A friend who's taste in books is similar to mine has been suggesting I read a couple of books by Patricia Briggs for a while now and though I trust her, I resisted. Why? Because the the protagonist of the books is a guy. Confession time. I read some of just about everything including mysteries, romance, sf, fantasy, literary fiction, light fiction, even some nonfiction. So what's the reading confession? About 80% of my reading features females as the primary protagonists. If a book stars a man, I'm far less likely to pick it up and when I do pick it up, I take a while to read. Does that make me prejudiced? It's not that I don't like the guys when I do read them (as I'm about to prove), I just don't seek them out. Is that wrong? Weird? Unusual?
In this case, resistance was futile since H. lent me her very own well-read copies of the Hurog books by Briggs. First up was Dragon Bones and it set up one of the most original fantasy storylines I've read in a long while. Wardwick of Hurog is heir to Hurog Keep and when his father dies suddenly he expects to inherit. The only problem is the survival mechanism Ward has been using to survive his father. Since a young age Ward has pretended to be a simpleton. His act is so good that his uncle is named his guardian and the Tallvenish King of the Five Kingdoms has declared him unfit. To prove he deserves to inherit the home and land that he loves, Ward sets out to make himself a hero. After all, if he's a hero, no one will think to deny him his rightful place.
I loved Ward so much that I immediately dove into the sequel Dragon Blood and read that in record time. Patricia Briggs (who also wrote a new Urban Fantasy, Moon Called which I liked) is a genius when it comes to characterization. What really impressed me about these two books and the others I immediately went on to glom, was their relative shortness as fantasy novels. With a few sentences we know who Ward is and the same goes for every other character. People do bad things but aren't cartoon villains. Redemption is possible and honor is admirable. Every scene, perhaps every sentence, ties back into the storyline. Nothing is dropped or forgotten. That takes real skill.
So will this change my reading patterns when it comes to male protags? Probably not much, unless Patricia Briggs' name is on the cover of the book.
This is a very interesting glom, PopTart, and I'm glad we can talk about it (especially since the last time male/female reading likes and dislikes topic came up on a certain discussion list, everyone went batty). AFter I read your post I sat and thought for some time and realized that most of the fiction and nonfiction I read has GUY protagonists (including two of my favorites of all time, A River Runs Through It and Catcher in the Rye). I tend to like male authors too, hence, I think, my love for nonfiction, which, with the exception of memoirs, seems to skew heavily to the male author side. I wonder why that is, since frankly, men can often be a pain and I'm not a "bitchy" woman who hates other women. All very interesting. Another thing I'll have to consider now when picking out books to read. Oh, and also, I just got the Dragons book...hopefully can read it next week!
Anonymous said...
8:31 PM
It's a funny thing that I lean towards women characters/authors, because I sometimes think my brain is more guy-like then anything else. I don't know that I can articulate the point but I frequently find myself less then interested in female things and have to work at those.
Trying to think of an example of my guy-thinking and I think a big one is my yen for adventure (though I'm truly sedentary). I was in ROTC and the thought of joining comrades in the defense of my beliefs seems appealing. I know it's all very romanticized in my head, but I also know I loved basic training and I loved being with all those guys, as one of the guys, so to speak.
But in reading, I search out female protagonists - though I certainly lean towards the tougher, kick-ass ones if I can find them.
I think we need a psychologist or sociologist to figure this out.
Anonymous said...
5:34 PM
Uh,
I am feeling like the odd girl out.
ONCE AGAIN.
So, uh, stutter, stammer. What do you think defines women's vs. male interests in books?
Okay, so I think of myself as a woman who adores other women who usually hate her... shoot, where does that leave me?
On a diet, I guess.
Mmmph, daughter C. says women protagonists are just more interesting than male ones. They have deeper emotional and spiritual and intellectual lives. Yeah, she is only 12 but I thought that was pretty deep observation.
Got no comments of my own...
The Laundress said...
9:49 PM
I don't think you can define reading interests - which is funny considering all of us spend so much of our jobs trying to figure out exactly that. I have such a love/hate relationship with the whole business of reading research. Because reading is such a personal thing, how can we possibly figure it out. And yet I know I've helped people pick books that they've liked and the choices I suggested were based purely on my study (brief though it may be) of their reading interests!
And I agree with C. 100%. I love the adventurous women for their sense of adventure but I also like to know about their emotional lives.
Anonymous said...
6:24 PM
Oh, Pop Tart, oh, Laundress:
How I love reading you both. I agree that reading is too quicksilver to nail down, really either individually and particularly by groups or for groups! Doesn't mean we can't talk about it, which is why I appreciate this blog. Hm, women and men characters. Laundress, someday will you have C. read "A River Runs through It" and tell me what she thinks? I really thought that had thinking male characters (perhaps because they were based on real life family members?).
Pop Tart, I have always thought of myself as having guy proclivities too, but more in the just liking sitting around and taking it pretty easy way, than in an adventurous way (I knew some pretty lazy guys in college). Interesting how we both have that thought about ourselves but have such different tastes. Cool stuff.
Anonymous said...
5:50 PM
Well, my daughter is developing theories on male vs. female protagonists. And the guys usually come up lacking.
Me? I am just really pleased with your use of this word"
PROTAGS.
Did you coin this? First time I have seen it and I like it.
Um, Carly would have some sort of deeper observations, but she is combing out her cats.
All the best!
The Laundress said...
8:29 PM