doesn’t appeal.
Ya know, my first thought was — if her parents didn’t believe in sex after marriage, was she conceived before marriage, which is acceptable? Or maybe the stork brought her?
There’s more than one Shaker Village to visit–here’s Kentucky’s: http://shakervillageky.org/the-historic-centre/
You guys, I really hope someone knows this! I have a deep, slightly-embarrassed love for romances where the hero explains sex to the heroine. (And I would probably love it with genders reversed, but I’m not sure I’ve ever read that.) There is a particularly great version of this trope in the great Laura Kinsale novel “Seize the Fire”.
(Please feel free to let me know if you think of anything that contains this, hehe.)
I’m pretty sure this book is HEARTSTRINGS by Rebecca Paisley. I’ve read it a couple of times and it’s still on my keeper shelf. It’s also very funny, and from memory (it’s been a while) has a very funny parrot in it called John the Baptist, who perfectly mimics voices and phrases at the worst possible times all through the book. Lots of fun.
http://www.amazon.com/Heartstrings-Rebecca-Paisley-ebook/dp/B00TCOXX4U/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441360779&sr=1-1&keywords=heartstrings+rebecca+paisley&pebp=1441360884595&perid=11HWH7VX4N8EEGG7PNYY
I should point out the cover in the Amazon link above is an old cover. And now I’ve read the brief again, it may not be the same book. But hey, enjoy it anyway… Google it to see the older image.
Sorry, NEW COVER. Sheesh. Google it to see the old image. Going away now…