#(i feel like sophie would be the kind of drunk that's very impulsive and says EVERYTHING that comes to the forefront of her mind | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

love-little-lotte · 3 years

Text

Ranking the Bridgerton Books

I know I should write this in my book blog, but frankly, I have no idea how to make another section for it, and I'm too lazy to research. So, I'm writing here. Please bear with me.

Recently, I read the Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn. You might be familiar with the first book since it was adapted into a popular Netflix series by Shonda Rhimes. I binge-watched it back in December, and I have to say... not a fan. I guess I just find it too cheesy and annoying. Plus, the actors who portrayed Daphne and Simon had no romantic chemistry whatsoever.

But I'm not here to talk about the TV show. I'm here to talk about the novels! This is actually not my first time reading the books. Well, not exactly. I've read six out of the eight novels when I was in high school, I believe. I found the books when I was in high school as it was in the library (please don't ask me why my high school library has smutty novels in it, I have no idea who's in charge - they had Fifty Shades of Grey for a week but they eventually removed it from the catalog when they learned what's it about, but I digress). As a fifteen-year-old girl, the series hooked me.

If you're not familiar with the books or the Netflix series, here's a short synopsis: Set in the Regency era, the Bridgertons are one of the most influential families of the ton. The books follow the love stories of the eight Bridgerton siblings, alphabetically named Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth.

I didn't read it in chronological order back then, though. I just borrowed any available Bridgerton book in the library if there's one. You might think I was too young to read a romantic novel like that, but I guess I was mature enough to understand it.

Rereading it now that I'm twenty-two (cue Taylor Swift!), my heart's not in the same place. I was more skeptical with the writing, the story, and, most especially, the characters. But, really, I'm not that heartless, so I will cut the author some slack. Quinn wrote this at a different time for a different audience. It's not that long ago, but you'd be surprised how fast things change.

However, even though I have major criticisms, I cannot stop reading them. There's something about the novels that put me in a chokehold. Despite everything, I was able to enjoy it overall. This series is the definition of "guilty pleasure."

Anyway, here's my ranking of the Bridgerton books! I only read the eight main ones, which means I didn't include novellas of any kind. Also, as a fair warning, I might discuss spoilers and whatnot, so please beware. And do keep in mind that I'm writing my opinion, so if you don't agree, well... tough. I'd like to hear your comments, though, if you have any.

#8 - An Offer From A Gentleman (Book 3)

Honestly, this was probably one of my favorite Bridgerton books when I was younger. A Cinderella retelling? Come on! As someone who loves fairytales and forbidden romances, this was supposed to be heaven. However... it was not.

Benedict may be my least favorite Bridgerton brother. No, scratch that - he is my least favorite Bridgerton out of all of them. He's whiny and creepy and I was plainly annoyed with how he keeps asking Sophie to be his mistress in the novel. This was not the gentleman I imagined when I was younger. I might have liked him more in the first few parts, but as the story progressed, he became too childish and obsessive. Sophie, on the other hand, was all right. She's definitely one of my favorite Bridgerton heroines. She was tough but kind in her own way. I wish she had a better partner than Benedict, but I guess they suit each other in the end.

I just detest the climax and the ending of this book. It was too comical - and not in a hilarious way. I guess the same could be said for the entire novel. This was so, so different from the rest, to be honest.

Overall Rating: 3/10

#7 - On The Way To The Wedding (Book 8)

Fun fact: this is the first Bridgerton novel I read. And even then, I wasn't a huge fan of it. Just like An Offer From A Gentleman, the climax was a bit silly but more in a soap opera level than comical.

The biggest factor why I didn't like this was the characters. They were all so bland. Especially our hero and heroine. Gregory is the least featured Bridgerton in the novel, so I don't really know what to make of him at the beginning of the novel. In his book, I learned that he was a good guy - and that's all. Maybe he's too young and naive when it comes to romance (which is endearing, I have to admit), but he has no interesting personality whatsoever. Lucy, the heroine in this novel, was the same. She was described as pragmatic and sensible, which perfectly sums her up. Also, she's a great friend to Hermione (whose last name is Watson, by the way, and you can't tell me otherwise that this isn't a Harry Potter reference - Hermione Granger and Emma Watson? If that's not a reference, well, that's a very crazy coincidence, but I digress again). Gregory and Lucy's story was average - not bad, not good, just so incredibly dull.

The fun parts started way too early. It was difficult to find intrigue in the middle and end bits. The second main conflict, which happened near the end of the book, was truthfully not that good and was just obviously a ploy to keep things longer. You'd think that the Bridgerton novels would end the series with a bang. Alas, it did not.

Overall Rating: 4/10

#6 - To Sir Phillip, With Love (Book 5)

Eloise finally gets her turn in her own love story. She used to be one of my favorite Bridgertons, but when she got her own story, she was reduced into a plain girl. Gone was the feisty and outspoken Eloise we knew from the previous books.

Maybe it's because she's paired up with one of the most insufferable Bridgerton heroes, Sir Phillip. Just an inch away from Benedict, Sir Phillip maybe my next least favorite character. And it annoys me so much that Eloise gets to fall in love with someone like him.

It actually started pretty well. Before the events in the book started, Eloise and Phillip had already been corresponding for a year through letters. Phillip was on the lookout for - not a wife - but a mother for his two unruly children, and he thought Eloise was perfect for the role. He's a terrible father, but the book tries to convince us that it's not his fault because he had a bad upbringing by his own father (a recurring theme in the Bridgerton books - four heroes are plagued with different daddy issues). Eloise tried her best to turn things around, and of course, she eventually did, but I just really hate Phillip's initial intentions for seeking out a wife. He gets better in the end, sure, but I still really don't like him. At least the book wasn't short of excitement, else it would've been rated a bit lower.

Obviously, my favorite part in this book was when the Bridgerton brothers stormed into Phillip's house. He got what he deserved, truly.

Overall Rating: 4/10

#5 - The Duke and I (Book 1)

Now, this is the most well-known story in the Bridgerton literary universe, thanks to the Netflix series. I know I've said that I wasn't a fan of the series, but really, the Netflix writers and producers deserve all the gold in the world because they managed to transform this novel into something exciting.

Daphne and Simon had their moments, that's for sure, but as a couple, they were just so... meh. I liked their relationship at the start when they were still pretending to be courting. But as soon as they got married, everything interesting about the two of them sizzled out. And please don't get me started with how Daphne "took advantage" of drunk Simon. Thank God the show fixed that.

Despite my mixed feelings, this was a decent start to the Bridgerton books. There's really nothing majorly wrong about this novel (except for the aforementioned "taking advantage.") It laid out the future characters well. Lady Whistledown was also great. Thinking about her made me miss her because she wasn't featured in the later novels (you'll soon find out why).

Overall Rating: 5/10

#4 - It's In His Kiss (Book 7)

Since Eloise was stripped away from her feistiness when she got her own love story, I was obviously worried for Hyacinth. Thankfully, she didn't change! She was still the same tactless girl in the previous books. And for that, she gets to be my champion as my favorite Bridgerton.

This is the first time I've read this book, and oh, I'm surprised with how exciting it was. Hyacinth's hero, Gareth, perfectly suited her. Gareth was able to tame her impulsiveness, while also proving to be a good romantic partner for her. I loved that he could match her intellectually, too. It was never a bore whenever they have one of their silly banters. Lady Danbury was also featured more in this novel. She's one of my favorite side characters. As Gareth's grandmother, she was determined to bring him and Hyacinth together.

Maybe the only criticism I have in this novel is Gareth's issues with his father. I find it really weird that most of the heroes' problems are with their fathers. It just seemed lazy writing, in my opinion. But oh well, Gareth was interesting in his own way and that's perfectly fine.

Overall Rating: 6/10

#3 - Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Book 4)

I have a feeling that this is Quinn's favorite Bridgerton book. In this book, it's Colin's turn to find love. Colin is featured in several of his siblings' stories - in fact, in almost all of the books, he had an important role to play.

I love Colin and Penelope's story. Long before this book, they already knew each other. Penelope was Eloise's best friend, and she's almost always in the Bridgerton household. Colin has been forced by his mother for God knows how long to dance with Penelope every time there's a party. But it was only now that they became closer. Unbeknownst to Colin, Penelope had been in love with him for half her life, even though he didn't particularly care for her. Penelope speaks for all of us who know about unrequited love all too well.

Furthermore, this is the novel where they finally reveal who was behind the Lady Whistledown column. Yes, viewers of the Netflix series who are not familiar with the books. This is the part - and not in the first book! I'm so mad that they revealed Penelope as Lady Whistledown in the first season of the series, when in fact it's much later than that.

However, that's also one of the lowest points of this novel for me. Lady Whistledown's identity reveal was a bit anti-climactic. A little bit laughable, even. Also, also, also: I hated Colin's reaction to Penelope's secret. He didn't have to be angry and jealous of her, but ah well, whatever makes for conflict. Nevertheless, I love both Colin and Penelope because they had so much character and depth. Quinn was certainly biased when she wrote this.

Overall Rating: 8/10

#2 - The Viscount Who Loved Me (Book 2)

Remember earlier when I said that I cannot stop reading the books because even though I knew it wasn't that good, it was still highly enjoyable? Well, I'm really talking more about this book, to be specific. I think I've read it in less than 24 hours because of how much I love it. And yes, Anthony and Kate had their obvious flaws, but oh God, they were so perfect together. I can't help but imagine Jonathan Bailey from the Netflix series as Anthony when I was reading it. I swoon, all the time.

This used to be my favorite Bridgerton novel, but that's only because I haven't read my new favorite until recently. Anthony and Kate's story was just oh-so good and intimate and romantic. Kate's also my favorite heroine in the entire Bridgerton literary universe. She was headstrong and loving. She's unafraid to put the happiness of her family first.

In so many ways, Anthony was the same. He assumed the role of Viscount Bridgerton when he was only eighteen when his father unexpectedly died. Since then, he overlooks the family's estates and well-being. Yes, this is one of those "daddy issues" stories I mentioned earlier, but this one was kind of done tastefully. He didn't wish to fall in love but everything changed when he encountered Kate. He didn't mean to be attracted to her, but here we are.

Anthony and Kate had so much understanding between them. I agree Anthony was a bit of a dick when Kate asked if they could have one week to get to know each other before consummating the marriage (worse things have been said by Benedict and Phillip, though), but in the end, I can't deny that I truly love them together.

Overall Rating: 8/10

#1 - When He Was Wicked (Book 6)

*blushing furiously* So what if I put the smuttiest and steamiest novel as my top choice?! What about it? Oh, but really, though, I can't stop reading this. Francesca is one of the least known Bridgertons in the books, just like Gregory. I didn't know anything about her, except that she's quieter than most of her siblings. It was also first mentioned in Romancing Mister Bridgerton that she had already married but was sadly widowed after two years.

Michael was Francesca's late husband's cousin and best friend, which makes him her best friend, too. He has been secretly in love with Francesca since the first moment he laid eyes on her but was unable to pursue her because she's with his cousin John. In addition, I'd like to say that Michael is my favorite hero in the Bridgerton books. He's very charming and wicked, and really, my knees buckle at the thought of him.

Long after John passed away, Francesca and Michael reunited. Francesca was looking for a new husband because she desperately wants a family, while Michael... well, Michael was still in love with her. There was undeniable passion and intimacy between them, and it was hard to stay away from each other. I seriously have a thing for men secretly pining over women they love. That's got to be one of my favorite tropes.

However, the book itself was a bit longer than necessary. While I understand Francesca's hesitations in marrying Michael, it could've been shortened because it felt draggy by the end. Her constant changing of minds was a bit annoying, and yeah, it was probably a ploy to lengthen the novel.

Additionally, I was a bit skeptical at first of how they're going to treat their relationship, especially since Francesca was truly in love with her first husband. But it was done so nicely. Francesca and Michael never forget about John, even in the end. I loved what John's mother said to Michael in a letter at the end, "Thank you, Michael, for letting my son love her first."

I guess I love their story more than the other couples because both were already mature and experienced. Just like everyone else in this romantic series, Francesca and Michael belonged together. The entirety of Chapter 19 is proof of that.

Overall Rating: 9/10

***

Overall, the Bridgerton books are quite entertaining, despite being a cheesy and sappy series. I admit that I feel quite lonely and bored now that I've finished all eight of them. Ah well, there's always the possibility of rereading them!

#books #bridgerton #bridgerton books #julia quinn #novels #reading #book ranking #romance #romantic books #historical fiction

18 notes · View notes

reflectingiridescent · 2 years

Note

D, L, P, R, and T for the fandom questions?

D: What was the first thing you ever contributed to a fandom?

It was a high school AU fic hehe. I believe I cross-posted it to ff.net from like, a message board. 😂

L: Your favorite fanartist/author gives you one request, what do you ask for?

This one really made me think. I think it would be some kind of thorough exploration of Sophie’s relationship with both Hardison and Parker, in either a canon or an AU setting. With all the canon ship stuff sprinkled throughout, but the central relationships would be Sophie & Hardison and Sophie & Parker.

And then the mood of the fic would be really lush, gilded, jewel-toned, and intimate. Not necessarily lighthearted but emotionally satisfying?

P: Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

I like the idea that the Leverage crew would have found each other with or without Dubenich, so I propose the following:

The Rashomon Job goes down nearly the same way, but it affects everyone more profoundly. They’re all a little more aware of each others’ presence. Sam’s illness is the reason Nate doesn’t go after any of them or look too much into it after, but he’s pretty sure they were all there. The compressed space for time that happens in his version of the story is real time. Everyone remembers that night much better. Something sticks about it, because they all messed each other up, but something about the forces present…it’s compelling somehow, hard for them to let go. It’s always in the back of their minds.

Dubenich doesn’t come to Nate in that airport, but Nate also doesn’t get on the plane. Sophie was part of the reason he was looking for a job in Chicago, and he’s pretty drunk and very empty-feeling. He looks her up on impulse, decides to spend an extra day in town.

Sophie’s happy to see him. She wishes it was truly just about her and not about a job (Nate hasn’t decided to pull a job yet, but Sophie always knew he had it in him - she doesn’t even have to convince him; he sits there and talks himself into it while she listens). It takes Sophie a while to get it, but she does. He says he doesn’t know what he wants, but he actually wants revenge. Sophie doesn’t bring it up. He’ll come to it in his own time.

They put the rest of the team together off of the memory of that one job a couple years back. Hardison still joins for the rep/challenge and Parker joins for the money. I think Eliot joins out of a need to do better work but also because he sort of feels he owes it to Nate (I think in this one, Eliot knows what Nate did for him accidentally on the night of The Rashomon Job). The combination of Sophie and Nate sells the concept pretty well.

I’m not sure if they immediately go after IYS. They probably work up to it. A lot of the storylines in the first season would stay the same (and the finale is extra crunchy because Nate tries to blame the forming of the crew on Sophie; Sophie says that he ultimately formed them to go after IYS, etc etc).

I just like the idea that the five of them would have always found each other!

R: A pairing you ship that you don't think anyone else ships

I’m very sure I fly alone on the Selar/Alyssa Ogawa ship for TNG because they’re such minor characters and (I believe?) don’t even have a scene together, and I'm okay with that. 😂 I think they’d be lovely together.

But hmmm a fandom we have in common. This isn’t a ship really but I would have been cool with Isobel and Tsukiko having some kind of long-term supportive relationship. Like not romantic but just like…support.

I feel like there are no rarepairs on Leverage because everyone’s so shippable…but there’s an AU where a few things are different and Eliot and Tara do really nicely together.

And…I can’t be the only person but Florence/Svetlana from Chess.

T: What are your favorite male/male ships or female/female ships?

I’ll do f/f because I don’t have many m/m at all!

Tenoh Haruka/Kaioh Michiru, Sailor Moon

Chibiusa/Tomoe Hotaru, Sailor Moon

Elphaba/Glinda, Wicked (I like their book counterparts best for this but the musical also works)

Susan Ivanova/Talia Winters, Babylon 5

Wil/Vivian, Saving Face

prime!Philippa Georgiou/(Afsaneh) Paris, Star Trek (mostly Discovery)

Kira Nerys/Jadzia Dax, Star Trek DS9

Sophie Devereaux/Tara Cole, Leverage (help)

Sophie Devereaux/Maggie Collins, Leverage

Anissa Pierce/Grace Choi, Black Lightning

#I feel wrong not adding dragon age ships to this but they’re like all involving ocs?#or like I could do leliana or isabela with a lot of people just at very specific points in time #also #I was speaking to myself quietly while I was typing this #and my cousin and his bf were like NO GAY SHIPS?#and now we are watching a very sexy mlm foreign movie marathon today I suppose #replies #alinaandalion #memes #ask box memes #long post

2 notes · View notes

its-ashleyreads · 4 years

Photo

FInished: 05/05/2020

Love at First Like by Hannah Orenstein

Rating: ★★★★★

Okay, so to preface this review I feel like I need to say that I don’t typically rate romance novels highly. Not because I believe that they aren’t deserving of high ratings but more often than not there is some problematic element that I just don’t jive with. That being said, this book definitely had a problematic element to it but it was dealt with in such a way that enhanced the characters and their development instead of being problematic for the sake of shock value.

Also, just a warning that I had a LOT of thoughts on this book so the review is quite lengthy. I’ll put little headers on each paragraph so if you’re only interested in thoughts on certain aspects you can scroll down and find them easily.

Summary

“Love at First Like” by Hannah Orenstein, is about Eliza, a 20-something jewellery store owner in New York who sells happily ever afters but can’t seem to find her own. One night after a train wreck of a first date she scrolls through Instagram and finds out that her ex-boyfriend, who said he wasn’t the type to settle down, has gotten engaged. Eliza does what everyone does after finding out their ex has moved on, she gets drunk. After drinking through the better part of a bottle of whiskey Eliza thinks it’s a good idea to go into the jewellery store, she co-owns with her sister and take pictures of engagement rings on her finger.

The next morning, she realises that in her drunkenness she accidentally posted one of the photos on Instagram and her 100K followers now believe that she’s engaged. Her first instinct is to take the photo down but after seeing the influx of sales, at a time when the business sorely needs them, she decides to milk it a little longer. With so many questions surrounding who she’s engaged to and no man in sight, Eliza and her best friend Carmen, decide to hold an audition of sorts for someone to play the groom-to-be. The audition turns out to be a complete bust but shortly after Eliza meets Blake. Blake is everything a girl like Eliza wants, he’s attractive, charming, and he owns a men’s luxury watch company; they’re a match made in heaven. They start dating because this is someone who Eliza can really see herself settling down with, but she hasn’t told him that she’s fake engaged, or that she’s planning to stage a fake wedding to drum up even more sales for her business. Throughout the book Eliza struggles with whether to tell Blake the truth, or risk losing him for good.

Review *Contains Spoilers*

Eliza

When I first picked up this book it was in one of those 3 for £10 sales and I needed a third. The premise sounded ridiculous and unrealistic and I thought it would just be an easy read that I rolled my eyes at, like most chick-lit. I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. I thought this was going to be a 1/5 but somehow, I’m giving it a gold star and a 5 out of fucking 5.

The main character, Eliza, is not someone I totally relate to, in fact her impulsivity is one of the qualities I hate most in anyone. As a dedicated planner and organiser, it’s one of my biggest pet peeves, but despite that I actually really liked Eliza’s character. Her bad/irresponsible choices in the beginning mostly just seem like a way to get the plot moving but I can still see how her character got to the place to make those choices. We’re given just enough backstory to understand how much her jewellery store, Brooklyn Jewels, means to her and how she would do anything to keep it from going under. Which is why when sales go up after the accidental engagement photo, I totally understand why she didn’t delete it, even if I don’t agree with it.

Secondary Characters/Friendships

I also absolutely loved that side characters like Carmen, Sophie and Raj all got to be real, fleshed out characters. Often, I find that secondary characters, in romance especially, don’t really get to have arcs or personalities other than whatever stereotype or trope they’re based on. Carmen in particular I thought was really well done. When we’re first introduced to her I thought she was just going to be a fun BFF that serves up one-liners to get laughs. Yes, Carmen can be a funny character at times, but that’s not who she is. Despite us only having small glimpses into this character, as we only see her through Eliza, Orenstein uses Eliza’s history with Carmen to show us how she’s evolved over the years in her career goals particularly. The second encounter we have with Carmen is almost entirely centred on her and her idea of an app that she wants to launch, where Eliza intones that previously “[Carmen] said she’d rather do excellent work for a company and collect a steady paycheck. [Eliza] never thought she'd strike out on her own.” (60) The rest of this encounter is spent with Eliza offering to provide business advice and support to Carmen as she knows how hard starting a business can be.

I absolutely adore Eliza and Carmen’s friendship because it doesn’t revolve around Eliza and her boy trouble. Their friendship is a two-way street where they lift each other up when they doubt themselves, like when Carmen was nervous about making a presentation to investors and Eliza went through it with her until she’d perfected it. And they ground each other when they’re becoming too idealistic, like when Eliza keeps stringing Blake along and Carmen reminds Eliza that he’s a person with real feelings who doesn’t deserve to be played with. Their friendship is so authentic and true to real life experience that I honestly want another book about just the two of them living it up in NYC.

Eliza as a friend in general, I found was quite refreshing. In a lot of romance the heroine tends to be quite selfish and shitty towards their friends, if they have any at all, but Eliza hit the perfect balance of caring for her friends and caring for herself; not being a martyr, but also not being greedy. I loved how excited she got about her friends lives and achievements, and how when she saw that Raj, a web engineer, was bar-tending between gigs she hooked him up with Carmen who was in need of exactly what he had to offer. I also like how it was mentioned that Carmen paid Raj because I think sometimes things like that get reduced to a friend doing another friend a favour, instead of the fact that Raj is a trained professional and deserves to be paid for his time and expertise.

Sophie

However, someone who did not deserve to get paid, was fucking Sophie. Let me clarify, Sophie deserved to be paid for the work she did at Brooklyn Jewels, but she did NOT deserve a $15K bonus right as their business was going through a tough time financially. This made me unreasonably angry, I had a full freaking meltdown because it was so ridiculous to me that she would even ask and even more so that Eliza said YES. Sophie needed the money to go through IVF treatments because she and her wife wanted to have a baby, fair enough. I personally don’t believe in going through that kind of treatment when there are so many kids in the world without families but whatever, to each their own. But what really irked me was the fact that Sophie, who is in her early thirties, had already attempted this method of conception and it didn’t work. So, she was willing to take a gamble with money that was greatly needed to help keep their business afloat because she couldn’t just wait a fucking year or two. Not to mention the fact that if she did get pregnant and has this baby only for her business to fail, then she wouldn’t have a steady income, health insurance, maternity pay and she would have also screwed her sister out of her dream. Luckily everything works out for the best, Sophie gets pregnant and Eliza saves Brooklyn Jewels, but it so very easily could have destroyed multiple lives. The fact that Sophie is meant to be perceived as the ‘responsible’ sister astounds me. When Eliza was trying to save their business by offering solutions Sophie kept shooting every idea down and her only contribution to that conversation was that she wanted to fire their only employee who got paid shit-all anyway. Honestly, I could write a fucking essay on why I hated Sophie but I guess I’ll settle for a really long paragraph.

Love Interests

The problematic element in this book was definitely the ridiculously elaborate plot for Eliza to lure Blake into marriage to cover her fuck-up. As I was reading I marked three places where Eliza could have told Blake the truth in an organic way so that it wasn’t just like she was dropping a bomb on him. Despite my frustration with Eliza, her internal monologue again, made me understand why she wasn’t doing things how I wanted her to. Although, even though I understand her reasoning, it still doesn’t make what she did to Blake right, and I absolutely love how he couldn’t trust her again and that they didn’t get back together. I hate the ‘love concurs all’ trope and I’m glad that the author showed how Blake, who was clearly way more in love with Eliza than vice versa, couldn’t get past the fact that she used and lied to him. Part of me wishes that was how the romance in this book ended, with no happily ever after, maybe Raj pretending to be her fiancé to save Brooklyn Jewels, but no happy couple at the end.

The other part of me feels all warm and fuzzy because Raj and Eliza are unbelievably cute together. Orenstein could have fucked this romance up so hard, especially because it comes in so late in the story and Eliza was (kind of) on the rebound. But she takes the readers thoughts of, ‘Did Eliza really not notice her feelings for Raj until now?’ and ‘Is Raj just second place because Blake dumped her?’ and turns them into questions Raj uses to stand up for himself. Raj has clearly liked Eliza since they first met and I loved that he was willing to fight for what he believed he deserved. Raj and Eliza have such great chemistry as characters, but they were ultimately their own people who made their own choices, even after getting together. The way Orenstein wrote both Blake and Raj was a breath of fresh air. To see two male characters not being aggressive, but still standing up for themselves and not blindly bowing down to what the female love interest wanted, was something I don’t think I’ve ever read before. I think that comes from the fact that yes, Eliza is the heroine of this story but it’s not just about her. Like, I could tell while reading from Eliza’s point of view that there were other things going on in this world that just didn’t include her. So, while she was our main character, she wasn’t the main character of the world she was living in.

Representation

One of the things I loved most about this book was the casual representation. This was the truest to life representation I’ve seen in a romance novel thus far. Orenstein doesn’t make a big deal about her minority characters because they’re not minority characters, they’re characters who happen to be minorities. This book isn’t about race or LGBTQ+ rights so there’s no real need to dwell on those things, but she does acknowledge those parts of her characters in small ways throughout. This is how more fiction should be, because the more we normalize diversity in the media we consume, the less we’ll think of minority groups as ‘other’ (or so I hope).

Rating

Ultimately this book was not perfect. I definitely had problems with it (mostly named Sophie) but it was a fun read from beginning to end with some thought provoking themes which will stick with me for a while yet. Honestly, this book could have been complete garbage, but Orenstein’s writing and character development made me connect to almost every character (except for Sophie of course). I can’t wait to read her other works. 5/5. Brava!

#ashley reviews #hannah orenstein #love at first like #romance #contemporary romance #book review #5/5

2 notes · View notes

openemptysummer · 7 years

Note

Hi i like Leverage and i like analyzing narratives. i'm really interested in hearing your thoughts regarding 'Parker as the Chosen One of Leverage' if you have the time to expand on that

I wasn’t sleeping tonight anyway so here we go-

This got super long and waaaay out of control so meta under the cut. 1.5k of sleep deprived leverage meta below. sorry not sorry

I’ll start here, with why the rest of the team isn’t and then move to Parker-

Eliot Spencer is the character who externally changes the least over the course of the show. He starts off a tiny shouty man who is there to protect these people and ends up a tiny shouty man who is there to protect his family (also the subbiest sub to ever sub). Which is not to say he lacks characterization- in five seasons, he gets closure on the things he’s left behind- Amie, Damien Moreau, his Dad after the Low Low Price Job (which is v important because it talks about an everyday kind of evil thats pervasive and petty)- and opens himself up to these random people who he took a job with once. He’s got inside jokes and taught Parker how to fight, and we all know damn good and well that when he said ‘til my dying day he meant it.

Eliot changes the least because out of the team he knows himself the best. He’s come to terms with who he is as a person before Victor Dubenich ever contacts him. He’s got blood on his hands and the worst thing he ever did he did for Damien Moreau but he is resigned to who he is and what he’s done. He doesn’t expect anything more from his life but now that he’s got this family he won’t ever let go. Eliot doesn’t so much change over the course of the show as he does loosen up. He’s there on the field but the Narrative is never really about him. Not even when maybe it should be. (I.e. the Underground Job)

Hardison starts out as the guy who is perpetually the smartest guy in the room and shows it. I’d kinda forgotten how blatant and uncomfortable his hitting on Parker in the first few episodes was and how grateful I am that they tuned that wayyy down. He gets easier with himself and his skin, more self confident, more willing to put himself out there. He learns how to grift, then pickpocket, and then he approaches Nate about running his own team. And Nate tells him he isn’t ruthless enough- Nate who in the first episode told Hardison about how he dies in Plan M. Hardison is soft in ways that no other team member is and it’s presented as a strength. Hardison is the one who is unashamedly kind and you see it more and more through his interactions with the team and their clients. Particularly with Parker. He’s the one who teaches her about human interaction- who explains the things she misses and holds her up when she falters.

Hardison is the Token Good Teammate. He’s too nice to have the Narrative on his side.

Sophie is a mentor. The teacher and protecter to the crew and her issues are all about identity in a way that dovetails nicely with both Nate and Parker. She doesn’t know who she is, but she knows what she’s not- that’s a great long list that starts with honest. Sophie is the character who is served least by the show I think because beginning to end she’s all tied up in Nate. She grows as a person, gives up her secrets slowly, like she’s not certain about the choices she’s making. Sophie who terrifies Chaos, Sophie who can call in a favors that will bring a helicopter down on an active crime scene that is literally crawling with feds, Sophie who never explains how she managed to hold on to her title if she truly ran off on some Duke.

Sophie is ruthless and Sophie is dangerous and Leverage very rarely lets her be either. Mentors don’t get arcs the way main characters do.

Nate is straightforward in his way. Because Nate is our Dumbledore here. He plays chess with people, and is burning with his grief. He has a Cause and it is Right and Justified and True in his mind. He goes from drunk to sober, honest man to thief, hating himself and the world to content and these are all part of his arc and all important to who he is because for a while the Narrative is on his side.

He can’t lose until he can and that’s when he decides what his final score will and how he’ll pass on his legacy. And when he makes that decision every bit of effort they’ve put into developing Parker pays off.

Parker for the entire run of the series is the character who figures out who she is and what she wants to be. She’s described in the first episode over and over again as crazy and she is poorly socialized and wild and unthinking about her or others personal safety but even from the first episode she’s adapting. Ten minutes in and she’s already learnt something and assimilated it to herself. (haircuts parker, count the haircuts.) And suddenly Parker has this crew that thinks she can be better and different than what she is. Nobody has ever said that to her before- not even Archie. (Incidentally at the end of the Stork Job when Hardison tells Parker I like how you turned out it is the one of the finest expressions of love on tv, fight me)

So first season thats the Call and the Rejection- Parker is offered a chance to change and be something different with limited degrees of success. Sophie tries to teach her to grift and she stabs a guy, Nate sends her to jury duty and she tries to help but she’s not certain why she should be helping. Parker operates on pretty limited morality to start because she’s never been given a reason to do otherwise. Money->Personal Safety->Everybody Else.

Season Two is about Parker learning. She’s given further roles in the team- she grifts successfully- in small parts first, as an reporter, an heir, then playing a pregnant woman to avoid getting caught. Parker learns how to read other peoples expectations and use them. But you, the viewer are still not certain she gets it. The Zanzibar Marketplace Job is when we figure out that Parker has figured out how to care, when she’s fluttering about Maggie. The Maltese Falcon Job and we’re still not sure about her motives for do-gooding but we understand how she feels about her team when she hold Tara off of a building and considers dropping her. So Money=Team->Everybody Else

In S3 we get the Inside Job and Parker Gets It. (This is what we do she says)

Same episode- I think Nate looked around that warehouse and thought how can I use this. I think Nate looked at Parker’s plans and thought not how I would have done it. I think Nate was still thinking about the warehouse and those plans when he willingly steps back and says It’s your show. Go for it. Nate does not give up control to people who can’t do his job. Nate goes in after her but the plan and the execution that was all Parker.

The rest of the season is this and Hardison dancing around something good. She’s come to terms with her past and lets it go. She manages two grifts (the Underground Job and the Morning After Job without stabbing anyone and she is learning. So Money=Team->Good Guys->Bad Guys

S4 Parker has already transformed. She just needs to figure out what to do with it. She sorts out her feelings for Hardison, overcomes the last of her insecurities about people leaving and by the time they hit Portland she ready to run a crew. And she does on the side all season.

The Gimma A K Street Job is about leading a team she’s not confident in. The Real Fake Car Job she plays a role that would have been Sophies if Nate weren’t testing them. In The Broken Wing Job, Parker says people who have to help and she’s being sincere- compare with s1e1 when she talks about money. In both the Rundown Job and The White Rabbit- she runs the con. She sacrifices for both of the jobs. Particularly the Rundown Job when Parker choses the needs of the many over the few and this job requires that too, the willingness to set yourself on fire to save a single soul.

(Hardison doesn’t ever forgive himself for the impulse of damn the many, not just because Spock would be disappointed. Eliot. I think, understands it perfectly- Parker looked at him first, than Hardison.)

Then finally the Long Goodbye and here is where Parker fully inhabits the role. She is the character who has traveled the furtherest from where she began and the only one who can do it. So this is simultaneously Passing the Torch and our hero, the Chosen One coming into her destiny as somebody who will provide Leverage- if you want to apply Jungian Archetypes to media that’s not built for it (which i always do)

And she’s the only character ruthless enough to see this through. Nate hands her the job like it’s a gift but it’s really not. The Narrative is on her side.

It had to be her. Somebody else might have gotten it wrong.

#leverage #meta #mine #ot3: we change together #people need to write more fusion fic for leverage #things we need to talk about when we talk about

173 notes · View notes