Task #16: An historical romance by an AOC

[Jessica]

Julia wrote: "An Extraordinary Union was okay for me, but I wasn't expecting much. I rarely enjoy historical Romance as a genre, but to add in race, that seems to me to be overcomplicating things..."

Historical romance that portrays an all-white world is not somehow "free" of race.

[Nadine in NY]

Jessica wrote: "... Historical romance that portrays an all-white world is not somehow "free" of race. ..."


Excellent point.

[Julia]

Yes.

[Zoe]

[Side noie] Everytime I see notifications for this post I think 'Ocasio Cortez wrote a historical romance novel!?'

[Bonnie G.]

Zoe wrote: "[Side noie] Everytime I see notifications for this post I think 'Ocasio Cortez wrote a historical romance novel!?'"

That made me laugh. But for what it is worth Stacey Abrams wrote several modern romances under the name Selena Montgomery so its not as unlikely as it seems at first blush.

[Bonnie G.]

Jessica wrote: "Julia wrote: "An Extraordinary Union was okay for me, but I wasn't expecting much. I rarely enjoy historical Romance as a genre, but to add in race, that seems to me to be overcompl..."

Amen, Jessica.

[Stephanie]

Jessica wrote: "Julia wrote: "An Extraordinary Union was okay for me, but I wasn't expecting much. I rarely enjoy historical Romance as a genre, but to add in race, that seems to me to be overcompl..."

Yeah, for serious. Take all those historical fiction books set in the British Raj or various colonized African countries that are about two white people falling in love and all the PoC are pretty much just servants with no storylines of their own. That sure as hell is making a statement about race even if racism isn't a theme of the book.

[Elspeth]

I read Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. I usually like romance well enough, and the added history was really interesting. (and sad, of course).

[Judith]

Thanks for the recommendation of "The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo". Fun read.

[Emerging]

Thank you to all who weighed in! I'm gonna make it to the end of An Extraordinary Union. I have five pages left. I did not enjoy it, but I am glad that others have.

[Megan]

Bonnie wrote: "Emerging wrote: "Please don't hate me, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to finish An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole, which was lauded as a "slam dunk pick"..."

So? Just because it has favorable reviews doesn't mean everyone is going to like it.

[Bonnie G.]

Agreed, just that if her goal is to find the best in genre this is it. There are lots of well reviewed books that don't work for me.

[Christi]

I read A Song for the Stars for this one. If you're looking for a G-rated romance, I'd think this would qualify (even the battle scenes are pretty tame) - they don't even kiss until 3 pages from the end. It was a quick read, and I enjoyed the Hawaiian setting.

[Lavanya]

I am very confused by this category. By romance novels, do you mean actual books marketed as romance novels? Or a literary book with romance counts here? I do see recommendations that includes love in the time of cholera. Does something like Pride and prejudice or or if written by an author of color count? I am leaning towards Half a lifelong romance by Eileen Chang.Does it count?

[Mya]

Lavanya wrote: "I am very confused by this category. By romance novels, do you mean actual books marketed as romance novels? Or a literary book with romance counts here? ..."

Lavanya - I interpreted it to mean romances that fit the trope of having a "Happily Ever After." Others are using historical fiction that includes romance, whether or not the relationship ends with a happy ever after. Using the latter definition, Half a Lifelong Romance will work for this task. It looks like an interesting book - let us know what you think of it. :)

[Emerging]

Christi wrote: "I read A Song for the Stars for this one. If you're looking for a G-rated romance, I'd think this would qualify (even the battle scenes are pretty tame) - they don't even kiss until..."
Does that author identify as a POC?

[L Y N N]

Emerging wrote: "Christi wrote: "I read A Song for the Stars for this one. If you're looking for a G-rated romance, I'd think this would qualify (even the battle scenes are pretty tame) - they don't..."

She was born and raised on Oahu.

[Mya]

Living on Oahu doesn't mean one is a POC, nor indigenous. I can't find any information about Ilima Todd's ethnicity.
FYI to those who care: at least some of her titles are transphobic.

https://youngmormonfeminists.org/2015...

[Tamara]

question about suitability of a book of a book for this prompt.

I just finished reading "Unmarriagable" by Sonia Kamal.

she's an AOC. It's a romance.
and it's set in 2001.... ha
how far into the past does a novel need to be to be considered historical?
is this too far off a stretch of the prompt by not being a far enough stretch into the past?

[Sarah]

Kelly wrote: "Rachel wrote: "The fact that so many of you are commenting that romance is "drivel" or that you hate romance as a whole category is precisely why romance likely will always be included. While I und..."

Kelly, thank you for the Sherry Thomas suggestion! I love her Lady Sherlock series and I didn't know she was an AOC. Happy dance!!

[Greta]

Thank you, Nadine. I think this is a very succinct and accurate description of what the phrase "of color" is, or is attempting to be, shorthand for in terms of experience.

[Constance]

I read “Her Land, Her Love” by Evangeline Parsons- Yazzie, who is a Navajo writer. The content is heavy (describes in brutal detail the events of the Long Walk that occurred when the US army displaced thousands of Navajo from their ancestral homelands in the mid 1800s), but is clearly a labor of love for the author’s people and history.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

[Constance]

(Also to add, Her Land Her Love is a romance but aimed at young adults so the sex scenes are relatively tame)

[John]

“A Conspiracy in Belgravia” by Sherry Thomas was very enjoyable!

[ekr]

@Shalulah Is Carolina de Robertis a woman of color?