Dear HP,

 

Oh dear, here we go again. An attack on romantic fiction by someone who clearly knows little or nothing about it.

 

Please would Lise Villeneuve (editorial, "Reading can be dangerous," HIGH priority, June 25) tell me where she found the quotation she used to make her points? If it really was from a published romance, I apologize, and will join her in condemning it on both philosophical and technical grounds -- every field of endeavor is bound to have some black sheep, I suppose -- but if it was not, she should apologize. Certainly I have never read anything like that in a published romance.

 

He was much too good for her??? Heroines in today's love stories, like modern women, have a high sense of self-worth and are looking for equals as mates, not gods.

 

Romances only for teenagers? They are read by all ages, by most women, and account for about 40 per cent of the paperback fiction published in America today.

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Only for the mindless? Within today's contemporary love stories we see: child abuse; AIDS; prejudice about gender, color, race, and creed; disabilities; and any other topic of interest. Easy to write? All I can say is that they are no easier to write than any other work of fiction.

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Always the same plot? True, they are about two people forming a mating bond -- a classic story as old as time, and central to the human condition. But a mystery is nearly always about a murder. So? It's what the author does with this that matters.

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As for the lack of creativity in plots, since Ms. Villeneuve cited Harlequins (though she may, like many people have meant to refer to all romantic fiction), I looked through this month's reviews of Harlequins for interesting plots. We have: the reconciliation of a divorced couple; an evening-class teacher and a rough diamond; an ex-policeman and an academic investigating sexual harassment; and a rodeo with the heroine as the rodeo participant.

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The female is always single, gorgeous and pure. Nonsense. They are often divorced, widowed, single mothers or married (in a book where the story is about a troubled marriage). Single I'll grant in most cases. There's not much point to a mating story if they are not free to bond! It is true that the heroes are generally special men, but then the strong, clever, heroines need someone capable of keeping up with them. I do agree with Ms. Villeneuve that reading nothing but romances is not a good idea, but the same goes for any narrow reading pattern. Even reading nothing but books about "the origin of life."

 

Jo Beverley

The Ottawa Citizen