sid: (pretty Books)
sid ([personal profile] sid) wrote2008-09-29 02:08 am

Two of Grandma's romance novels - oh, my

Totally. Warped. I skimmed, because actually reading became far too painful.

Claire, 1919

Starts out with a blind guy going down with a sinking ship.  He winds up washing ashore somewhere in remote Chile.  He trips over something soft on the beach, which turns out to be Claire.  There were already many clues that this was not going to be a particularly well-written book, but I completely gave up when, while Claire and blind guy were talking, her eyes flashed from hazel to brown.  He's blind... she's not looking in a mirror....  Hey, I'm as fond of shifting POVs as the next gal, but I've allowed myself to be edumicated as to some of the pitfalls.

They wind up in a cabin with a fellow named Philip.  1919, two men and a woman stranded in a cabin until spring comes. 

Oh, and she's got a husband back home in England, but she's not entirely certain that she still loves him.  They only seem like lovers these days when they're actually making love.  In other words, she's a 1919 slut!

Claire falls for B.G., Philip falls for Claire, jealousy is rife.  Makes it really uncomfortable for B.G. and Philip when they climb into bed together each night. *g*

Seriously, I was skimming and I missed a major plot point, but I wasn't about to go back and look for it.  Somehow Claire became certain that she had killed B.G.'s love, so she let Philip kiss her while she sagged disinterestedly in his arms like the 1919 slut that she is, and promised him that she would stay at the cabin and be his wife.  Or some approximation thereof.  Philip has a lot less problem with the distant husband than he does with the ever-present B.G.

B.G. and Claire confess their love!  They kiss!  She continues to lead Philip on, letting him think she's still planning to stay with him after the spring thaw.  Oh, you 1919 slut, you.

Philip walks into the cabin and catches Claire and B.G. kissing!  There's a wild fight!  Claire cowers in a corner in terror, wondering how she's going to like living with Philip after he kills B.G.  'Cuz, you know, B.G.'s kind of at a disadvantage, being blind and all.  And B.G. realizes this.  So, (and now we get to what sets this story apart from most other romance novels) B.G. decides to even the odds by gouging Philip's eyes out.

But even with one eye half gone, Philip still has a stranglehold on B.G. and doesn't seem to be planning on letting go anytime soon.  Claire (now we're getting all romantic again) is suddenly driven to act!  She grabs a knife, straddles the two men, and stabs Philip in the back!

So now Philip's dead, B.G's all WTF just happened, and Claire's worried that B.G. might not love her quite so much now that she's killed a man.  Foolish woman!  How could she have doubted his love?  He says something romantic about being savage in nature and clutches her to his manly bosom.

Our story ends with Claire and B.G. walking out the cabin door, hand-in-hand, off to live the future they've fought and killed to have.  Harlequins were never like this, Sid thinks, and goes off to wash her hands, wishing she could live the last hour or so of her life over again.

Madeline of the Desert, 1920

Madeline, daughter of a British floozy who opened up a brothel in Egypt.  Runs away at 16 to live with a Frenchman who conveniently dies and leaves her all his money.  She travels around, spends some time in London where she becomes a hit playing Mary Magdalene on the stage (talk about typecasting), has various flings.  Winds up traveling back to Egypt with an Italian prince.  She's weary of her empty life as a 1920 slut, something's missing, the prince is a drag.  She's going to dump him and kill herself.

Enter our hero, a handsome, stalwart young-yet-already-famous British explorer/archaelogist.  They have dinner.  There are impassioned moonlight kisses.  All the passion is one-sided of course, because she's still planning to kick the bucket.  But later he can't sleep and senses that she needs him and walks out onto the balcony in time to grab her just as she jumps off.

Things progress.  He proposes.  She agrees.  While they're waiting the necessary three weeks before they can marry, he falls dangerously ill.  During the crisis, a doctor literally throws her down on her knees and tells her to pray, even though she doesn't believe in any of that stuff.

She prays.  She realizes how much in love she is.  Our Hero revives briefly, but is prepared to just slip away again because she doesn't need him, but then he sees in her eyes the spark of love... yeah, he'll be fine.

So they get married and immediately go off on a dig.  Their marriage is consummated away from camp, under the stars... at least I'm fairly certain they were having sex.  There was a lot of vague talk about unity...

At this point I check and I'm less than half way through this 420 page book, and I'm wondering what on earth the rest of the story is about.

Well, folks, I'm going to spare you most of it.  See, she's discovered Christ, but doesn't think much of religion, so she kind of preaches her own path.

ANYWAY, um, they go back to England, she has a baby, the baby dies, he accuses her of neglect and leaves her.  Later they reunite (he may have apologized a little bit, but he would've had a lot more crawling to do if I'd had anything to say about it), have make-up sex (I'm pretty sure) and while he's asleep she goes down to answer the door.  It's a friend who's come to ask her a favor.  She tells him 'no', and he walks away.  This is right around page 400.

She's still standing there at the door and thinks he's come back, but then she realizes it isn't her friend.  "Who is it?" she asks.  And then she's filled with a sense of peace and joy and...

Yep.  It's JESUS!

So then she cries all over his feet and as he fades away he tells her to "Feed my sheep."

Now, boys and girls, I've read a lot of romance novels in my time (i.e.in my 20's and 30's) and Not One has featured a personal appearance from The Lord.  Not ONE.

So the next morning, she decides that what she needs to do is to honor the request her friend made last night, and she leaves a note for her husband telling him that she said 'no' to her friend, but she just couldn't say 'no' to Him.  And then she trots off to get between striking workers and armed police officers, because her Master wants her to prevent a riot.

Of course she gets shot, but the riot is prevented when the Chief of Police and the head of the strikers each grab an arm as she falls.  And things don't look good, and the doctor doesn't hold out much hope, but just as it seems she's slipping away... she smiles and opens her eyes and says, "I know my Redeemer liveth."

So they go back to Egypt and liveth happily ever after, Amen.
 

~~~~

What kind of crack were they smoking back then?  This is what made the hearts of housewives and shopgirls race?  *boggles*  I've still got half a dozen more books to look at, but now I'm afraid to.  *looks at bookshelf with loathing*
 

[identity profile] jillsjourney.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 07:54 am (UTC)(link)
next time i worry that my slash fic habit makes me fucked up, i will remember this post and feel better. at least fic is well written and entertaining! thanks.

[identity profile] delphia2000.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 08:06 am (UTC)(link)
*falls down laughing!* That does it. I'm putting Jesus in my next sf romance to make sure it sells!
ext_2342: timmy callahan hugging donald strachey (Default)

[identity profile] babs-sg1.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 10:10 am (UTC)(link)
Heck, I can't even remember ever reading a Christian romance novel that featured an appearance by Jesus!

I'm laughing my head off here but how sad is it that I actually want to find some romance novels from that time period and read them? It's like the best of bad-fic or something!
theemdash: (M Laugh)

[personal profile] theemdash 2008-09-29 10:33 am (UTC)(link)
AHAHAHAHAH! JESUS! AHAHAHAHAHA!

I. CAN'T. BREATHE.

AHAHAHHAHA!

OMG. Published bad!fic, I shall never get over you.

[identity profile] katilara.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 11:50 am (UTC)(link)
Hey, I'm here through a friend, and I really believe that the romance novel I read a couple years back with the vampire would have been SO MUCH BETTER if it had had Jesus in it. Just saying. :p

[identity profile] amanda-is-wacky.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 12:07 pm (UTC)(link)
That is so bad it's just funny! People actually read this and thought it was good? All I can say to that is Oh and Dear.

And Jesus in a tacky romance novel? *laughs a lot*

[identity profile] lunachickk.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 12:45 pm (UTC)(link)
JESUS!!! OMG!!! ROTFLMAO!!!
This is gold!

[identity profile] amnellwyvern.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 12:54 pm (UTC)(link)
ROFL! Even the worst fan fiction I've ever read didn't include a personal visit from JESUS! LMAO!
ext_3999: (WTF Daniel)

[identity profile] discodiva76.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 02:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh...My...God....(or should that be Jesus?)...*snortle*....


Am speechless.....*wipes tears from eyes*...


Deeds xx

[identity profile] green-grrl.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 03:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Could B.G. spork my eyes out for me, just for having read that summary? Gah!

[identity profile] starting-gate.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
If you change some of those names, and make it Oma instead of Jesus ... I think I may have read that one somewhere.

I've never read a romance novel in my life, but now I'm curious to know what, in 1920, constitutes one of those "unity" scenes. If you can bring yourself to read one. :)

[identity profile] jd-junkie.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm definitely using the term "unity" in my next fic.
This is priceless.
Please don't read any more. It may cause lasting damage and Jack/Daniel fandom needs you. :-)

[identity profile] read-300300.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 04:33 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm reminded of many things.

1) my friend Ginger who literally believed, from the age of 10-14, that she was in a sexual relationship with Jesus Christ.

2) Bible!fic, most notably, Jesus/Judas slash. The only fandom that can really start a *holy war* over something that you write :-)

3) When I was 6, my grandmother gave me a huge box of books. The ones on top were the 1900's FireFox books, which had all the details and how-tos for living in the country and supporting yourself. Graphic photos and descriptions of just how to string up and butcher your own farm hog, how to make lye soap, how to find your way through the woods, etc. Awesome shit. All the books under that first layer? Romance novels. My mother blew a fucking gasket when I came to her with one of those, going "Mommy, what are they doing? I don't understand why he's ripping her clothes off with his knife in this cave!" All in all, hilarious memories.

4. I miss stalking you :-P

[identity profile] dragojustine.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Sometimes I find it so reassuring that badfic does not only happen in the amateur online world.

[identity profile] green-grrl.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 07:33 pm (UTC)(link)
I feel like drawing little drippy blood coming out, like in Once Upon a Time in Mexico (http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y144/deepintodepp/Once%20Upon%20a%20Time%20in%20Mexico/sands02.jpg). Hee!

[identity profile] green-grrl.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 07:36 pm (UTC)(link)
You know I want fic about this now! Historical AU?!

[identity profile] starting-gate.livejournal.com 2008-09-29 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow. Sorry to make you do that. Nevertheless, interesting.

If I took out about 90% of the words and rearranged them -- regions, fell upon, straining pinnacle, ecstasy.... Nope. Maybe if I had a few days. ;-)

[identity profile] green-grrl.livejournal.com 2008-09-30 05:48 am (UTC)(link)
Aren't you all specially inspired by your reading? And your research? ;-)

[identity profile] msbeata.livejournal.com 2008-09-30 08:46 am (UTC)(link)
You left out the manhood and tremors?!

Dude, that's the best part.

(Anonymous) 2008-09-30 08:45 pm (UTC)(link)
i've got a book from 1909 that might be considered romance. it's called in the place of the king by f. marion crawford. "the king" is phillip the second of spain. the heroine is in love with the king's half-brother; don john of austria & he with her. her father is against the relationship because don john will be made to have a royal marriage & the king will annul the marriage with his daughter & bring scandal on the family. so he's planning to send her to a convent.
add to this a scheming countess, a dwarf jester being manipulated by said countess & the king, not to mention the heroine's blind younger sister is secretly in love with don john.
there's not "unity" or "uniting" or whatever it was. just some hand holding and chaste kisses.

[identity profile] msbeata.livejournal.com 2008-10-02 01:13 am (UTC)(link)
I'll be in my bunk...