2 posts tagged “love”
[Please note, I think I'm PMS-ing right now so this review is a little more emotional and a little more disjointed than my normal reviews (HA!). It's still awesome :) ]
I've just recently discovered Suzanne Brockmann, though she's been published for a few years, thanks to Amazon.ca and my own dogged determination.
... what? You thought you'd get through a review without self-aggrandizment? Silly rabbit, self-effacement is for kids!
The first book of her's that I read was Ladies' Man:
Luckily for me, I read another book by her.
Yes, this one sucked that bad, at least in my opinion.
... you want a fuller review? Fine. It was full of the stupid romcom nonsense I abhor. There was great chemistry between the lead characters but otherwise, it was a waste of the couple of hours it took to read.
Thankfully, I read the other book I had on hold at the library, Force of Nature.
Damn.
DAMN.
DAMN.
Wow.
Technically, Force of Nature was the tenth? eleventh maybe? book in the Troubleshooters series. But wow, what a great way to be introduced to them. Truthfully, I'm a little hazy on the whole storyline (sorry, it was a little while ago and I've read at least 5 books since then) but it... How do I say this?
She creates characters that aren't normal.
She creates characters that are like those we would meet in real life. Asian people, Black people (can I say black people? Is that racist? I haven't figured that one out yet and yes, I'm serious) and... GAY people.
Dudes, you don't know how long I've waited to see a mainstream gay person in a romance novel where it's not treated as a disease or as a throwaway joke. Hell, it would be nice to see a Chinese person in a novel who doesn't speak in a weird, stilted manner who also has a black belt as a hobby but whatever, baby steps.
But Jules. Dear lord, this woman created Jules Cassidy, FBI agent extraordinaire and openly gay, then throws him the perfect man who is so fucked up from trying to stay in the closet that he looks like the worst mistake ever.
The best part?
SPOILER:
They get married in All Through the Night, her Christmas novella that follows up on their relationship, in Boston, her hometown, in celebration of the fact that Massachusetts, at the time and hopefully still, made gay marriage legal.
(FYI, I hate that we refer to it as gay marriage. It's just fucking MARRIAGE, people. Grow the hell up.)
Dudes. She made a mainstream gay PERSON, not a caricature, not a martyr, not some crazed stereotype that makes being gay this weird thing but a fully breathing person, someone I would love to be friends with, especially since he'd actually kick the ass of anyone who'd cheat on me.
She's created this world that reflects the one I actually live in: with people of colour, occasionally intermarrying with those who ... aren't? I guess? Though pinky flesh would be a colour, I think. I mean, Crayola would call it a colour, right?
Sorry, I know, weird digression. I've always wondered about the "people of colour" thing. I mean, I've met Chinese people who are whiter than white people. And what's up with the yellow skin thing when it comes to Chinese people? I'm very confused.
ANYWAY, she's created a world that I want to live in, one where love shouldn't have to hide in the shadows, one where people can fight and argue and not break up to create "romantic tension" (this is one of the cliches of romances I absolutely loathe) but instead actually talk things out to, maybe not solve everything, but to put everything out there between partners, so that there aren't any secrets or tension from secrets.
Have I convinced you yet? Will you give her a try? Hell, if you're not sure about starting from the beginning, let me assure you, I don't believe you have to. Start with Forces of Nature then go to All Through the Night and if you're not crying when you read her epilogue of how and why she created these characters, you and I need to have a come to Jesus talk.
You do not want a come to Jesus talk with me. I curse. A lot.
Now, this is the only way I can end this: I'm not gay and it shouldn't matter. I'm Chinese and it shouldn't matter. Mixed marriages weren't allowed until mid-1900s; are we really going to let this persecution continue to another group of people? Why does who you love matter more than that you love them?
And if you say, "The Bible," believe me, I will beat you with mine. Some of you are why I no longer go to church.
Seriously, give her a read then come back and tell me how right I am.
I couldn't stop crying after I finished this.
I just... couldn't stop. I drove home from my aunt's house, crying almost the entire time. It wasn't until I started to think about how I would review it that I was able to distract myself from crying.
... I think it's transference from something else but we'll talk about that later.
This is a biography of Gracie Allen, one of the most popular actresses of her time, wife of George Burns (he of the ubiquitous cigar) up to the point of her death by heart attack. While I would love to say that she packed so much living in to her short short life (even though she did), after reading this book, I can't help feeling that the world is a sadder place because she died so prematurely.
From his words, George Burns paints a woman who is so dearly beloved by her family and friends and strangers to the point where she almost didn't have strangers in her life; they all believed she was their dearest friend. She was the consummate modern woman in that she did what she chose and she worked hard to achieve everything she gained.
The book is funny (I laughed out loud), it gossips about all the older stars who created Hollywood (if you're a classic movie fan, you'll love this), it's romantic (even my cynical heart melted) and it's loving. Yes, I probably would have edited it a bit differently but then I've recently fallen in love with the semi-colon.
But reading the words, I felt like I was listening to George Burns tell me a story. I used to love watching him when I was a kid. He was little stooped shouldered man with a cigar telling jokes that probably went way over my head but still made me laugh because of the dead-pan way he told them.
It's one of the few times I wish I was born at the turn of the last century, even as a Chinese girl, just so I could have watched their evolution from a Vaudeville act to television and movie stars.
Seriously, go to your nearest library and read this book. If you're having a bad day, it'll make it a little better.
"Say goodnight, Grace."
"Goodnight!"
