Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Revisiting the 1980s "Bodice Ripper"


So, I'm going back and reading all my favorite "bodice rippers" from the 1980s when it was fashionable, not to mention socially acceptable, to swoon over domineering males getting what they want through rape and intimidation. A refreshing alternative to the typical boss/secretary yarns that were popular at the time, these historical romances were a bit more graphic and a lot more detailed as far as description and character development. I have the hardback original printing of this book "The Tiger's Woman" by Celeste De Blassis (her real name? I don't think so) and I've been feverishly reading it for days...ignoring my dogs, missing my shows, forgetting to return my library books. While E.L. James has proven decisively that there is a time and place to call things what they actually are, there is still something to be said for leaving some things to the imagination. When we read we provide our own soundtrack and movie reel to accompany the words we read and "The Tiger's Woman" keeps the fantasy going from start to finish. There is nothing more annoying than being deep in the throes of a good story only to be jolted out of it by a typo or incorrect grammar usage. I have 100 pages to go and I cannot wait to get home and finish this book tonight...this book that is just as great today as it was when I first read it 30 years ago.