![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missroseroseThis book confounded my expectations on two fronts. I saw it billed as a "Regency romance" and winced, expecting a bunch of stock characters and a wish-fulfillment plot. Slightly later, I learned it was published under a Christian fiction imprint, and I winced again - not only a romance novel, but a tepid one filled with religious proselytizing as well. Still, I'd already downloaded the audiobook, and figured I'd at least give it a go; I am fond of period pieces and if it was awful I figured I could find something different for my commute.
I was pleasantly surprised, therefore, at how much I enjoyed the book. The narrative voice, sense of setting and historical period are all strong, and the religious aspects (while occasionally heavy-handed) only once threaten to overwhelm the main story. Most importantly, however, the protagonist is both intelligent and dynamic enough to hold our attention throughout the story; and (longtime readers will know this is my most frequent complaint) the author understands "show, don't tell". That last concept, especially, is a problem common to authors who have far more published work than Ms. Klassen, and I heartily congratulate her for overcoming it.
It's not a perfect book, however. Given that the author's posted biography on Goodreads states that she's an editor, I find it slightly ironic that the thought I had most often while listening to the story was "This isn't bad, but with the help of an editor it could be a lot better." A few phrases get used with eye-rolling regularity (I lost count of how many times "tears rolled down [a character's] cheeks" or someone "took a step closer/back"), the narrative shifts rather abruptly from just the main character's point of view to a rotating third-person style, and the book as a whole is frankly overlong. While I appreciate the time spent developing each character and giving them all motivation and depth, some tighter editing to focus better on the protagonist would help streamline the narrative enormously.
Mostly, however, it felt to me like the novel's problems stemmed from the author's insecurity in her own voice. When she focuses on the characters she's created and the world they inhabit, it's quite compelling. When she starts to try and shoehorn it into a 'marketable package', so to speak, the problems start. Much of the overused phraseology I mentioned comes into play during sequences that feel like they're required for a "romance"; if the author had dropped them entirely (or spent somewhat less time on them) the narrative would have been just as interesting, and smoother to boot. Similarly, the religious aspects felt cut-and-pasted in, like the author had been busy telling her story and then, halfway through, went "Oh, right! I'm writing this for a Christian imprint, so I guess I should put in something about prayer!" It especially gets heavy-handed during the climax of the story, like she felt that she had to prove her story's religious credentials to the publisher. It doesn't ruin the book by any means, but (again) these parts could be edited down or removed entirely without affecting the story in any meaningful way.
Judging by this book, Ms. Klassen has some great stories to tell, and I do hope that as she gains more experience she will learn to simply focus on just that - the storytelling. Let the story speak for itself; other people will decide what to label it after the fact. I do look forward to reading more of her work. B-
I was pleasantly surprised, therefore, at how much I enjoyed the book. The narrative voice, sense of setting and historical period are all strong, and the religious aspects (while occasionally heavy-handed) only once threaten to overwhelm the main story. Most importantly, however, the protagonist is both intelligent and dynamic enough to hold our attention throughout the story; and (longtime readers will know this is my most frequent complaint) the author understands "show, don't tell". That last concept, especially, is a problem common to authors who have far more published work than Ms. Klassen, and I heartily congratulate her for overcoming it.
It's not a perfect book, however. Given that the author's posted biography on Goodreads states that she's an editor, I find it slightly ironic that the thought I had most often while listening to the story was "This isn't bad, but with the help of an editor it could be a lot better." A few phrases get used with eye-rolling regularity (I lost count of how many times "tears rolled down [a character's] cheeks" or someone "took a step closer/back"), the narrative shifts rather abruptly from just the main character's point of view to a rotating third-person style, and the book as a whole is frankly overlong. While I appreciate the time spent developing each character and giving them all motivation and depth, some tighter editing to focus better on the protagonist would help streamline the narrative enormously.
Mostly, however, it felt to me like the novel's problems stemmed from the author's insecurity in her own voice. When she focuses on the characters she's created and the world they inhabit, it's quite compelling. When she starts to try and shoehorn it into a 'marketable package', so to speak, the problems start. Much of the overused phraseology I mentioned comes into play during sequences that feel like they're required for a "romance"; if the author had dropped them entirely (or spent somewhat less time on them) the narrative would have been just as interesting, and smoother to boot. Similarly, the religious aspects felt cut-and-pasted in, like the author had been busy telling her story and then, halfway through, went "Oh, right! I'm writing this for a Christian imprint, so I guess I should put in something about prayer!" It especially gets heavy-handed during the climax of the story, like she felt that she had to prove her story's religious credentials to the publisher. It doesn't ruin the book by any means, but (again) these parts could be edited down or removed entirely without affecting the story in any meaningful way.
Judging by this book, Ms. Klassen has some great stories to tell, and I do hope that as she gains more experience she will learn to simply focus on just that - the storytelling. Let the story speak for itself; other people will decide what to label it after the fact. I do look forward to reading more of her work. B-
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-06-24 11:56 am (UTC)I thought it was worth mentioning, since my initial reaction to the idea of a "Christian fiction" was similar to yours.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-24 07:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-25 03:33 am (UTC)Reverse Censorship
Date: 2010-06-26 12:29 pm (UTC)It definitely raises issues regarding content and censorship, with the ability to block the entire domain - especially if this registration is made mandatory for the industry. On the other hand, some may find the idea of being able to corral "adult content" and not have it come up unwanted when they are doing research on breast cancer, quite appealing. (This actually happened to an attorney in my office years ago when the Internet was new. Some of us who live more sheltered lives by preference were shocked.) Human beings are an interesting species, don't you think?