March 7, 2007 • Print This Post
Last year I read two non-Brava books that drove me crazy for a stupid reason—the heroines slapped the heroes. These were contemporary books with supposedly smart heroines who went into rages and started slapping.
Oh grow up.
I grew up with older brothers. I could have hit them and probably gotten away with it, simply because I was much younger and a girl. But I figured out much more devious ways to annoy them. They talked about my antics for years. Once they tried to make me leave a room they were painting and I retaliated by making them laugh so hard they fell off the ladder and into blue paint. (They weren’t hurt, just blue.) Another time, a brother turned off my morning cartoons because he was trying to sleep. When he woke up and looked in the mirror, he screamed until he realized that it was shaving cream on his face.
I was YOUNG when I did these things. But family legend has it that I can be just devious enough to make my siblings cautious about crossing me.
My own three boys came up with truly creative ways to torment each other. I am sure I turned as blue as my paint-splattered brothers many times trying not to laugh.
Slapping has been done. Once it was daring and a little naughty and, frankly, some of the heroes in the past deserved it. But books have evolved and while today’s heroes might be alpha, they are rarely jerks anymore. Shouldn’t our heroines evolve too?
Now when it comes to bad guys, I think slapping is letting them off too easy, but I’m not totally against it!
Having said all this, what do you want to bet that I read a book where the heroine slaps the hero and I love it? That’s the fun thing about books, they have the ability to surprise us!
So what do you all think?
Posted by Jennifer Apodaca @ 3:29 am • Filed under: General, Jennifer Apodaca
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You know, I have to agree. It just seems childish. Women are so much smarter than that. I understand it’s usually an act done in a fit of emotion that spurs the hero to grab and kiss her, but nowadays heroines have to be a little more creative with their taunting ways *g*
I have to agree with you on the slapping part. It is so much better to be creative to get back at the hero and now days it works so much better. It makes the hero more wary of just what the consequences will be if he makes her really angry, and more unpredicable than just a slap.:grin:
I agree slapping is childish. I would not slap someone to get back at them, I would torment them and make them wish they had only been slapped. A herione is supposed to be someone that we can relate to, slapping does not help me relate.
I like the idea of tormenting our heroes; having him guess what the heroine is going to do to make him regret what he foolishly did. Slapping is indeed childish.