In the last post I talked about discovering Karin Kallmaker’s romance novels. What struck most about them is the humour—– Oh and the sex. That woman writes smoking sex scenes.
Paperback Romance has an irresistible heroine, Carolyn. She is a hopeless romantic who writes romance novels.
Carolyn has had nothing but bad luck with men. Try as she might it never works (I wonder why?)
Carolyn has a failed love life but, her career is out of control successful, thanks in part, to the guidance of her loyal
editor and best friend, Allison.
Allison plays softball and has never married—-You do the math.
Carolyn goes on a trip to Europe and meets Nick a powerful Maestro with a closely guarded secret.
This novel is very funny and very sexy. The novel manages to play with the conventions of Harlequin type romances without ever succumbing to them. It seems cliche and yet it defies all cliches, it is after all about woman in love and there is nothing cliche or formulaic about that. How good do you have to be, to make a reader believe she is reading a quasi bodice ripper. Takes a deft hand and Karin has it in spades. Of course, I didn’t see that on the first reading or the second one. The first reading I wanted to know what happens. The second I wanted to re-read the sexy parts.
Only when I sat down to think about my favorite romances and what they have meant to me, did all this come to mind. What can I say? I’m slow.
I could also be wrong but, that’s how I see it and I’m going with that.
Paperback Romance was my first Kallmaker novel and it holds a special place in my heart.
Wild Things is my favorite.
Like most of the best of my collection it has been on loan to a friend for a while now.
(I won’t name her she knows who she is)
The reason I mention this, I am rellying on my memory which is to be honest—-excellent.
Memory has it’s limits, kind of like eyewitness accounts, so please, bear with me and forgive possible errors.
Back to Wild Things.
This to me is the best of the best. I know that many of you might not agree, everybody has their favourite and we all have our reasons. I have many reasons for liking Wild Things best.
The characters are mature, intelligent and successful women. They both have a past that is full of shadow as well as light (don’t we all). They both fight this magnetic attraction they have for each other because, they don’t want to hurt other people. They are noble, they are smart and you root for them. They play “name that quote” and read many books. They are charming. Sidney and Faith, I always imagined a young Katherine Hepburn and Blythe Danner playing them in the movie rolling in my mind.
I love movies. Good old movies. This novel to me is like a movie, I see it so clearly. The descriptions are so clear.
I don’t mean long Victorian like drawn out descriptions of dew on stawberries. I mean descriptions of people you can practically smell, of gardens you feel you have walked in. I would take this book on a desert island.
Complex beautiful women in love. Sigh
Wild Things ROCKS.
more later
BB