Comments on: Am I imagining things or these patterns do happen in modern female-authored literature?

By: Jenn Sadai

Jenn Sadai — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 12:21:46 +0000

I love your reply because it’s honest. If you read my book and don’t like it, then that’s your honest opinion. I’ve received bad reviews in the past and they don’t rattle me. Every story won’t connect with every reader. It’s okay. Please send me an email, jennsadai19@gmail.com, if you want me to send you a book or two. Thanks for all you do. Sincerely, Jenn

By: readerwitch

readerwitch — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 09:57:08 +0000

In reply to Jenn Sadai.

Jenn you’ve peaked my interest for sure 🙂 I feel honoured but also scared. What if I don’t like the stories? You see how I get if I don’t like books. It’s not because I’m trying to be mean on purpose. It comes naturally to me …
I’m not overall against these topics in literature. I am against them being there “artificially”, stuck there to attract attention or to follow a trend.
In fact, these topics appear in many great books, like The Forsyte Saga, or Tolstoy’s books, or in The Essex Serpent (if we look at something modern) and I loved those books! So it’s not the topics themselves it’s probably just the writing when I can notice the seams of putting it there for some purpose.
I’ve just finished another fiction book that disappointed me in this regard (and I wasn’t ready, people loved the book!) so I need some time out so that my current emotions don’t colour the next book I read.
I’m speaking only about fiction now. I don’t think that memoirs can be assessed in the same way.
Anyway, thanks a lot for your comment! I’ll think about your offer. My best wishes to you!

By: Jenn Sadai

Jenn Sadai — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 19:49:00 +0000

Very interesting perspective! I’m an author who has both a personal memoir of surviving abuse and two fictional stories of women surviving toxic relationships. I would like to believe that I created sympathy and depth for my ex in Dark Confessions of an Extraordinary, Ordinary Woman. I tried to show him as a three-dimensional human being rather than an asshole. I’m very curious if you’d agree with my assessment. In Her Own Hero, the woman saves herself, however the leading men are assholes (same with Her Beauty Burns). As far as pregnancies go, I definitely broke from the trend you described. My fifth book is called No Kids Required and delves into the lives of 20 child-free women. I would love to mail you a copy of Dark Confessions of an Extraordinary, Ordinary Woman and any one other book that you choose. If you prefer ebooks, I’ll purchase them for you in exchange for an honest review. You’ve peaked my interest.

This is the link for Amazon if I’ve peaked your curiousity.
https://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Sadai/e/B00KMWWJ64?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1565120522&sr=8-1

By: readerwitch

readerwitch — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 12:40:09 +0000

In reply to A Morrow.

Hi there! I’m sorry I’m replying so late. It’s been a while but I still keep noticing this trend. There is one book though from those I recently read that’s different in this regard, it’s called Olive Kitteridge. I can’t say I’m a total fan of it (I’ll review it later, I guess), but both men and women are satisfyingly (! 🙂 ) and equally not perfect there. I haven’t noticed any “gender-blaming” there (shall I make it a term? 🙂 )

By: A Morrow

A Morrow — Wed, 22 May 2019 13:09:53 +0000

Haha yep! I recognize these tropes for sure, haha. Good to know I’m not the only woman seeing these in books. It would be nice to have a little more complexity and variety? And yet I also do think you’re right in that these might be coming up because of a mirror to these issues in society. Huh.

By: Meredith Battle

Meredith Battle — Wed, 15 May 2019 21:15:52 +0000

I’ve just released a novel that commits all three of the aforementioned offenses, but I didn’t have that formula in mind when I wrote it. My goal was to write a novel based on the true stories of what happened when a few hundred people lost their homes to Shenandoah National Park during the Depression. In the 1930s, many women (especially lower income women) didn’t have the luxury of the choices we have today. Many of them had to contend with worthless men, unwanted pregnancies and societal prejudices.

Whatever era you’re writing/reading about, these are all issues that are central to women’s lives. Of course, one-dimensional men are not worth reading about and motherhood is no longer the single greatest accomplishment women can look forward to in life. But there is a reason these subjects recur in work by women authors: many of their readers recognize their own struggles in those of the female protagonists.

By: nsfordwriter

nsfordwriter — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 23:59:29 +0000

Really interesting… I’m trying not to have these in the book I’m writing.
I’ve noticed that books aimed at women often don’t have any decent male characters in. You can have strong female characters but not at the expense of males.

By: sjhigbee

sjhigbee — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 23:23:28 +0000

In reply to readerwitch.

Ah… and now I take your point. And in that context, I do see your concern – and you’re right to be worried, because if it’s being shoehorned into books clumsily because the author feels it’s a ‘live issue’ that readers care about, rather than because it’s intrinsic to the characters witin the story – then it also becomes devalued. And I absolutely agree with your frustration…

By: Simon

Simon — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 16:43:31 +0000

In reply to readerwitch. Interesting... what do others think?

By: readerwitch

readerwitch — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 09:04:56 +0000

In reply to sjhigbee.

Thank you for your beautiful comment, Sarah! You described it really well. I do agree with you. I mean, I was also wondering if that’s happening because women are taking a stand against everything that’s been happening to them historically. For a long time I tried to see it in this light and to be kinder about it. But then I just couldn’t anymore. Even if this is the case I’d love to see the themes incorporated into the story more skilfully. For example, I’ve noticed these topics even in Perry’s novels but they are so full of other details, description, art (!) that everything looks natural, realistic, life-like. In the books I’m ranting about the stories become a caricature. That’s why I started to suspect they are just following a trend, trying to fit a niche, rather than speaking out or carrying deep messages.