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aseRemember that, "if I go home, I'll get nothing done!" post yesterday?
I went home, I opened the Amazon box, and I said, "I'll read a little bit of the new Bujold."
Three hundred-odd pages later, I realized I'd screwed my sleep schedule for the rest of the week. Whoops!
Initial reactions: yep, it's a romance. Look at all those references to eye color and how fragrant people smell! I'm very glad I had the conversation with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tessfawcett about tropes and entering into genre assumptions before I read this. Bujold's written a very likeable book, but not a very deep one. On the other hand, she found a natural break in the narrative, rather than ending on a gigantic cliffhanger, which I really appreciate. People more familiar with romance tropes than I: please discuss how tSK conforms to and/or subverts reader expectations in comments, or on your own space. Also, if someone who hasn't read the book yet could keep a running tally of how many times "beguiled", "beguiling", or an alternatively conjugated form of the word is used in the novel, I'd appreciate it.
Prediction for the conclusion of second book: based on LMB's comments and historical writing patterns, it seems a no-brainer to guess the second book will end with the birth of Fawn and Dag's child. I'd like to say that now, partly as a mental placeholder for the inevitable comparisons with the Shards of Honor / Barrayar plot arc.
Spoiler-phobes, you may now peek between your fingers. I've said my piece. Edit: However, there are now Beguilement spoilers in comments, so you may not want to peek too long, or at all.
I went home, I opened the Amazon box, and I said, "I'll read a little bit of the new Bujold."
Three hundred-odd pages later, I realized I'd screwed my sleep schedule for the rest of the week. Whoops!
Initial reactions: yep, it's a romance. Look at all those references to eye color and how fragrant people smell! I'm very glad I had the conversation with
tessfawcett about tropes and entering into genre assumptions before I read this. Bujold's written a very likeable book, but not a very deep one. On the other hand, she found a natural break in the narrative, rather than ending on a gigantic cliffhanger, which I really appreciate. People more familiar with romance tropes than I: please discuss how tSK conforms to and/or subverts reader expectations in comments, or on your own space. Also, if someone who hasn't read the book yet could keep a running tally of how many times "beguiled", "beguiling", or an alternatively conjugated form of the word is used in the novel, I'd appreciate it. Prediction for the conclusion of second book: based on LMB's comments and historical writing patterns, it seems a no-brainer to guess the second book will end with the birth of Fawn and Dag's child. I'd like to say that now, partly as a mental placeholder for the inevitable comparisons with the Shards of Honor / Barrayar plot arc.
Spoiler-phobes, you may now peek between your fingers. I've said my piece. Edit: However, there are now Beguilement spoilers in comments, so you may not want to peek too long, or at all.
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Date: 2006-10-26 12:16 am (UTC)I don't think that Fawn's stupid, just that she starts out very immature, and I think the text evidence backs me up
I think you could make a good argument for that, yes. Looking forward to discussing specifics when/if you have time for a longer review.
What the background appears to be pointing at is that something in the Lakewalker culture is going to have to change or everyone's going to be malice bait
That seemed pretty obvious to me, too; my SFnal side may be coming out here, but I suspect Fawn will turn out to be able to do something that Farmers Just Can't Do, and assumptions will have to be revised accordingly.