A Male Perspective
Today, on Anatomy of the Male Mind, we have “Jack Russell” visiting, who’s going to give us his perspective on a romance
novel. “Jack” will pop in throughout the day to answer any burning questions you might have for him.
Meet Jack:
Age: 55
Region: Midwest
Education: Bachelor’s degree
Status: Married
Reading Preference: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Suspense/Action, Fiction
Tracey: Have you ever read a romance novel? If yes, what type (romantic suspense, romantic comedy, historical)?
Jack: I’ve only read two romance novels and they were categorized as romantic suspense. So it’s fair to say that my book choices don’t really lean toward the romance genre. I did enjoy both books, however.
Tracey: When you purchased the book, did you know it was a romance? If not, what drew you to the book (cover, back cover blurb, author’s name)?
Jack: No, I didn’t realize it was a romance. I was definitely drawn to the book by the cover, which is typical for me unless I’m in a store looking for a specific title or author. One of the romance novels was in a stack of my wife’s books. She is a huge fan of historical romance and it’s not unusual to find books in every corner and flat surface of our home. The cover didn’t look like her usual covers, which may be why I picked it up to take a closer look. The author’s name (female) and the title of the book filled the cover changing from black to red as the letters moved toward the bottom of the page. The last word of the title rested upon yellow and red flames. It caught my attention enough to read the back cover. The story-line seemed interesting. Homicide investigator teams up with an arson investigator to track down a serial arsonist murderer who ends up stalking the investigators — I couldn’t resist.
The other book I actually took off a carousel display of new paperbacks at a bookstore, not realizing it was a romance. Similar to the other book, the cover contained the author’s name (female) and the title of the book. The title was written in white letters behind a shattered opaque window on a background of pale blue/grey. The letters were very clear where the glass was missing and slightly blurry where the glass remained. The story-line on the back cover described a suspense plot that involved a female criminal prosecutor, an ex-police officer neighbor with a secret background and an unknown assailant who was attempting to kill the prosecutor. These are the types of stories that interest me when I’m in the mood for a suspense novel.
Tracey: What did you think of the male character in the book? Did the character act like a man would?
Jack: The male characters in these books were believable for the most part. They were portrayed as intelligent, determined men who also had a calm, softer side. However, I think they were more introspective about the developing relationship with the main female character than I think most men would be given the circumstances described in these stories. They certainly weren’t wimpy men, but I’m not sure a man who is focused on protecting and surviving would be in the right frame of mind to analyze a developing relationship. I believe this type of analysis is difficult enough for most men and normally happens after the relationship has matured. In other words, after sex moves a little further down the guy’s priority list. The two male characters in these books were in their mid-thirties. It did seem unlikely that they would have been able to intellectualize their emotions in the manner and detail described by the author. At the time I was reading the book, however, these thoughts were not a distraction for me.
Tracey: Rate your level of enjoyment (1-10, 10 highest).
Jack: I think a rating of 7 would reflect my enjoyment level.
Tracey: Tell us what you liked about the story and what you didn’t.
Jack: I liked the intrigue and suspense created by not knowing who the “bad-guy” was and what his motives were. I also enjoyed the action and pace of the story. The action was physical. In both books, the characters moved from one location to another in pursuit of, or being pursued by, the arsonist and assailant. The stories weren’t violent by most standards, but they did included physical confrontations and some gun-play.
In regard to my dislikes, you may expect me to say the parts of the stories that described the developing romantic relationships, but that wasn’t the case. Many of the fictional books I read include the development of a relationship between the main character and the opposite sex. However, sometimes these relationships never move beyond satisfying physical desires and sometimes the characters decide they’re not ready for, or they’re incapable, of entering into a committed relationship. The relationships don’t always end with “happily ever after.” For me, this unknown adds to the intrigue of a story.
Back to your question regarding my dislikes; I really don’t recall disliking any aspect of the books.
Tracey: You might not be familiar with romance subgenre lingo, but what do you think the difference is between a regular romance novel, erotic and porn? Is there a difference?
Jack: Great question. I should preface my response, though, by admitting that I know very little about romance novels. I believe my wife told me that romance novels require a happily ever after ending. If that’s the case, I would guess erotic and porn do not. In general, however, these terms have very different meanings to me. I believe romance is the means by which we express our love or significant interest in another person. It serves to draw two people together and creates and nurtures an emotional bond. Erotic, is the steamy physical expression of love or intense attraction, which culminates or nearly concludes with sex. For me, it implies the build-up of sexual tension created by the intense desire for physical contact. Erotic has an edge and heat with one or both partners focused on drawing out and intensifying the pleasure being given. Porn on the other hand, seems to only depict the visual or written rendition of sex with very little, if any, need for romance, intimacy or the build up of sexual tension. I think pornography is one of those things that is hard to describe, but you know it when you see it.
Tracey: Would you purchase another romance? Why? Please be specific.
Jack: I would read another romantic suspense novel with a similar plot to the two I’ve read. I didn’t feel as though those two stories focused more on the romance than the suspense and action of the plot. But your question was, “would I purchase another romance?” You turned up the heat with this question. The straightforward answer is, probably not. In my “guy mind,” “real men” don’t read romance novels. “Real” men don’t even linger in the aisles of the romance section unless they’re standing with their wife or girlfriend. I know that’s a huge stereotyping and sexist opinion, but the litmus test for most men in determining acceptable male actions or reactions is–would I tell my “guy” friends? How would they react to knowing? Would they say, hey that’s cool so do I? Or, would they beat me up with it every time we get together until the day I’m buried? I have no doubts over my “guy” friends’ responses.
Tracey: Have you ever set a book back down when you realized it was a romance?
Jack: Answering this question may also get me in trouble. I related earlier that the two romance books I read I only picked up because they didn’t look like romance books and because of the story pitch on the back cover. Other than those two books, I’ve not picked up any others because the cover or title usually makes them very recognizable as a romance book. In truth, if I had noticed the words “Romantic Suspense” written on the spine of the one romantic suspense book that I did purchase, I probably would have set it back down for two reasons. One, I would have second guessed my original belief, based on the storyline on the back cover, that I would like the book. Two, I would have felt awkward taking the book to the counter believing that the cashier would find it amusing, to say the least, that a man was buying a romance book.
I understand that my response to these last two questions may place me in poor light with your readers. I actually consider myself to be a progressive modern day male fully comfortable with the broad range and intersections of the male and female genders. And, in no way am I a “macho guy” but I have adopted the belief that romance books are written by women for other women with the intention of eliciting a woman’s emotional reaction to the romantic side of the story. Therefore, even though I enjoyed the two romance books I’ve read, my “guy” mind focused on the action and suspense of the story, not the nuances of the romantic relationship.
Tracey: In general, what do you think of romance novels? Why do you think romance novels hold the largest share of the consumer book market?
Jack: Actually, I’m very surprised by the statement implied by your second question. I didn’t know that romance novels held that title. They obviously have a broader worldwide appeal than I realized. In response to your first question; “In general, what do I think of romance novels?” I certainly think they merit an equal status in the literary world. I don’t consider them to be fictional stories less deserving of readers and fans. I believe good books touch something within us, stir emotions and evoke response and internal debate. Therefore, by virtue of their popularity, I would say that romance books are doing what good books do. Romance books, however, probably won’t be my first or second choice when I’m looking for a book to dive into, because my reading preferences lean toward different genres. I’m not going to say never though. I may, some day, pick up that one book or read that certain author that hooks me.
Thank you, Jack, for stopping by today! Okay, readers, it’s your turn to delve deeper into Jack’s male mind. Have fun!
Please join Kelsey on Friday to hear what Agent Lois Winston has to say about balancing the Writer and the Internal Editor.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
I certainly appreciate Jack’s honesty. Although I do think that many men would enjoy today’s romance stories a lot more than they think.