|
Allegra Gray | Are YOU the Heroine?
Comment to win!
August 7, 2009
I admit it. When I think of my all-time favorite romance novels, it’s the guys
I remember. Sometimes the plot. But always the guy. The heroic, fire-
fighting single dad secret-billionaire with the hot bod. Or the dark, tortured
soul needing redemption (still sporting, of course, the requisite hot bod.
Perhaps with a few scars). So why is it, I got to wondering, that I don’t remember the female leads as
quickly? The heroines who often are just as intrepid and heroic as their male
counterparts? Because I like to become the heroine while reading. So it takes me a minute,
sometimes, to remember there was a female lead (who had a name that most likely
was not the same as my own). To me, this is actually a sign of a good commercial writer. Their heroine was
so well-developed, and enough of the store was told through her viewpoint, that
I could "live" her story. Put myself in her shoes, share her hopes and dreams,
experience her pain, and fall in love with her hero. Which is probably why I remember the hero first--it’s hard to forget a guy you
fall in love with. Don’t get me wrong. There are many ways to tell a great story. Especially a
great love story. I am completely captivated by tales like The Notebook or The Time Traveler’s Wife,
both of which are amazingly poignant stories of love and relationships. I
don’t necessarily identify with one particular character as strongly, so it’s a
different reading experience, but just as enjoyable and enriching. Since these
examples are more mainstream or literary fiction (though still romantic), I
guess I should limit my initial observation to commercial romance (a genre I
love, read, and write), where it seems to hold more true. I’ll finish with a question for my fellow lovers of fiction: how about you?
Do you identify with the heroine of your favorite books? And if you do, what
makes that happen--a heroine with courage? Insecurities? Quirky but endearing
habits? Goals similar to your own? Or maybe all of the above?
Happy reading! Allegra Gray
AllegraGray.com PS. If you tell us if you're the heroine ... or not we'll put you in the drawing
to win a copy of NOTHING BUT SCANDAL.
Comments
28 comments posted.
Re: Allegra Gray | Are YOU the Heroine?
Comment to win!
Sounds like an interesting book.
(Elaine Carlini-Davis 12:04pm August 7, 2009)
I always take part as the heroine in every book I read .I like a heroine that is braver then me and spunky-er and more out spoken I like being for awhile some body that I'm [email protected]
(Stacey Smith 3:39am August 7, 2009)
For me, the heroine is just as important as the hero. I'm not placing myself in her place, so I want a strong, memorable heroine, just as much as a strong, memorable hero. For me, a forgettable heroine too often makes for a forgettable book
(Shiloh Walker 10:37am August 7, 2009)
Hey Allegra! Great post! What I relate to the most in a heroine is common life experiences. We've all had our heart broken or felt rejection or had that first kiss where we saw fireworks. When I can relate to a certain experience or emotion that the heroine is feeling...it really engages me in the story.
(Kerri Waldo 10:56am August 7, 2009)
I confess--it is the heroine for me. I need to relate to the heroine or the story is spoiled. Not that I don't love the guys--I do. But it really a great heroine that makes the book memorable for me.
(Teresa Bodwell 11:03am August 7, 2009)
Hi Allegra! It depends on how the heroine is written. If she is more of a take charge kind of woman then I will remember her, if not then it will probably just be the hero that I remember. But either way, I don't often sub in myself mentally. In Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, I always think of that as Jamie and Claire's story. It is impossible to separate the two. I like a story that couldn't be unless those two characters were in it.
(Sorcha Mowbray 11:05am August 7, 2009)
I always identify with the lady because I know more about women and their way of thinking, rationalizing and explaining.
(Alyson Widen 11:25am August 7, 2009)
I don't always identify with the heroine. Rather, I often see someone I know within that character. That typically has to do with the personality portrayed and the voice she is given.
(LuAnn Morgan 11:28am August 7, 2009)
I always like a strong heroine and sometimes even the hero needs a good thump up beside his head to make him see reason. I love the heroines that will do that for them!
(Barbara Hanson 11:39am August 7, 2009)
I like to be the heroine when I read a book. The strong visuals and emotions written into a story help bring the heroine to life. Most often I have nothing in common with her but it gives me the opportunity to fantasize, and takes me away from reality for a while.
(DeeAnn Szymanski 11:59am August 7, 2009)
Sometimes I think I'm the heroine. Mostly I'd just like to think I could be.
(Linda Henderson 12:01pm August 7, 2009)
I prefer a strong heroine who gives as good as she gets and those are the ones I'm more likely to remember instead of just remembering teh hero - so, I guess, yeah, I'd like to think that I'm the heroine, or at least be like her!
(Kelli Jo Calvert 1:19pm August 7, 2009)
For me, it all depends on whose writing I'm reading. I've been reading a lot of Harlequin/Silhouette (sp?) books recently, because I've gotten them for free, and after a certain point, I just get totally frustrated with BOTH the heroine and the hero. Her because she rolls over and plays dead (so to speak) within the first 2 chapters, and him because he doesn't seem to understand that "No" MEANS "No"!! Maybe it's because these books are written as short contract things or whatever, but when I finish one, I'm really hard pressed to remember anything about them that would make them worth re-reading.
And for me, THAT is what makes me kind of into the heroine. If it catches me up enough the first time through, than it becomes a keeper, and I will re-read it, especially when it's a series by an author I like (Stephanie Laurens Cynster books, for example). I always find out more about the characters when re-reading the good books, and it's those little details that make me keep turning the pages, again, and again, and again.
Later,
Lynn
(Lynn Rettig 1:32pm August 7, 2009)
I like the strong heroines, that know what they want and they can get by without a man to help them. Sometimes in my books I become that heroine. Yes there is not much I can't do if I set my mind to it.
(Gail Hurt 2:56pm August 7, 2009)
Hi Allegra!! :) Loved your post today. Sometimes I place myself in the heroine's shoes..but more often than not I just imagine the story in my head as a mini-movie. :)
I'm a pretty bad-ass heroine in my own life though!!
(Rachael Grime 3:39pm August 7, 2009)
It really depends on the genre if I put myself in the place of the heroine. If it is a suspense, most definitely. The historicals, it really depends on the author and how well the character is written. Plus it also depends on mood at the time I'm reading the book. I have a lot of variables with playing the role or not. Have a great day.
(Roberta Harwell 4:52pm August 7, 2009)
I don't usually identify with the heroines in books. I have occasionally noticed that we might share the same tastes in music and similar personality traits.
(Jane Cheung 6:46pm August 7, 2009)
I side with the heroine, no doubt about it; it could be I relate to my own insecurities or depending on my mood and my family but that's how it goes
(Diane Sadler 7:54pm August 7, 2009)
I love strong heroines. Sometimes I identify strongly with them, become them in ways, then I close the book and I'm back in my own skin. Thats okay, because I couldn't live at the intensity level those women live at for long.
(Nancy Gilliland 9:29pm August 7, 2009)
I identify with the heroine as myself. What would I do in her shoes or how would I react differently. Secretly I would love to meet some of these heros face to face.
(Theresa Buckholtz 9:36pm August 7, 2009)
I don't really identify with the heroine, I just want her to be likeable, BUT not wimpy!! That will make me put a book down in a minute! Great post, btw.
(Martha Lawson 10:20pm August 7, 2009)
I like to identify with the heroine. Maybe because I am a little shy I prefer to read about a heroine that starts out shy and then gets a backbone as she experiences life. I love when the heroines do things that they never thought they would and discover an inner core of strength they didn't know existed but was there all the time!
(Mari M. 10:44pm August 7, 2009)
I am ALWAYS the heroine. That's the best way to fully immerse myself.
(Mary Preston 12:18pm August 8, 2009)
I know when I have a good book when I replace the heroine with myself. I especially love it when the hero is the bad boy.
(Sara Edmonds 1:08am August 8, 2009)
Depends on the story, how strongly I can put myself in the heroine's shoes!
(Eva Minaskanian 11:12am August 8, 2009)
I like to get lost in all books I read. I'm the heroine in all the books I read.
(Shannon ONeill 6:16pm August 10, 2009)
I sometimes identify with the heroine or
another character. I remember the
characters in a book I like, male or
female, hero, heroine, or villain.
(Patricia Barraclough 10:30pm August 10, 2009)
I am the heroine! I battle through each day...life!
(Cindy Kane 2:15am August 23, 2009)
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
| 
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy