A busy day here, which is why this blog is so late. Woke up this morning to find out that my adorable, perfect puppy has graduated into the full throes of adolescence. I was out the door at 7 a.m. this morning, by which time, she had already:
- peed on the floor, which she hasn’t done in months! (In point of fact, she peed on my favorite Yale shirt, which, to be fair, I left on the floor, but still!)
- eaten one of Sailor Boy’s socks
- jumped on Sailor Mom’s head
- squeezed herself underneath the fence and run out into the street
And when we told her to “come” she sat there and blinked at us, which I believe is the adolescent puppy equivalent of rolling her eyes. The vet warned us this would happen, but I didn’t believe her. Not my Rio! Not the pride and joy of her puppy school class!
Oh crap, brb. She’s eating my slipper.
What? I’m, like, totally obedient, Mom! Whatever. It’s so unfair!
And this just before my folks come to town, too, toting their perfect one year old sheepdog. I was hoping to impress them with my well-behaved pup. Instead I will try to impress them by restraining myself from throttling her.
Bleh.
So anyway, was up in Annapolis today. I love it there. So pretty! We ate lunch down by the pier. Oysters and crab and flounder and shrimp. Yum! Almost made me forget how mad I am at Rio.
In other news, I saw a fascinating blog post the other day at Curiosity Shop, about the theme of choices/romance/feminism in a lot of YA literature. Martha writes:
“[It] is an underlying theme in a lot of teen books, since it’s a big teen concern–choosing who to be, how to live life, how to be independent. But my fall reading has very much been about characters whose main conflict is the choice between being true to themselves, following their dream or passion or being in love. I’m so glad that there are these books for teen out there. They are important, because they show that it’s not all about the boy (or girl, if the protagonist is a boy).”
This is a theme that very much concerns me, too, and has been a central issue in almost every book I write. It is, in fact, a central issue in most romance novels, especially the ones I really like. The difference is that the genre constrictions of modern (by which I mean “shelved in bookstores as”) romance novels requires what the romance folks call “a happy ending,” by which they mean that the two central characters “end up together.”
Which in turn requires romance novels (well, at leas thet kind I like) being written so that being with the boy is also the way in which the character is most true to herself/ or she can be with boy AND achieve her goal (or same, genders reversed).
The other day, I was watching You’ve Got Mail, and it occurred to me (in a way it did not when I watched the movie as a teenager), that the reason for the long interlude between the closing of Meg Ryan’s store and the happy romantic ending was so that the audience could realize that Meg’s life was not over because she failed in her stated goal of keeping her mother’s store open. That sometimes, your life takes a path different from what you expect, and you are thwarted in one direction, but you grow from that experience and find new happiness. Meg did in fact lose her little store (hope that’s not a spoiler for anyone) but all her former employees became star salesmen at the big box superstore and Meg herself is first offered a job as an editor and decides eventually to write books (and you see that she has a flair for writing from the very start). Also, she gets to keep her stunning apartment that New Yorkers only live in in the movies. Score.
If she lost her store, was crushed by Tom Hanks, and then went off into the sunset with him right away, there would always be this part of you going “What? You can’t be with him! He ruined your life!” For me, the happy ending is not necessarily the romantic one. I like it when the girl (or boy) saves herself (or himself) and then gets the boy (or girl, or boy, or vampire, or etc.) Happy romantic ending without happy “other goal” ending is not satisfying to me, though happy “other goal” ending without happy romantic one works for me just fine. (cf. Casablanca, which a very good, NYT bestselling romance writing friend tells me she will never watch because she heard it “didn’t have a happy ending.”
This is why I don’t write “shelved in bookstores as” romance novels. Because my books don’t necessarily end with the girl getting the guy, though they do end (so far) with the girl getting what it is that she wants. And sometimes, that involves NOT getting the guy (as in Under the Rose).
I’ve been seeing a lot of reactions to Graceling (one of my fave books of the year) that show dissatisfaction with the romantic ending of the book (I’m really not going to spoil it for you). I’m not sure why. Maybe my standard for “happy romantic ending” differs from other people’s, as I know my standard for “happy ending” differs from a lot of romance readers. The romance in that book really worked for me, not least because the dude’s name was Po. But, again, I think that Rick had it right in Casablanca: Sometimes the problems of the world are much bigger than two crazy kids, and sometimes, love doesn’t work out, and sometimes that’s a good thing. It’s not a tragic ending a’la Nicholas Sparks. It’s great.
The most common question I get about the secret society series (after “Were you ever in a secret society?”) is “Who is Amy going to end up with?” My response is “Why do you think she is going to end up with anyone?” Amy is 22 years old at the end of the series. She just graduated from college. I may have been dating my eventual husband at that time, but I sure as heck didn’t think I was, and I bet the vast majority of people in Amy’s situation are not going to marry their college sweethearts.*
Whether or not she “ends up with” someone (in the immediate sense of “is she in a relationship on the last page of the last book”) was not, to own the truth, soemthing I thought about too much as I was planning the series. I was more interested in where Amy “ended up with” regarding herself and the society.
I guess this is rather rambling, My general point is yes, I’ve read all the book that Martha is discussing, and I loved the way the romantic themes were handled in each one, and it’s something I think about a lot in my own work, so great post, Curiosity Shop!
Oh, and in honor of said post, today’s giveaway is ALANNA: THE FIRST ADVENTURE, which is the first in the Song of the Lioness Quartet, by Tamora Pierce. I love this series, though I totally read it out of order. After I told someone I was calling the killer unicorn book RAMPANT, they said to me, “Oh, like Tamora Pierce’s book?” So I rushed out to get hers (It’s actually called LIONESS RAMPANT, which was even more terrifying to me, since “lioness” also plays a major part in my book) to make sure that I hadn’t written in ground already covered, and then I was like, “Um, where have these books been all my life, and how come no one, knowing my vast love of Eowyn and Aravis and all things warrior-woman esque, has told me about them before?
So, in case you, too, love strong women and non-traditional romantic stories and have not heard of this series, comment here to enter. You shall thank me later.
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* Though now that I’ve said this, I realize that my mother, my brother, my best friend, and two of Sailor Boy’s best friends are married to their college sweethearts.
December 18th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
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December 18th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
well i would love to read pierce’s lioness series (i’ve read trickster’s choice and trickster’s queen which i think are set in the same world and they are very, very good)
and i like your take on romantic endings, i’ll think about it next time i am reading a ya or a chicklit, though i must confess that i also love a “happy” ending and till now i’ve always thought that happy ending was getting the boy (or girl or … ) i’ll try to rethink that.
ps. and oh sharon shinn’s summer’s at castle auburn. you recommend one and i recommend one
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December 18th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I hope Rio gets through this phase soon.
For me, happy endings don’t need to be HEA endings.
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December 18th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
You didn’t read the Alanna books till you wrote Rampant?! You poor, poor thing, you.
Also, must grin. Not only did I marry my college sweetheart, I married him while I was still in college. I’m 23 and I’ll be married for four (4) years in July. No joke.
I also realize I am hugely the exception to the norm. *G*
Otherwise, completely agree with you on your views of romance and happy endings.
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December 18th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
At least you can honestly say that you were not influenced in any way by Ms. Pierce’s books.
Didn’t have a college (or high school) sweetheart. Didn’t have my first date until two weeks AFTER i graduated from college. And that was with my (younger) brother’s ex-girlfriend.
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December 18th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
careful where you leave your books… my Tiki chewed up my first copy of Chamber of Secrets. (hardcover too…)
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December 18th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
HOW DID YOU NOT KNOW ABOUT THESE BOOKS?????
well, probably because the Lioness quartet was released when we/you were preteens but didn’t gain mass popularity until we were in college and the later books came out and Ms. Pierce became vastly more popular.
Still, you’ve essentially pinpointed the bible of my early teenaged yeras. Yes, I’ve a lioness rampant tattoo on my lower back. Yes, my first ferret was named Alanna. Yes, I have red hair that went amazingly wild as I grew into adulthood (now it’s just short and wild).
Read it? probably close to 50 times if not more. Seriously. addicted? naw. learned from it? YES. In this I will also bless Ms. Pierce, since a LARGE part of my strong personality (especially true when childhood was squished under my mother’s dominance) can be directly traced to these books and especially Lioness Rampant.
this was only curtailed by discovery of Vingt’s “Catspaw” in high school which proceeded to be my late-teen bible.
wubba!
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December 18th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I don’t mind the girl and guy ending up ‘together’ at the end of the novel if the relationship is healthy, reasonable and in character. But I hate it when the author does everything possible to make sure they end up together and doesn’t let the relationship grow on its own.
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December 18th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
I’ve never heard of these books but they sound like something I’d love.
I do adore a happy ending but sad can be good to and usually it is the non traditional “happy” endings that stay with me long after I finish the books!
BTW I married my high school sweetheart too (as did two of my best friends) but I certainly didn’t know at the time!
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December 18th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Alanna’s story is a good example of the romantic story turning out differently than some readers wanted. I know I was originally rooting for it to go the other way, but, after I finished it, I realized Alanna had to be with the guy she ended up with to have the life she wanted.
(Don’t enter me. I have them all!)
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December 18th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Ahh.. the dog is so cute! My family currently has an adorable black lab seeing-eye puppy. Well, he is training to be a seeing-eye dog, anyway. We will have to give him back in about a year
. But, at least I already have two other dogs 
(really cute black mutts who are brothers but don’t look a thing a like)
I have never read any of Tamora Pierce’s books. I have heard of her books though, and know she is suppose to be a great author, so I would love to read ALANNA: THE FIRST ADVENTURE.
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December 18th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Oooh!!! I want to win Alanna: The First Adventure! I’ve been interested in the series for awhile, especially since my best friend loves anything by Tamora Pierce.
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December 18th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I have to confess that I’m not a fan of You’ve Got Mail. There’s just something about the movie that just screams to me, “give in to corporate America!” Although Meg fails and picks herself back up, she is forced to change because of the “hero.” Maybe that is a good thing, maybe that would have happened regardless of the evil Tom Hanks, but he doesn’t change or grow at all, except that he falls in love with her–yet he still deceives her. At the end, she’s grown, and he’s still the same. I don’t know, maybe it just comes down to the fact that he’s basically the cause of her problems, and I don’t know if love is enough to overcome that. Maybe I’ve just thought about it too long.
Now Amy and Poe…. That’s a different story, at least so far. Again, it’s closer to Pride and Prejudice. As Poe has said, no one is 100% good or evil. Amy and Poe just had impressions of each other, based some in fact, some in assumption, and left it at that. As they’ve gotten to know each other, plus their life and society experiences, they’ve grown. Amy is always her own person finding her way, and Poe just happens to be along for the ride.
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December 19th, 2008 at 1:59 am
Wow. I am so glad you found Alanna. And that you found it through the most awesome Martha is even better!
Please don’t enter me in the contest (I have two sets of this beloved series). I just wanted to say that I agree wholeheartedly. Even though I did marry my college sweetheart (but not until I was in grad school)!
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December 19th, 2008 at 7:04 am
Angie, I didn’t find them through Martha. I read them a few years ago. I was reminded by her post the other day that I could pimp them…
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December 19th, 2008 at 8:45 am
[...] Leah was right in the comments section of yesterday’s post about the reason I’d likely missed out on Tamora Pierce at an actual young adult, as the Alanna quartet was originally published when I was too young to read them, and then the series became super popular while I was in college and too busy reading other stuff for much pleasure reading. (Sadly, I did almost no pleasure reading in college until my senior year, when I not only did more reading for class than I had any other year, but I also rediscovered Harry Potter and popular fiction. God bless J.K. Rowling, y’all. Seriously.) [...]
December 19th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Ok, I’m late to the party, but I just wanted to say that I agree with so much of what you’re saying, Diana. I really think that in the best books I read, the girl gets the guy AFTER she has a massive realization about herself. I think that’s what makes it so much more satisfying, but I have to say that sadly, that’s not what seems to happen in real life. I think what often happens is that people meet their significant others, and they change because of that. Not that they necessarily change FOR that person, but I believe that relationships are sort of like mirrors–you see all the good and bad parts of yourself reflected back to you in the other person and that either helps you or hurts you in carving out your identity. I think that often, the realization of “the girl” occurs within a relationship AFTER she’s gotten the guy (or girl, or whatever her preference may be), but that’s sort of hard to cheer for in a book, because we want the happy ending at the end, you know? It’s the whole TV, Ross-Rachel idea that once the couple gets together, no one will watch anymore. That’s why I’m so glad that Amy got together with Poe at the end of ROS(B), because now we get to see what happens next, and how they both change. I think THAT is much more true to life than the getting together at the end thing.
Also, I think more people marry their college sweethearts than you think–my friends are all doing it right now. That said, I can’t see Amy doing that–I can barely see Amy in a functional relationship, so marriage is getting way too ahead of ourselves (esp. with two months left before she graduates!). I think I’ll be happy if Amy grows enough to choose something that furthers her and makes her happy–whether that’s grad school, a job, or Jamie, or whatever.
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December 19th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Thank you so much for allowing comments later that usual. I actual think I missed your post by like a hour. Anyway, I must admit, even though Amy’s happy ending does not depend on her love life, I do want her to end up with Poe.
What’s funny however is that my parents were college sweethearts, a lot of my friends parents were as well!
Also, I LOVE TAMORA PIERCE BOOKS! She always has a really strong heroine and I would love to win this one!
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December 19th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Please include me in the drawing. I’ve never read a Tamora Pierce book, but was told by a teen in B&N to start with Alanna. I was with my oldest niece trying to pick out some new authors and this girl just went on and on about how great Tamora Pirece’s books were, plus she showed me about 5 other new author’s books to buy. Love finding other book lovers in the bookstore.
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December 20th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Woops! My bad. Well, I’m glad you found them anyway.
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December 22nd, 2008 at 10:47 am
I really get where Diana is going with her thoughts on happy endings. I myself when reading get caught up with well so and so have to get together because….they just do so there. But in the real world, that doesn’t happen.
I am 23 I finished college exactly one year ago and I didn’t a neat happy ending (like in books) and I can’t imagine getting married right now or having kids. I mean this in no offense to anyone who is married or have kids at my age but right now my state of mind is very selfish.
I feel that this is my happy beginning, this period is the first time in my life where I am in control. I have a job and I volunteer and I have a life and I am not ready to settle down. Before this time, everything was planned, study hard and get into college, study hard and get an internship, work hard for references, interview and get a job. Suddenly now I options. I do things because I want to and because it makes me happy.
I relate to Amy because I see my growth as she has grown. In the end, if she is happy and content with her life. That should be the happy beginning of the next step….not the ending.
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January 9th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Just finished Graceling yesterday (well, started and finished it yesterday) and came searching your archives to see if you’d said anything about it because it seemed right up your alley. I completely agree with you about the ending. I was getting worried there for a second when he was being distant and threatening to become a hermit, but the end-end felt very true to who they were and still wasn’t sad. I think Katsa realized that love had changed her and that it could be a good thing, but she still wanted what she had wanted all along and getting married and moving into a pretty castle wasn’t a part of that.
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