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maddie-grove · 3 years

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Little Book Review: The Duke Who Didn't

Author: Courtney Milan.

Publication Date: 2020.

Genre: Historical romance (late Victorian).

Premise: Jeremy Wentworth, the half-Chinese Duke of Lansing, has enjoyed his yearly excursions to the remote village of Wedgeford, which has a quirky annual tradition of a community-wide scavenger hunt. It's a relief to have fun and be around people who can relate to him--Wedgeford has a substantial Chinese population and is diverse in general--plus he has a big crush on the efficient Chloe Fong. The only problem? He's never told Chloe, or anyone else in the village, that he's a duke and actually owns the land. Will Chloe be mad at him when he spills the beans? Even if she isn't, will she ever consent to marry a dude with such a complicated deal? And doesn't she have enough to do, between the annual games and her own painful family secrets and her attempts to launch her chef father's sauce?

*SPOILERS BELOW*

Thoughts: I think many romance fans have a complicated relationship with the Big Secret. On one hand, it can produce delicious drama and angst, eventually leading up to a cathartic scene where one of the protagonists tearfully confesses that they can't read/had an affair with their sister-in-law/were imprisoned in an oubliette. On the other hand, the reader may feel bored and irritated. "Oh my God," the reader might say, "just tell her that you're afraid of bees. It's causing so much trouble that you won't say that you're afraid of bees." If the plot involves one protagonist getting angry with the other protagonist for concealing the truth once it comes out, the reader might feel annoyed with both protagonists. "He had compelling reasons to not tell you about how he was tricked into joining a cult," the reader might grouse. "It's not all about you, Isabella!"

So, I get why Milan subverts that trope in the way she does. Far from being angry, Chloe and the rest of the villagers reveal that they knew Jeremy's identity, and just figured that he didn't feel like talking about his background (a common preference in Wedgeford). This is nice, certainly. It speaks well of Chloe and the villagers that they respect people's privacy so thoroughly, and I wasn't looking forward to a plot point that would inevitably leave me feeling annoyed with Jeremy, irritated with Chloe, and/or guilty for my feelings towards either or both characters. Still...Milan devotes a lot of space to Jeremy angsting over his secrets, only to reveal that his secrets were never an issue. It feels like a waste, given that (a) it draws attention away from the development of the romance (since I was waiting for the other shoe to drop the whole time) and (b) Jeremy had more interesting things to worry about, like his relationship with his well-meaning but racist aunt. It also sets up a dilemma: either Jeremy rightly believed that it was wrong to conceal his identity even though he was mistaken about its consequences (in which case he needs to make amends), or Jeremy wrongly believed that he owed this information to the people of Wedgeford (in which case Jeremy seems to believe that he isn't allowed boundaries, which is an emotional issue that should be addressed). To treat the whole thing as a comedic twist is a disservice to his character.

The novel is stronger on Chloe's end. The logistics of her quest to market her dad's "brown sauce" are the most engaging part of the novel, and her unearthing of family secrets is moving and involves some interesting elements of Chinese history. Like Jeremy, Chloe labors under a misapprehension that makes her feel bad about herself, but it's more naturally incorporated into the story and taken more seriously. Overall, their romance is sweet--I just wish it'd been given more room to breathe.

Hot Goodreads Take: "Just can’t read something so inaccurate. No evidence of Chinese dukes or peers. DNF," states one genius. They should hang out with the reviewer of The Plot Against America who knows that Charles Lindbergh was never president.

#little book review #the duke who didn't #courtney milan #romance novels #i feel like if you're going to be like that #you shouldn't be interested in books about fictional dukes at all #i'm pretty sure we know who all the dukes in england were #going back to william the conqueror

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shenmeizhuang-blog · 6 years

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Do you have any cdrama suggestions for a baby beginner? I think Empress of China is the most famous one I’ve heard of but I’m curious about others too!

B-baby beginner? No, my friend, when it comes to cdrama, we simply throw you into the pit…

Just kidding! Although, for a myriad of reasons, being a Chinese drama fan outside of Asia without a hold of the language is admittedly rather difficult (so to the “international” cdrama fandom: you guys rock!).

Unfortunately, your answer did not really help me narrow down my answer after all. I believe Moonlight Drawn By Clouds, your recent fave, is very romance-centric, but I feel like everyone tends to vacillate in their mood, preferring super romantic escapism one minute and demanding tight storytelling the next. Anyway, I’ll stop rambling and actually get to the point:

personal recs, in general*

I just couldn’t really “categorize” these?

peace hotel (2018): currently in the midst of watching this still, but I’m really enjoying this! honestly. especially with how the female chars (most of the chars are written.) it’s this mix between super suspenseful espionage and really cathartic humor. the plot twists are also so !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

let’s shake it! (2017): alien crashlands to the tang dynasty! it’s super cute and quirky, but there’s also a strong, coherent plot and some angst in the latter parts. definitely one of my faves of last year, though it’s punny sense of humor doesn’t always get through. it’s also very appreciatively meta ;) the subs apparently aren’t complete, as my friend complained to me, but I personally find the language real simple

medical examiner dr. qin (2016): the interactions between the crime-solving trio are gold. also, like the only modern show here?? (as you can tell, I am really mostly a period show watcher.)

go princess go (2015-16): it’s really low-budget and cracky, but trust me, there’s a reason it went viral. zhang tian ai does feel like the saving grace a lot of the time though, and I didn’t exactly give it a high score, but it just might be your thing. who knows?

nirvana in fire (2015): i don’t think it’s the best c-drama ever, unlike a lot of people on this site, but it’s still a very solid show. I also find it a lot more shoujo than most fans—it’s really not just a revenge-political drama—but when it was emotionally gripping, boy, it was emotionally gripping.

wuxin: the monster killer (2015): technically only season 1—I have yet to see s2—but weirdly enough, I found the poignant ending especially fitting. just assume from the title? yue qiluo is one of the more interesting villains out there, and gosh I just adore yueya so much

bu bu jing xin (2011): extremely poignant, complex look into polymagy/patriarchy during the qing dynasty from the lens of time-traveller zhang xiao who takes the identity of court lady ruoxi. even if you don’t ship any of the romances, it is so worth it for pretty much everything else. but if you do, obviously also an extremely heart-wrenching watch. a lot of people’s first cdrama.

schemes of a beauty (2010): lots of spying, secret chambers, poison, women control the men.

*I would want to recommend The Legend of Zhen Huan and The Glory Of Tang Dynasty, but they’re 76 episodes and 92 episodes long, respectively. Content-wise, it’s also stuff that requires lots of trigger warnings, and overall just not for the “baby beginner”. Battle of Changsha is definitely shorter, and a definite recommendation, but also just not for the “baby beginner.”

no dubbing

(Peace Hotel, Battle of Changsha, NiF, Medical Examiner Dr. Qin)

the advisors’ alliance (2017) + growling tiger, roaring dragon (2017-18): a mix of no dubbing and some dubbing. it’s a pretty creative to take the viewpoint of sima yi in this three kingdoms historical piece. I feel that it’s rather accessible to viewers, honestly, and the production values are great on this one.

nothing gold can stay (2017): only 4 eps in—it’s very solid so far (74 eps though, but I would say quite mainstream and easy to watch)

ten miles of spring wind can’t compare to you (2017): do I really want to rec this though? in the end, I really did wish I had someone to vent about this to and discuss with about, because in a lot of ways this really did give lots of food for thought. let’s just say that our three main chars are deliberately rather fatally flawed…and I still feel rather ambivalent about how to feel about this. (the first 10-15 eps are super cute, meta, adorable but also with great sexual tension and then it sort of goes to melodrama but anyway…) you could at least practice your chinese? it is harder than the average modern cdrama, given how pretentious qiu shui can get

shoujo period romances

We all have a soft spot for these :’)

sound of the desert (2014): just yesterday, there was quite a lot of discourse on this show on my dash, interestingly. female lead xin yue (liu shi shi) is raised by a wolf pack, though she eventually enters the capital city sometime during the han dynasty. she does at first fall for a crippled, broody flute player played by hu ge (imo one of his more lackluster roles) but it’s her chemistry with HAWT general wei wuji (eddie peng

female prime minister/legend of lu zhen (2013): again, freakishly sizzling chemistry. it focuses more on lu zhen rising up the ranks as lower-level female ministers, but mostly still very very romance-centric. (the otp falling-out in the last 10 eps or so was kind of stupid, I will admit, and also 200% all on gao zhan but it had such a strong addictive quality to it.)

gong/jade palace lockheart (2011): I haven’t seen Boys Over Flowers/the Japanese original/any official remakes of whatever that is, but a lot of people have called it Boys Over Flowers + modern girl time travels to the Qing Dynasty + 9-prince succession conflict during Kangxi’s reign. it was rather stupid and petty at times, but it’s more comedic and the romance is super addicting. I don’t care about the half-bald Qing queues at all, and this is actually one of the only roles that I’ve found Feng Shaofeng attractive in. (yes, it is possible to love bbjx and enjoy this)

Oh yeah, and all these end all happily and fairytale-like. None of the above would qualify as my “faves” at all, but all are very accessible to someone unfamiliar with cdrama and love the Romance and the Pretty.

others (I found rather lackluster or dropped): Perfect Couple, The Eternal Love (very popular among international audiences, but not for me), General and I, Oh My General

wuxias/xianxias

This is just going to be an embarrassing amount of childhood nostalgia. Like, literally, with the exception of the first one, I watched all of these in elementary school, with varying amounts of rewatching in between. The recent wuxias and xianxias just haven’t been to my liking. (I could get into how NiF takes lots of wuxia elements but I would just confuse you a lot so, strictly on the more fantasy/action side of things here.) I simply haven’t watched Eternal Love/Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms (very, very popular) at all. I’m sorry.

vigilantes in masks/strange hero yi zhi mei (2011): I believe the international equivalent is “Iljimae”? It’s like Robin Hood, sort of, but mostly Liu Shi Shi’s Yan Sanniang is so amazing here.

chinese paladin 3 (2009)

return of the condor heroes (2006)

chinese paladin (2005)

lotus lantern (2005)

also 武林外传, which is 80 eps, but kind of more like a wuxia sitcom way back in the day. there’s in-show ppls, tons of modern references, etc. and also like lots of satire/social commentary. I did a rewatch (of brief clips ofc, I don’t have that much time) recently, and realized I missed so much when I watched it with the family back then. (I’m kind of embarrassed about the more lewd references…lol…)

*line break*

Whew! Anyway, the takeaway is, there is a lot of stuff to choose from, and I definitely left out a lot of stuff. There’s also a lot of modern cdramas. This answer might clarify about those shows.

(that being said, I really personally would not recommend empress of china. I mean, aside from 96 eps, just 2 eps in I could tell it was going to be an unsubstantial mess >_

#cdrama #recs #answers #replies #next time i'll just link this or smth

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novalian · 7 years

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I was tagged by the awesome @theonceoverthinker :) This took me forever because I am incredibly indecisive.

1. Who is your favorite character and why?

Definitely Emma Swan. I’m hard pressed to think of a character I have ever rooted for or related to more, and I think she is written as such a well-rounded, complex, realistic human being. In a show that is so full of cheese and campiness (often in a good way!), she is the grounded interior that makes the fairy-tale exterior more than just dressing. She is a lot of things that I really admire – brave, caring, determined – but she is also extremely flawed and even unlikeable at times (which I consider a virtue – the best characters are). Prickly and closed-off and pig-headed, watching her claw her way to a position of such courage than she can overcome her past, fight for the things that she wants and learn to be vulnerable has been one of my favourite and most hopeful TV experiences ever.

2. Favorite recurring character? (Not a main character)

Elsa. I hate the animated version of Frozen, but Once’s iteration is so endearing and her friendship with Emma was a highlight with me. Special mentions go to Graham (whose unacknowledged murder is still irritating to me) and Milah.

3. What was your favorite Season 1 moment?

Snow and Charming’s net encounter. Their chemistry was off the charts.

4. Favorite overall moment?

This is a tie for me. I love the scene at the start of Season 2 where Emma meets Snow and Charming as her parents for the first time after the curse breaks, and it’s like their whole lives have been leading up to that moment. Ginnifer Goodwin’s tears get me every time. And in equal first position is Emma and Killian’s reunion at the end of Season 5 when Zeus brings him back; I know that scene is controversial outside of CS fandom because of the location but after a season of angst that moment was so cathartic and happy and I love it. Neither of these scenes are necessarily the most plot-relevant or complicated but they’re both brilliantly acted and they definitely make me happy when I watch them, which is the reason I love the show.

5. What is something you wish you could change?

The pacing. So much happens in this show that it would be great if the plot could slow down and allow the characters to actually process what is going on and react and bounce off each other; I would like more of a character first, plot second philosophy. I still wish we’d gotten more of Emma building a relationship with her parents and confronting their issues (like the whole ‘I want another baby’ issue of Season 3 – I feel like that should have been a much bigger element than it was). And I think the fast pacing also contributes to other problems like the poorly handled rape stories – the writers seemed to use these instances as ways to push the story in certain directions, without devoting enough attention to the actual humans involved, and the result is a reoccurrence of rape that is never even called that.

6. If you could see more of a background character, who would it be?

Not a background character anymore, but I miss Ruby.

7. Who is a character you wish you could like, but can’t.

Rumple. I don’t need or want to like him – but I dislike him to the point that I don’t think my personal take on him is as nuanced as his story probably deserves (or at least did at one point), which is a personal bias but I would love to be able to empathize with him more.

Anyone who wants to do this, go ahead :)

#ouat tag game #i am SO INDECISIVE #:)

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