Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too. ~Greg, age 8
I TiVo'd "Kate and Leopold" the other night, remembering that I'd enjoyed watching it. I get Friday nights alone because the hubby plays hockey and the niece always has a date with her boyfriend. So I get to watch the chick flicks I never get to watch the rest of the time.
Anyway...
I sat down to watch it and remembered how much Hugh Jackman made my heart go pitty-pat in that movie (not that he wasn't a hunk as Wolverine, too... but... yanno -- English Duke, mmm....) and I guess that was the main reason I'd loved it.
NOT because of the love story.
Seriously -- why would anyone have fallen in love with Kate? She was rude, harsh, abrasive and unkind. And yet, he still invited her to dinner on the rooftop -- and he was already falling for her before that point? When did that start? Was it when she yelled at him to get out of her house? Or maybe when she derided him about his inability to make toast?
I remember that the old Harlequins were much like this. The characters hated each other and fought like crazy until the end where there were suddenly all, "Darling, I love you. I've always loved you." Kiss, kiss, HEA.
It's one thing to have a reason for your H/H to not be together. Absolutely make a misunderstanding -- the book I'm reading right now has two people looking for a guy. The Hero thinks this guy killed his family, the heroine is looking for her brother who she's sure is innocent of all charges. BIG problem. And yet, they still like each other even though there's an elephant in the room with them at all times. Yes, they fight over the problem, everyone fights, but as a reader I can understand why they'd be attracted.
ARGH!
See... told you I'd find something besides plotting to write about.
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2 comments:
Ah, the old Harlequins. I seem to remember the heros always being overbearing, macho, womanizing, male chauvenistic jerks. And the heroines were wide-eyed innocent clueless females. I'm glad things have changed. I always used to wonder if you took all the Harlequin heros and put them in one room who'd be the most successful, sexiest, most desirable one there (I did a lot of daydreaming back then). Maybe this is why I like down to earth regular guys as heros.
Okay time to get ready for work. Phooey.
fditbqyq-fear deepens incessant tempers but quiet years quicken (as if I could come up with anything better)
Ah, but if we take a look at human nature, and steal a thought from my favorite poet, Nikki Giovanni, then we know that people tend to fall in love, not because they find someone worthy, but because they need to love.
Too lofty a notion for the typical romance story? Probably, but that leaves room for the character to have his own agenda and find Meg lovable on his terms. And, no doubt, she's got at least one redeeming characteristic. Maybe he sees her as refreshingly honest compared to the women of his day.
Pam who will blame a certain someone forever if she gets hooked on responding to blogs. ;-)
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