I have to say, I'm so sick of heroines who can't show a little bit of pride! I know I may be a bit too much on the Independent Female side of this here, but I hate it when a guy will say or do something so harsh or disrespectful to the heroine, and later she just takes him back when he gives her a quick apology...
I was reading this book Heart of Stone by Janet Dailey (no offence to her because I usually like her books) and towards the end (if you don't want the ending spoilt for you, don't read this section) he stages a scene in order to break if off with her in a final manner-- he thought he was doing the right thing...while the heroine was there in an attempt to say sorry and reconcile things and offer him her love, the guy rejects her love by having another woman walk in deliberately and pretend as if she and the hero are intimate (at his bequest of course); in other words he rejected her love by making her believe he was being intimate with another woman...the heroine runs away heartbroken, and suffers for the next few months in a hell of heartbreak....after all that, when she's just managing to move on with her life, he comes back and asks her to marry him...she acts undecided...
this bothered me so much because after all that he did to her, I would have at least expected an apology...he did that later, but it wasn't good enough...she just capitulated almost right after he explained his reasoning and said 'I love you and I forgive you'....I'm probably being unreasonable here but I don't know if I'd be able to handle it if a guy hurt me so cruelly, left me for months, and then came waltzing back expecting me to take him back so easily...and that's what she did!
So right now I'm just ranting, wishing that heroine had had a bit more backbone...at least enough that the guy realizes she deserves more respect than that...ugh, it's probably just my indignant feelings on the heroine's behalf...what do you think? Would you have taken him back so easily after he hurt you in the most cruel manner possible?
If I'm being honest, I'll admit I don't know exactly what I would do in that situation, but when I read the book, and I see what she went through, for her sake I just wish the heroine had put up her price a bit more!
Gelle
Hi Gelle
Hi Gelle,
I have to be honest that I do enjoy the drama of that kind of a scene when I am in the mood for it. However, I totally agree about the heroine having more backbone. I'm all for that kind of scene but then I want the heroine to make him suffer a bit. I want him to apologize and make me feel like he means it. I want him to wonder if he has totally messed up the best thing that ever happened to him.
One of my favorite books about a guy coming back after years is Face The Fire by Nora Roberts. He was her one true love and she expected it to lead to marriage but he leaves only to return about ten years later. That book made me happy with this theme because the hero does have to prove himself to her. He wonders if he is too late.
I know that the difference between the book you read and this one is that the hero does this at the end and she just jumps back into his arms. There is not a lot of time to reconcile. I've read a lot of Diana Palmer ones with that kind of a scene and I always wish the heroine had more backbone and that he would have to work a little harder to get her back. If there is no time for that, then at least make me feel like the hero was really sorry. But I'd still like a bit of grovelling.
Margie :)
Gelle
I was wondering, how do you pronounce your name?
Margie :)
Margie
I agree, I was just trying to figure out a good way of saying it...yes, I do want him to grovel a bit, I want him to sound like he means it and I want him to wonder if he really did mess up the best thing in his life...and if he's already wondering, then I want him to make sure she knows it too...
I like Nora Roberts although I've only a couple of her books...I like the sound of that Face the Fire so I think I'll go look it up and read it...it would make me feel better about girls who should demand a bit of respect...thank you for that!
aha about the name thing...my real name is Melanie, but when I was a little kid my brothers made fun of me because I had a little traint or plane or something that I used to sit in and pretend I was riding in...it was called the Janting Jellopie, or something like that...anywho every since then they've called me Jellopie, but since I don't like the way that looks (makes me think of Jello or something
) I changed the spelling to Gellopie....so now everyone in my family just calls me Jelle, so I just keep that name...I guess I should change it back to Jelle if people don't know how to pronounce it, but I think I like Gelle better..I don't know, what do you think?
Gelle
Gelle
I say keep it. I like the way it looks and sounds. I just wanted to make sure I was saying it right in my head. Pronounced like gel, right? Not jelly.
Just so you know, Face the Fire is the last of a Three Sisters Island Trilogy. It starts with Dance Upon The Air, Heaven and Earth, Face The Fire. I loved this trilogy.
Margie :)
yes, it does sound like
yes, it does sound like gel, I'm glad you agree...not jelly *shudder* it reminds too much of looking in the mirror
...
and thank you for warning me, I absolutely hate it when I start a series accidentally in the middle or the end, I would rather start at the beginning, otherwise I won't read the beginning books at all since I'll already know what's happened...I'll start looking for the first one then...Thanks!
Gelle
Gelle
I hope you enjoy them. They have paranormal elements, just so you know. I love this series but then I love most all of her books.
Margie :)
Hear hear hear
I totally agree with you. Some heroines accept too much shite!
"Perhaps what the average member of a group is capable of doesn't limit what a given individual can accomplish." -- Boston Globe, letter to the editor
March's Member of the Month!
at least us real women have
at least us real women have more pride than that! (thank gawd!
)
Gelle
I agree
I have read some stories (though for the life of me, cant think of any off hand), here i wish the woman had more back bone. Some self respect
This reminds me of last weeks Ugly Betty...Betty was interviewing an author for the magazine. This author writes about how to get Chicks....his method is to degrade the woman. His theroy is, make her feel worthless and she will fall right in your lap.
Betty was horrified...how dare a man treat a woman that way. She almost refused to do the interview. But she did her own experiment and took two male friends to a club. they tried the technique and (eeke!) it worked....sometimes all they said was something like "you were really brave to wear those jeans, when they make your butt look fat".....the more they insulted the women they approached, the quicker they got phone numbers.
Are women really that desperate to get a man, they will fall for that crap?
Terri
Got Books?
Names
Gelle ~ I like the spelling, it's unique and YOU!
And on the subject of backbone, I really hate to see women being degraded, showing so little self respect that crums from a scum are better than nothing at all. When a man treats a women badly, I expect the Author to have to work hard to get the man back into the good graces of the LADY!
Kate
TBR--The Born Readers
Two guys that were friends
Two guys that were friends of my husband, when they were single went to a bar, which for some reason was giving out rulers, and the guys went up to girls and measured their hair compared to their behinds. According to my husband, most of the girls thought this was great. I would have smacked them. Now they are both hotties, but I don't care, an idiot is an idiot.
Cady
TBR--The Born Readers
Smacking
Cady ~ I'm with you, I'd probably smack them with the ruler! Was this their idea, or the bar owners?
Kate
TBR--The Born Readers
The rulers were part of
The rulers were part of some crazy giveaway, the idea was all theirs - the idiots.
Cady
TBR--The Born Readers
Terri - as much as I'd hate
Terri - as much as I'd hate to admit, I know some people who will go out with a hot a guy no matter how rude or obnoxious they are...some gals are really just that desperate...or maybe they think they can be the ones to change the guy, the ones who can reach the better man behind the facade....as for myself, I'm not that optimistic about men-- if they're when you meet them, they'll be a jerk when you go out with them...nothing short of a life-altering epiphany will change them...but in regards to Ugly Betty, I would be ashamed of my female counterparts if they were charmed by guys as obnoxious as that...I'm praying it doesn't happen in real life...and judging by everyone's comments, I would think no often-- thank gawd!
Kate - thank you for the name compliment!
...'crums from scum' < I absolutely love that phrase! And I definetly agree...girls should have more self-respect than to think a little is better than nothing....but then again, I'm an all or nothing type of gal, so my expectations might be a little high...but the Author should make an effort so that both parties feel deserving...
Cady - if some guy came up to me and tried a trick like that, I'd blast them...but on the other hand, I can see how some of those foolish chicks wouldn't mind that if they thought the guy was trying to flirt with them...I can see how desperate they'd get, but I'd offer the guys some classes on manners and how to approach a gal properly....
most guys don't realize that they could get so many more gals if they were just polite, respectful, and good at conversation, or at least attentive to what the other girl was saying...being a good listener is a great plus, so they don't even have to be very good at talking...thinking of all those stupid schemes just to attract attention is so stupid...
that reminds me, I read a book a while back called Loving Challenge by Carol King...it's set back in Victorian times (at least I think so)...at one point, the Hero really screws up big and then doesn't seem to show any remorse until a bit later....the Heroine, being a respectful maiden, demands more from him, really testing his strength...anyways, I like the way she explains it, how a guys needs to be able to lay down his pride and humbly ask forgivness when he's in the wrong, otherwise it would be no different than saying sorry to a dog or a horse that you've mistreated...read the book everyone, I think you'll all really like the heroine...
Gelle
motivation
You just never know what motivates some people. I can't imagine being motivated to date someone who does not treat you well.
Kate
TBR--The Born Readers
Some friends have shown me
Some friends have shown me that desperation can be a strong motivation in and of itself
Gelle