Arlette

Arlette asked Bryn Greenwood:

I really loved All the Ugly and Wonderful Things . I would like to know why women authors seem more and more to using the derogatory word for a vagina ? I don't think I'm the only woman that that word bothers

Bryn Greenwood I can only speak for myself, but I hate the word vagina. The word comes from Latin and means "sheath" or "scabbard." That's because the Romans viewed the vagina as a sheath for a sword (the penis.) In short vagina defines that part of a woman's body only in relationship to its function for men. I think that's gross. I think a woman's body parts should be defined in relationship to themselves. Women don't exist for men alone, why should women's bodies be described in terms of some potential relationship to a man's body?

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St. Martin's Literary Fiction

St. Martin's Literary Fiction asked Bryn Greenwood:

Hi Bryn! I’ve seen a lot of comparisons on here to books like Lolita, Tampa by Alissa Nutting, Glass Castles by Jeanette Walls. How do you feel about these comparisons? Were you reading anything in particular to inspire you as you wrote?

Terri

Terri asked Bryn Greenwood:

Hello, Interestingly, I found many parallels between All the Ugly and Wonderful Things and one my favorite classics, Jane Eyre - was that intentional or simply serendipitous?

Donna Davis

Donna Davis asked Bryn Greenwood:

I could totally see myself as Brenda, Bryn. I would have wanted to fix this kid, but I wouldn't have done it if I saw it creating much of a negative impact on my own kids. She makes obvious mistakes, but also completely believable ones. I believed Brenda as a character every single minute. She never felt fictional to me. Do you have another novel planned, or begun?

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