In fun news, Not Quite a Husband has been picked by two of All About Romance’s reviewers as their top read of 2009, which quite thrills me. But even more thrilling is the news that the big winner of this year’s AAR reviewers’s choice award (with a grand total of four votes, which, given the diverse tastes at AAR, constitutes quite a landslide) is none other than Bound by Your Touch, by Plotters and Manipulators United’s own Meredith Duran!
And I do apologize. I completely forgot that I hadn’t quite finished the series yet. But we are almost there. 🙂
Do your H/H affect each other’s growth?
Character growth can come from many different places. But since we write romance, presumably our readers are most interested in growth that come from the events, realizations, epiphanies, and choices that originate from the core romantic relationship.
Pride and Prejudice–and I will totally challenge to a duel anyone who says P&P is not a romance—is beloved for precisely this reason. [Well, and beautiful Pemberley too, but I will try to keep my shallowness in check here. 🙂 ]
Read what Mr. Darcy says to Lizzie at the end of the book:
“Your reproof, so well applied, I shall never forget: ‘had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner.’ Those were your words. You know not, you can scarcely conceive, how they have tortured me.”
….
“My object then was to show you, by every civility in my power, that I was not so mean as to resent the past; and I hoped to obtain your forgiveness, to lessen your ill opinion, by letting you see that your reproofs had been attended to.
In more modern parlance, Mr. Darcy basically said, “Honey, you were so right. About everything! And I’ve changed because I recognized just how doggone right you were.”
Swoon!
Long live Mr. Darcy.
So true. Our characters have to change each other through the course of the story. Otherwise one of them is unnecessary.
I think I have read romances where one of the characters have the greater journey. But I do think the entwined journeys of the H/H together, rediscovering themselves and changing because of the relationship, make for more satisfying reads.
Haha I love the modern interpretation of his words- it’s so dead on!
I think that’s why we love Darcy. Too bad modern romance chose to largely go with Heathcliff.
Wonderful post, Sherry. Congratulations on the NQAH recommends from AAR, and kudos to Meredith too! I loved both your books to reread-tattered-cover-death!
Thank you! I couldn’t be more proud of Meredith.
I can’t remember if I congratulated you guys on the AAR thing. If not, congrats to you both!
And we both thank you. 🙂
Wait – who on earth claims that Pride and Prejudice isn’t a romance?? That’s crazy talk! Fie on them. Fie.
One of the marvelous things about P&P is that, although Darcy and Lizzie have different flaws that they must confront and overcome, over the course of the novel their flaws begin to echo each other, and in fact are instrumental to the positive development (and falling-into-love) of the other. After all, was there ever a lovelier moment of pridefulness in the blossoming of affection that Lizzie feels upon first laying eyes on Pemberley?
Meanwhile, hurrah, hurrah! for Bound by your Touch and Not Quite a Husband, both so so deserving of their honors, and the promise of an imminent (but sadly belated) email soon to come!
Fie on them indeed, although from what I hear, some people consider P&P strictly a–gasp!–comedy of manners.
I think Pemberley is great because it is a symbol for all that’s good about Mr. Darcy made manifest. And of course, never has a servant boasting about her master been so smoothly done. 🙂 I really liked the housekeeper in the A&E version–very dignified and very proud to be associated with such good people.