Tuesday, September 19, 2006

The Redemption

This story had a great plot. Charlisse is running from something and trying to find the father she never knew. And, like any good plot twist, she is shipwrecked on a deserted island. Enter the pirate Edmund, whose behavior, incidentally, is condoned by Britain. And, like any good plot twist, his most hated enemy just happens to be Charlisse's father (who turned to the dark side sometime between his last letter home to her mother, and the present).

Obviously, this is a historical.

I thought this was a great story. Romance, adventure, excitement. Technically, the writing couldn't be faulted. It has it all. But I've decided that, quite possibly, I don't like reading this time period.

I found myself irritated at the haughty, you-are-below-my-station heroine combined with the he's-such-a-cad hero. Get over yourself people, can't you tell you will end up together? I got to the point that I wanted to scream every time I read the words cad, rogue, swagger. And I don't think this is MaryLu Tyndall's fault. I'm sure she is using the most appropriate language for the era. I've just been in a crit group (incidentally, none of them write historical) that has, for years, made fun of books that use the word "cad." And I think it is the modern books using the word that irritate them. I totally blame you for my "cad" snobbishness, Uppies, in case you care.

It isn't like she could have called him a jerk, or creep, or loser. So like I said, I don't fault the author. This was a great book with a great plot. But if you are cad-phobic, you may want to consider yourself warned.

No comments: