100 Years and Still Going Strong
We are all familiar with the romantic fiction books known as Mills and Boon.
These books started out in 1908, and afterwards Harlequin books, a Canadian company began to buy the rights in 1949.
According to some literary critics, these books are only read by "desperate housewives with one brain cell". the thing is not only men that sneer at such books and their readers but many women do as well. I was one of those to laugh at such books and dismiss them as trivial. then I began to notice that many women read them, of different classes and conditions of society.
They can hold any job and some can belong to the male gender. A manager at work, a male, upon hearing our discussion about such books, admitted that he has read a few books such as Mills And Boon. He confessed to never telling anyone and preferred to "stay in the closet", jokingly saying he will deny ever uttering such admission.
Thrillers, spy books, war stories are all accepted because they are read by men. However romantic fiction is derided because it is mainly a female domain, written for women by women. It does reflect the dreams of women of meeting their one and only, where they overcome the odds and their powerful love triumphs at the end. Who does not love a happy ending?!!
I read my first Mills And Boon book yesterday, and while I cringed at some parts of the book, and at other times was overcome with the giggles at other parts, I have to admit I enjoyed it and it was a relaxing way to spend the evening after a tiring hot day. We all do a lot of deep thinking during the day, I guess a bit of "dumb" reading cannot harm.
Many of you will not agree, but we cannot deny that they are popular the world over. In japan for example, the stories are more explicit than their UK counterparts, while the Arabic version is much more tame.
I am sure some of you may have read such a book or know someone who does.
Would you admit to reading them?... Well I am a convert, and while I am sure many times I will choose another more "intellectual" book over those romantic fiction novels, the one I read will not be the last.
By guest writer Silvana
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*Those not those :P.
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Ah last comment :), after these books, I have my eye on a paper back "The Sheikh And The Runaway"...Yep love those Sheikhs in green eyes :D.
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1984 was nice, tho the ending cud have been more satisfying.
generally i hate romance books. they tend to be the same plot over and over again, the cold-hearted heroine meets handsome exiciting man and melts into his arms, or aloof, private employee meets beautiful enchanting young woman who excites new desires in him. ugghh.
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I like to read or watch a bit of cheese every now and again. I get so into following the storylines though I neglect to remember the titles. I don't think I've ever read anything by Mills and Boon, but for sure I have read things which I prefer never to mention and yes those types of texts can be very gripping.
My only problem is I never know where a book is likely 2 delve. I mean most books no matter what the genre may be absolutely must have a little bit of romance. And books seem to be more explicit than movies so you can never rely on just one source as a clue to the other. I was reading a book about fraud and embezzlement once & it got into all kinds of swimming pool scenes with cold & hot bits and flesh bobbing into the story. I don't know!
My friend adores Jackie Collins, and Jackie as an author has quite a following. I’ve never considered reading any of her books coz I’ve heard her say she gets most of her influence from Hollywood and gossip etc, so that kinda puts me off.
In my personal opinion I think nothing manages to make me more queasy then an American soap opera (apart from Asthma)…flashbacks of sunset beach ...and Desperate Housewives, which I find really dreadful!
I used to like those point books…point romance, point horror, point whatever- complete and utter drivel but hey I enjoyed it then. I did have my standards though…never ever everrrr took an interest in those sweet valley high series of books Thank God!
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Hey I've been reading Mills and Boons since i was 13 and i just love them they are a great way to relax you don't have to use youe brain too much and you get what you want a happy ending!!!!
S.M.S.
Nov 30, 2006
OOPS the third paragraph contains some mistakes( will check punctuation and capital letters next time ).
I am planning to read Gibran's entire collection in english though :(. I always thought they sound better in Arabic. those who claim that French is the language of romance or Italian is the language of passion are wrong. Arabic is the language of passion and strength, yep and I am not being biased, well except when it is used for the subtitles in those Latin Soapies...
I am reading now George Orwell's 1984, a book we were told in highschool that everyone has read it. Well it is a classic and the book which gave the premise upon which the BB reality TV series was based.